This week, we will be diving into a topic that we will continue to harp on throughout the life of this blog: social media in the military.
There is a noticeable recruiting
crisis happening in this country. As military communicators, it is our job
to tell our branch’s story. That is a humbling and honorable profession! You have
the power to create content that could drive someone to the point that they
contact a recruiter! You could share your branch’s story to the news media and
end up on the nightly news! The possibilities are endless as military
communicators in terms of how many people you can reach with your creativity.
Speaking of creativity, social media can be an
interesting place to try and be creative these days. As military communicators,
we do not have the luxury of civilians on social media. We must abide by a strict
guideline, which we will touch on later in this blog.
But when it comes to being creative on social media,
there seems to be a script to success that many people utilize to reach large
audiences.
Many people today try and become “opinion leaders” on
social media by sharing their beliefs or stories to the world in hopes that they
can motivate or inspire. Opinion leaders can utilize social media to their
advantage, but it can also be a daunting medium for opinions. On the bright
side, social media provides creators (such as yourselves if you are currently a
military communicator) with a medium that allows you to connect directly with a
target audience – i.e. the military community and civilians for military
communicators.
Social media is where the people are these days. Pew Research
Center has countless articles published with statics that prove this. Instagram
alone has attracted half of all American adults, according to Pew Research
Center. Furthermore, 62%
of Americans get their news from social media.
These are staggering numbers, in my humbled opinion.
It proves to us that the American people not only use social media for
entertainment, but for news. As military communicators, that should excite you!
You can not only report the hard facts to the American people and military
community, but also share fun stories.
Now, when it comes to being an opinion leader in the
military, you have to cut that from your DNA completely. You will be relaying
what is know as a “command message” – essentially the philosophy of your local
military unit according to the highest-ranking officer. Because of this, your
room for editorializing is nonexistent.
Creativity is a major key to success on social media.
While you won’t be on representing your branch of the military by sharing opinions
to the world, you can create content as unique as your branch or local unit. Content
that is unique to your branch or unit will be able to stand out amongst all the
other content cluttering up the web.
But, we do not have to rely on social media alone!
There is also this thing called word of mouth! This is a form of “asset
marketing,” and it can still be a very effective way to market yourself in this
day and age!
But you do not just want any kind of word-of-mouth
strategy. You want an actionable strategy!
Impactplus.com lists seven
solid word-of-mouth strategies today, ranging from the encouragement of
user-generated content to offering your audience a unique and shareworthy
experience. It is also important to note that, as military communicators, you
are not selling anything. You are not trying to gain profits or increase sales.
You are simply there to release timely information to the public and the military
community. Thus, some of these marketing strategies will never relate to us.
But we can still be leaders that share our branch’s
stories! But how can leaders share stories effectively on social media?
Brianhogman.com offers some great
tips for leading via social media, such as leading the narrative on the
right topics, reducing the impact of company crisis, and keeping stakeholders
informed.
Again, we as military communicators are not working for
stakeholders. We are not a “business” that you would think of.
That is why if you are new to the military or are
still considering the armed forces, you should look into what military social
media looks like.
There is Department of Defense (DoD) policy and
guidance that you must abide by when posting on a military social media account.
For instance, there is the DoDI 5400.17, Official Use of Social Media for
Public Affairs Purposes. This provides core principles on social media use
within DoD. It also gives guidance on personal social media use by DoD
personnel. There is also guidance for the ethics of visual information in DoDI
5040.02. DoD Instruction 8550.01 handles the ways in which you can use the
internet. It is also important to note that every branch of the military has their
own specific policies governing social media. Also, should you join the Coast
Guard, you would fall under the Department of Homeland Security, which also has
its own guidelines compared to the DoD.
When looking at social media from the lens of the
military, realize that you are becoming a source of information, collaboration,
and entertainment. Every member of the military also has the opportunity to be
a brand ambassador—increasing public trust, understanding, and appreciation. You
do not necessarily need to obtain every picture or every video clip or get
every interview yourself. You have your fellow service members to rely on!
Sometimes the most authentic content you will ever post as a military communicator
is the content shot by a junior member while they were at the event.
Through your responsible and professional use of
social media, you lend credibility to the values, the mission, and the legacy
we all serve.
When military personnel use social media, they do so
in one of three capacities:
-
“Official” capacities refer to content
posted by military personnel pertaining to their official duties (think of your
daily job if you were an infantry solider or a seaman on a Navy ship scrubbing
rust!)
-
“Unofficial” capacities refer to content
about the military posted by military personnel when not speaking in their
official capacity. These communications are not initiated by your branch of
service or reviewed through any official military process and do not involve
content approved or released by a responsible military authority. If you are
talking about the military but not in an official matter, this would be an example
of “unofficial” capacities.
-
“Personal” refers to content that is not
posted by someone representing the military (though you may be a member you are
not showcasing that to the public).
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