Cross-Agency Collaboration Is the Key to Reaching Millions
This story begins with a post about reverse mortgages, but don’t worry: we won’t go into the world of complex home loans. Rather, this is a story about how one federal agency is partnering with another to amplify its content and reach millions of people online—and why more agencies should do the same.
Many federal agencies create valuable digital content, but distributing that content at scale can be a challenge. USAGov, and its sister site in Spanish, USAGov en Español (formerly known as GobiernoUSA.gov), not only create content, but they also help other agencies amplify their content online. Both are part of GSA.
For the last two years, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has worked with USAGov and USAGov en Español to get its content in front of millions of consumers. It has done so by leveraging a well-honed bilingual digital platform that consists of websites, blogs, email lists, social media channels and a content marketing strategy that places content on third-party websites.
The CFPB’s reverse mortgages post, which was also published in Spanish, is an example of that collaboration.
Results from a Single Post
CFPB has collaborated with USAGov/USAGov en Español to amplify much of its content. Of particular note, the reverse mortgages post delivered high levels of reach and engagement on behalf of both agencies, informing consumers about a complex topic in a simple way. These are some of the results:
- More than 180 websites republished the article in both languages with a reach of more than 8 million people.
- It was shared with an audience of close to 200,000 via social media and was widely liked, commented on and re-shared.
- More than 20,000 people read the post via the platform’s email distribution lists (USA.gov and USAGov en Español).
- It generated more than 3,000 combined page views on the USAGov blog and USAGov en Español blog.
How the Collaboration Works
For content creation and amplification, the collaboration looks something like this:
- CFPB creates content that supports its mission to help consumers make wise financial decisions, like the reverse mortgages post, and then works with the bilingual staff of USAGov/USAGov en Español to develop a distribution strategy.
- Content then gets pushed out via the USAGov/USAGov en Español platform that includes:
- Social media channels with close to 1 million followers
- A email distribution list with 1 million plus subscribers
- A syndication platform that places content across some of the most trafficked news and information websites in English and Spanish
Cassandra McConnell-Tatum, Deputy Assistant Director of the Office of Financial Education at CFPB, says that she sees the collaboration as a complement to their own digital platforms, and a great opportunity to leverage resources.
“They already have an infrastructure in place, so it makes sense for us to reach out to them and expand our reach to other consumers,” she said.
Agencies Are Invited to Collaborate
Ryan Edelstein, Director of the Content and Outreach Division for USAGov and USAGov en Español, says that collaboration with other agencies can take many forms and invites others to take advantage of the USAGov and USAGov en Español platform to get valuable information to people.
“We built this platform to help agencies amplify their messaging and extend their reach,” he said. “At the end of the day, the public wins when they can easily find the information they need.”
For more information about working with USAGov and USAGov en Español, email their marketing team.
