Warren Kagarise is the digital engagement manager for King County, WA, where he leads efforts to connect the nation’s 13th-largest county with 2.2 million residents via social media and other digital tools.

A former journalist, Warren’s career in public service started in 2013 when he served as communications coordinator for the City of Issaquah, WA.

Warren was named the 2023 Social Media Professional of the Year by Government Social Media. He is also a member of the Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) Board of Directors, a member of Nextdoor’s Public Agency Advisory Board, and past president of the Government Social Media Membership Council.

Warren Kagarise’s Sessions

9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Pacific Time — Thursday, May 12, 2022

Panel: Strengthening Brand Reputation Using Social

Building a government agency brand is about building reliability. This panel will discuss the best ways government marketers can leverage social media to strengthen their brand, reputation, and relationships with their communities.

Discussion topics include:

Using evergreen, light-hearted content to build strong relationships, trust, and interest over time. When a crisis hits, this strategy means your agency will be viewed as a trusted source of information.
The benefits of building relationships with and empowering brand ambassadors to help advertise your brand for you and get out important information
Delivering top-notch customer service and being responsive to comments to bolster trust
Keeping your brand messaging cohesive and consistent across channels (tone, colors, post frequency)

A Team Approach: Building Your Brand on Social

Whether you’re a team of one or 10, representing your brand on social media can pose a challenge. Your constituents, leaders, and elected officials often want different things from your content and engagement. It's important your team be aligned on social strategy to help your brand build its best online presence.

Capitalize on the power of social media — through posts, visuals, and daily interactions — to use a consistent voice that reinforces your organization’s identity and values, while also building transparency and trust. Learn how to work with your colleagues to grow your brand while connecting with different audiences, including:

What to consider when building your brand
How to best equip your colleagues to maintain brand consistency across channels
How to incorporate strong branding into your social media plan
Why you should adjust your brand to get the most out of different platforms
What you can accomplish with low — or no — budget