{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
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    "title" : "Becoming an Influencer with Your Audience: Quality vs. Quantity of Content |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Becoming an Influencer with Your Audience: Quality vs. Quantity of Content",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/06/becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Becoming an Influencer with Your Audience: Quality vs. Quantity of Content","summary" : "Regardless of the platform, industry or niche, you became a social media influencer in one of two ways: adopting early, or promoting great content.","date" : "2017-03-06T14:30:52-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"julia-jackson" : "Julia Jackson"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2017-03-06-becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2017/03/2017-03-06-becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/03/2017-03-06-becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/03/2017-03-06-becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content.md","slug" : "becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/06/becoming-an-influencer-with-your-audience-quality-vs-quantity-of-content/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eRegardless of the platform, industry or niche, you became a social media influencer in one of two ways: adopting early or promoting great content.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarly adopters are willing to gamble on a new platform, try an untested strategy or set precedent for other users. The risk is in the understanding that they could fail publicly. The rewards, though, are equally large: the ability to amass a large and active following, build relationships with other key influencers, and succeed in a space that is equally forgiving of a short-term failure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2017/03/600-x-450-Social-network-and-media-concept-Switch-knob-with-icons-Bet_Noire-iStock-Thinkstock-627202608.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Social network and media concept illustration of a switch knob with icons\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eBet_Noire, iStock, Thinkstock\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut early adopters also benefit from a little bit of luck. The platform they chose is a viral hit, the audience matches the audience they intended. \u003ca href=\"http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/former-myspace-ceo-reveals-what-facebook-did-right-to-dominate-social-media/\"\u003eCompare MySpace to Facebook\u003c/a\u003e. Both platforms targeted the same audience, both were at the forefront of social networking, and both showed tremendous growth potential between 2006 and 2009. In Facebook’s case, popularity among college campuses and strategic promotion led it to break out of a niche market and into much greater popularity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis early adopter strategy, while a fundamental one, is almost always out of the question for federal agencies. These agencies are restricted by policies and by administrations that set a high bar for content with low tolerance for failures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second way to become a social media influencer is to create great content. “Great” here does not mean click-bait content, but the kind of informative material that can also build community. Building community does not always equal a large number of followers, but is about being approachable, engaging, and bringing the distinctly human element to a computer-driven world. Such techniques include \u003ca href=\"http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/quickreference/checklist.cfm\"\u003emaking sure the information is organized for the reader’s needs, using “you” and other pronouns, and using base, not hidden, verbs\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn thinking about the social aspects of social media, it’s easy for federal agencies to lose their way. When content is good, reliable, and fact-based, it can add value to larger discussions, but such content must be packaged in a style that avoids the equivalent styles of shouting into the void or muttering at the wall.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo which agencies are doing well? One of my favorite agencies to follow is NASA on Facebook. Not only do they have amazing, unique images, but they also keep the content timely, relevant, and personal to their agency. For Super Bowl Sunday they \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/NASA/photos/a.67899501771.69169.54971236771/10154880682736772/?type=3\u0026amp;theater\"\u003eposted a lighthearted image\u003c/a\u003e of Robonaut showing off refereeing skills, and their \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/NASA/videos/10154880078716772/\"\u003eGalactic Grub Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e was both professional and homey. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/usdagov/\"\u003eUSDA on Instagram\u003c/a\u003e is another mix of beautiful media and personal stories. Agency staff members were featured throughout 2015. Finally the #AskFAFSA campaign by the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/usedgov\"\u003eDepartment of Education on Twitter\u003c/a\u003e is still strong after launching over a year ago. Twitter users are encouraged to tweet questions on a theme each month with the answers posted on a \u003ca href=\"https://storify.com/FAFSA\"\u003eFAFSA storify\u003c/a\u003e. Partners and education organizations have picked up the hashtag and respond to a number of student questions related to the monthly theme leading to the next month’s #AskFAFSA theme and it is something that my own family has used to get more information.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the new administration and new guidance on federal social media, I encourage agencies to not lose sight of “social” in their content strategy. Think about posting behind-the-scenes content, candid images, and spending a little time each day listening to your audience on social media. You might be surprised to find new ways of connecting, being social, and building a new and lasting community.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLearn more about \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/topics/social-media/\"\u003ehow agencies are using Social Media\u003c/a\u003e, and how to join our various \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/\"\u003eCommunities of Practice\u003c/a\u003e, like \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/social-media/\"\u003eSocialGov\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/video-production/\"\u003eDigital Audio/Video Production and Strategy\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/web-content-managers/\"\u003eWeb Content Managers Forum\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}