Agenda at a Glance

For small or one-person teams, managing social media can feel overwhelming—especially when balancing limited resources with high expectations. This interactive, hands-on workshop is designed to help public agencies and government organizations streamline their social media strategies, maximize efficiency, and achieve meaningful engagement without overextending their team.

Through a mix of expert insights, real-world case studies, and actionable exercises, Caitlin LoCascio-King—founder of Magenta Fusion Brandworks—will guide attendees through practical, budget-friendly strategies that drive impact.

Agenda and Activities

Part 1: Prioritization & Strategy – Doing More with Less

• How to assess your agency’s unique goals and choose the right platforms
• Identifying the content that delivers the highest return on investment (ROI)
• Streamlining messaging for clarity and consistency across platforms

Hands-on Activity: Build a simple, high-impact content plan tailored to your agency’s needs

Part 2: Efficiency Hacks & Content Creation – Streamlining Your Workflow

• Time-saving tools for content creation, scheduling, and automation
• Templates and frameworks to simplify your workflow
• Strategies for repurposing content to maximize reach
• Engaging storytelling techniques that don’t require a big budget

Hands-on Activity: Develop a month’s worth of content ideas in 15 minutes

Part 3: Engagement & Analytics – Maximizing Impact with Minimal Resources

• Best practices for fostering audience engagement with limited staffing
• Encouraging community participation and user-generated content
• How to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and refine your approach
• Quick reporting methods to showcase results and justify social media efforts

Hands-on Activity: Create a simple KPI tracking system for your agency

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is ideal for small social media teams, solo practitioners, and government agencies operating with limited budgets who want to do more with less.

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Public agencies often face unique challenges in fostering trust and transparency with their communities. In this session, discover how strategic social media efforts can break down barriers of skepticism and build authentic connections. Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, you’ll learn how to:

• Communicate transparently to address community concerns.
• Use storytelling to humanize your agency and amplify its mission.
• Leverage social listening to understand and respond to public sentiment.
• Create meaningful engagement that fosters trust and accountability.

Join this session to explore how thoughtful social media strategies can turn skeptics into advocates and strengthen the relationship between government entities and the communities they serve.

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Anything can be exciting with the right approach! In this session, you’ll learn how to make any topic—no matter how mundane—stand out on social media by using eye-catching, creative, and shareable strategies. We’ll explore social media best practices and out-of-the-box thinking to help your content shine. From drafting compelling hooks to designing engaging visuals, this session is packed with actionable examples to inspire your next post and transform even the most ordinary topics into scroll-stopping content.

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For social media, photos and videos are king. Too many listen to the negative voices that they aren’t capable of making quality media. However, the barrier to becoming a strong content creator no longer relies on highly specialized equipment, a background in media, or costly training. This session will feature best practices for crafting media that help you tell your organization's story and ensure it reaches the audiences you want to engage with. 

You will learn how to: 

• Create compelling photos and videos through recording and editing. 
• Create stories and content that appeal to your audience. 
• Effectively use social media platform tools to maximize impact. 

During the session, we will explore how even novice photographers can capture strong photos and videos using just basic techniques and equipment. Participants will also learn how to further refine media into well-edited videos. The audience will learn what stories lend themselves to being expressed visually. Last but not least, we will also explore how social media platform tools can be used to enhance audience reach and effectiveness. 

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This session will equip government communications professionals with the tools and insights to manage negative comments, trolls, and misinformation on social media platforms effectively and legally. Key topics include:

• Explore the psychology behind negative commenters, including trolls, upset individuals, and persistent haters, to inform strategic and balanced responses.
• Learn practical approaches for handling different types of commenters and when to engage, ignore, or report.
• Discuss why facts alone often fail to change minds, how this contributes to the spread of misinformation, and what you can do about it.
• Delve into the legal landscape of social media, focusing on First Amendment rights, the limits of content moderation, and best practices for working closely with legal teams to ensure compliance with archiving and deletion protocols.

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Social media has transformed how government agencies communicate, but standing out and building trust in today’s crowded digital space requires creativity and authenticity. Join the Seal Beach Police Department as they share how humor, storytelling, and transparency have made them a national standout. This session explores how a small community’s innovative approach to social media can inspire and empower your agency to connect with your audience in relatable and meaningful ways.

Key Takeaways:

1. Harness the Power of Humor: Learn strategies for incorporating light-hearted content and memes to humanize your agency and foster engagement.
2. Build Trust and Authenticity: Discover how behind-the-scenes content and transparent communication can strengthen community relationships.
3. Balance Humor and Professionalism: Understand when humor is appropriate and how to handle sensitive situations with respect and care.
4. Adapt During Crises: Explore real-life examples of using social media creatively during challenges like protests and lockdowns to maintain public trust and engagement.

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In this session, we’ll focus on the shift government content creators must make to move beyond the traditional "us-and-them" dynamic. To build meaningful relationships with constituents, it’s crucial to engage in local events and actively listen to community feedback. By better understanding the unique needs of diverse communities, government agencies can create social media strategies that are both inclusive and impactful. This session will provide actionable techniques for building deeper connections through compelling storytelling, effective collaboration with local organizations, and transparent communication. Attendees will leave with a stronger sense of how to engage with their communities and foster trust, making government social media a more accessible and relatable tool.

What attendees will learn from this session:

• Learn how to move away from an "us-and-them" dynamic and foster genuine connections with constituents.
• Discover strategies for engaging with local events to better understand the needs of diverse communities.
• Gain actionable techniques for sharing compelling stories that resonate with the public.
• Explore ways to collaborate with local organizations and strengthen community partnerships.
• Equip yourself with clear communication strategies to build public trust and enhance engagement.

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New leadership, new colleagues, new initiatives – when you work in government, workplace changes are inevitable. But the stress that can come with change doesn’t have to be. Having gone through several administration changes at the federal level, Andrew Palczewski – social team lead at the U.S. Department of Education – shares helpful tips and past experiences to help you make office transitions as smooth as possible, from pre-transition preparation, to adapting in the face of change, to building a long & lasting working relationship.

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In an era of information overload, crafting effective social media strategies for government agencies requires more than creativity—it demands data-driven insights. In this session, we’ll explore how to harness analytics, metrics, and emerging trends to create smarter, more impactful social media campaigns. Whether you're managing crisis communication or promoting local initiatives, this session will equip you with actionable tips to optimize your social media efforts through the power of data.

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This session will explore the critical components of developing and executing an effective communications plan in the face of impending natural disasters. We'll discuss managing the personal and professional impacts on team members affected by the devastation, as well as key equipment and resource considerations, i.e., what worked, what didn’t, and how those lessons are shaping future preparedness. From pre-storm preparation to real-time communication and post-disaster recovery, we’ll walk through comprehensive storm response strategies, sharing insights and lessons learned to enhance future resilience.

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Is AI all you hear about these days, but you don’t know where to start? Or, the last time you tried AI, were you less than impressed? Whether you're a team of one or part of a larger department, using AI smartly can help you craft better content, save time, and make a bigger impact—all while keeping the human touch your community trusts.

In this session, Zack Seipert breaks AI down into a three-part framework: Learn, Leverage, and Lead.

• Learn: Understand the AI basics every communicator needs—key terms, trends, and best practices.
• Leverage: Be guided through walkthroughs specifically for government communicators and discover tools, tips, and strategies you can start using right away.
• Lead: AI isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Let’s champion responsible AI use, maintain transparency, and keep public trust at the center of our work.

You'll leave energized, equipped, and ready to put AI to work!

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Memes define our digital culture, but for public agencies, each new viral visual arrives with questions about copyright, ethics, relevance, and taste. What’s the best way to incorporate memes into your social strategy? Learn from audience insights and real-world examples about how to use memes to share key messages, improve engagement, and yes, make people laugh. Find out how to balance competing interests in your decision-making, approval, and content creation processes to get the green light — and avoid becoming a punchline.

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Social media platforms are in a constant state of flux, and for government agencies, staying relevant and effective requires a strategic approach to managing these changes. This panel brings together seasoned social media managers from public sector organizations to discuss how they stay informed about platform updates, prioritize new features, and adapt communication strategies to maintain engagement. Panelists will share insights on:

• Evaluating new platforms and features while maintaining focus on core messaging.

• Managing leadership expectations when platform changes impact metrics and ROI.

• Preparing for and responding to major disruptions—like policy shifts, algorithm updates, or global news events.

• Training staff to adapt quickly and align with evolving social media strategies.

• Identifying unexpected opportunities that arise from platform changes and leveraging them to enhance public outreach.

Join this session to learn how leading government agencies stay agile, strategic, and ready for whatever comes next in the social media landscape.

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