8:00 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m.

Co-Chairs' Welcome & Speed Networking

Become acquainted with your fellow training attendees in this fun and fast-paced forum!

Mike Schaffer, Director, Digital Strategy
Melissa Spade, Senior Account Supervisor
HAGER SHARP
Training Co-Chairs

9:00 a.m.
Co-Chairs' Address:
The Three Components Of Social Media Measurement: Goals & Objectives; Strategies & Tactics; And Data Collection & Analysis

It’s time to uncover one of the big secrets in social media: measuring social media actually begins well before anything happens. You have to set yourself up for success or you will never get the data and information you are looking for.

This keynote session, incorporating case study material from several government agencies, will reveal the key organizational processes required to create and maintain a winning measurement program.

You will learn about the importance of:

• Goals & Objectives: Setting the stage by understanding what you are looking to achieve
• Strategies & Tactics: Develop content and engagement strategies that lead to your desired goals
• Execution & Measurement Tools/Data Collection & Analysis: What free and paid tools can help you run your social media presence efficiently and effectively, while helping gather the most critical metrics

Mike Schaffer, Director, Digital Strategy
Melissa Spade, Senior Account Supervisor
HAGER SHARP
Training Co-Chairs

9:40 a.m.

Beyond The Numbers:
How To Use Metrics To Add Value To Your Current Social Media Activities

So what if your Twitter feed has 5,000 followers? What does it matter if your Facebook page has 10,000 likes?

This session will discuss how to use those exact metrics not merely as proof that people clicked on a "like" or "follow" button, but as a guide for how to tailor your social media activities to ensure that you are engaging influencers, reaching communities of interest to your office, and taking full advantage of extemporaneous opportunities as they arise.

You will leave this session with tips and techniques on how to properly use Twitter dashboard, Web analytics, and other analytics packages in order to help you:

• Identify influencers, communities, and trending topics
• Curate your own following so that you are able to create better lists to use as filters for important conversations
• Understand how your audience is using social media to find your content

Gadi Ben Yehuda, Director of Innovation and Social Media
IBM CENTER FOR THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT

10:10 a.m.

Idea Exchange: Questions, Feedback, Collaboration

10:20 a.m.

Morning Refreshment & Networking Break

10:30 a.m.

Brainstorming Session: Share Your Social Media Challenges And Goals With Your Peers

This is your chance to discuss with fellow attendees and speakers what your most pressing social media measurement concerns are and what solutions you hope to gain while here.

11:00 a.m.

Measuring ‘Return On Conversation’ To Improve Public Outreach

The Kentucky Department of Highways, which operates one-person regional communications offices, leaves the high-priced statistical reports on the shelf and embraces available data to measure a return on conversation - an approach that goes beyond fans and followers to determine how content impacts public outreach.

1. CHART interactions ... by cataloging word use, shares, retweets, etc.
2. ANALYZE effectiveness ... by comparing virality of each message style
3. REFINE communications ... by basing it on what reaches people most

Allen Blair, Information Officer
KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS DISTRICT 9

11:30 a.m.

Morning Refreshment & Networking Break

11:40 a.m.

Audio Podcasting: Unique Challenges And Advantages In Multimedia Measurement

Audio podcasting can be a relatively easy and cost effective way to have a multi-media presence in the social media landscape. But in addition to adding layers of production, making an audio podcast a success and measuring the impact of it can be daunting.

Learn how audio can be more cost-effective than video by requiring less equipment, fewer hours and very little support – audio podcasting can even be a one-person show.

Also see the added outlets and extra steps where marketing, measurement and tracking are done for an established audio podcast.

This session will reveal insider tips on:

• The key ingredients to successful audio podcasting: content, quality and cross-promotion
  
• A step-by-step production process from concept to posting, and marketing to measurement
  
• What common mistakes to watch out for and how to make your material stand out in a crowded, growing medium
  
• How to find the strength of the audio medium by understanding the similarities and differences of print, audio and video
  
• How much it costs to podcast – what are the investments in time and equipment you may need to make
  
• Tips for measurement and tracking: how to set realistic expectations and get results

Joe Balintfy, Information Development Specialist
News Media Branch, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, Office of the Director
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

12:10 p.m.

Idea Exchange: Questions, Feedback, Collaboration

12:20 p.m.
Lunch On Your Own -- But Not Alone!

Join a group of your colleagues for a themed lunch with an informal discussion surrounding a social media measurement hot topic! Take this opportunity to join others in a small, interactive group setting to network and brainstorm solutions to your most pressing measurement concerns.

1:50 p.m.

Using Classic Public Affairs Techniques In A New Media Environment To Drive Traffic To Your Agency’s Social Media Pages And Increase Your Reach

Founded in 1877, Fort Huachuca is a vibrant military community in rural southeastern Arizona. Their primary military missions are military intelligence training, signal operations and electronic testing.  In addition to talking to our their diverse military audience, they communicate with family members, retirees and parents of trainees who know little about the Army. 

Their Facebook page is an important tool in creating a strong sense of community pride not just outside their gates but inside as well. Their social media messages have become a trusted source of information in a community that has one daily newspaper, little live radio, and lacks its own network TV station.

During this session, you will hear the social media steps Fort Huachuca took to drive traffic to their sites and increase their reach by:

• Treating posts, tweets and status updates the same as news releases -- don’t let the terminology and technology confuse you.  You don’t have to be a digital native to be effective.
• Delivering reporters their information in different avenues
• Effectively tagging posts to get news seen by the right audience and in the right areas
• Creating their own news bureau using their Facebook page and driving traffic to their pages

Tanja M. Linton, Media Relations Officer, Public Affairs Office
Fort Huachuca, ARIZONA, U.S. ARMY

2:20 p.m.

How To Leverage The Social Media Functionalities Available In Order To Make The Most Of Your Social Media Strategy

Peter R. Marksteiner, Colonel
U.S. AIR FORCE

2:50 p.m.

Idea Exchange: Questions, Feedback, Collaboration

3:10 p.m.

Brainstorming Session: Connect And Collaborate With Your Peers -- Share Social Media Measurement Tool Experience

We’ve heard from a number of speakers, now we’d like to hear from you. Network and discuss with fellow training attendees and speakers which social media measurement tools you’re using and where you have found the most success.

3:40 p.m.

U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Social Media Case-Study


Christopher Lagan, Chief, Social Media
U.S. COAST GUARD PUBLIC AFFAIRS

4:10 p.m.

Afternoon Refreshment & Networking Break

4:20 p.m.

Using Search Engine Optimization Strategies And Analytics To Improve Your Agency's Visibility

Today, it is easier for search engines to crawl, index and understand agencies content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When considered individually, these changes will augment agency's site, but ultimately, when combined with other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on user experience and performance in organic search results.

At the beginning of 2012, Google changed the methodology it employed to crawl and index web sites. As a result, this impacted the visibility of many sites on Google. Unfortunately, Google's new crawl/index approach decreased Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control’s (NCCOSC) visibility.

You will hear how NCCOSE created a Search Engine Optimization game plan to:

• Utilize Google's Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics to troubleshoot our visibility issue and measure our results
• Coded and uploaded an XML site map that describes the NCCOSC public web site (e.g., its page structure, key pages, and key images/videos)
• Implement simple more descriptive file names and metadata to help search engines crawl/index their web site
• Continually monitor Google Analytics, enforce guidelines to be applied to processing new content, and harness the utility of the Google Webmaster Tools.

Edwin Ocasio, Knowledge Management Department Head
NAVAL CENTER FOR COMBAT AND OPERATIONAL STRESS CONTROL

4:50 p.m.

Your Opportunity To Ask Questions

5:00 p.m.

Day One Wrap Up

Mike Schaffer, Director, Digital Strategy
Melissa Spade, Senior Account Supervisor
HAGER SHARP
Training Co-Chairs

5:10 p.m.

End of Day One

5:15 p.m.

Networking Reception: Please Join Us!

We invite you to join us for a drink as you relax with your peers. All training attendees and speakers are welcome to join us for this special opportunity to continue networking. Don't miss this chance to benchmark new ideas over complimentary drinks!

Sign up during the day for dinner with a group. Take advantage of Washington, DC's fine dining while you continue to network with your colleagues.

8:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast & Networking

8:30 a.m.
Co-Chairs' Opening OF Day Two

Mike Schaffer, Director, Digital Strategy
Melissa Spade, Senior Account Supervisor
HAGER SHARP
Training Co-Chairs

8:35 a.m.

Monitoring Insights To Determine The Next Steps In Your Agency’s Social Media Strategy

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) started their social media journey with two initial applications: Facebook and YouTube.  After a year of using both tools, FHWA monitored insights and concluded that Twitter and Flickr were the next logical social media applications to add to their communications mix.

This presentation will share the insights and information garnered from the FHWA’s efforts on:

• Implementing a Social Media policy
• Reaching their targeted audience and demographics
• Determining their program success and how they should direct their future resources

You will leave this session better equipped to reach your own target audiences, as well as how to use data for informed decision making.

Tom White, Social Media/Web Content Coordinator
Brian Lomax, Public Affairs Intern
Federal Highway Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation

9:05 a.m.

How To Utilize Twitter To Build Your Audience And Establish Your Brand, Especially In Times Of Emergency

Now that web-enabled mobile devices with social media applications have become so prevalent, we are now able to reach people in the path of natural disasters with important messaging faster than ever before. This is especially important during emergencies that involve power failures.

As Hurricane Sandy approached landfall in late 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) assisted state and local public health partners by developing and sharing storm-related messaging across several social media channels.  Most of CDC’s social media messages originated from NCEH Director Dr. Chris Portier’s Twitter profile: (Example: @CDC_DrCPortier: Hurricane #Sandy possible threat to U.S. East Coast in coming days. Be prepared. Learn how: http://go.usa.gov/jTL.)

While social media can be a useful and important tool for sharing information to help people be prepared for and stay safe during and after emergencies and natural disasters, obtaining metrics as to how many people actually apply the information shared via social media proves challenging. While the information in this presentation validates the use of social media as a powerful communication tool during emergency responses, it also recognizes the potential difficulty in measuring true impact and application of information shared via social media.
 
Jay H. Dempsey, M.Ed, Health Communication Specialist
NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH/AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND DISEASE REGISTRY; CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

9:35 a.m.

Idea Exchange: Questions, Feedback, Collaboration

9:55 a.m.

Brainstorming Session: Managing Social Media Day-To-Day

With your peers, discuss and brainstorm best practices, tips and tricks for successfully managing social media in your agency.

10:25 a.m.

Using Social Media And Surveys To Engage More Citizens And Drive Communication Results

The Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) tried to find new ways to engage residents and gain their feedback without asking them to come to a lot of public meetings. Instead, KIPDA met people where they were. Not only did they provide citizens opportunities to fill out surveys at regional festivals, fairs, business expos, and so on, but they also used social media as a way to engage their audiences. Through these efforts, KIPDA received the most feedback from their community that they’ve ever received.

During this session, you will learn how KIPDA:

• Utilized traditional methods to get their surveys filled out
• Incorporated ways to generate more responses through the use of their social media channels
• Used community partners and local organizations to increase their numbers
  

Josh Suiter, Community Outreach Specialist
Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency

10:55 a.m.

Idea Exchange: Questions, Feedback, Collaboration

11:00 a.m.

Morning Refreshment & Networking Break

11:05 a.m.

Defining Your Social Media Success And Determining Actionable Steps For Your Agency’s Programs

As a global organization, with billions of employees, family members, and stakeholders to keep informed, the U.S. Army is breaking down barriers and successfully operating in the social media space, while being careful to ensure security is maintained.

Similar to private industry communicators who don't want to give their competitors any of their secret recipes, the U.S. Army is careful to not give the enemy an advantage by disseminating sensitive information online.

In this session, you will see how U.S. Army Public Affairs is using social media as a powerful tool in accomplishing its objectives of informing the American public, as well as that of connecting Americans to their Army, while keeping soldiers safe.

You will leave this session with the information and ability to:

• Define success within the parameters of social media metrics
• Develop actionable steps to enhance your social media program based on user feedback, both positive and negative
• Understand which social media metrics matter
• Pick the right measurement tools
• Use data to make better communications decisions

Brittany Brown, Social Media Manager
U.S. Army

11:35 a.m.

Learn How To Integrate The Use Of Wikipedia Into Your Existing Communication Strategy To Expand And Improve Engagement

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has used qualitative comparison data, click- thru metrics, content analysis and focus group information on the use of Wikipedia in order to deliver, measure, and expand their engagement with both professional and public audiences.

This session will provide you with insight on how the use of Wikipedia can help you reach non-professional audiences, expand stakeholder engagement on topical issues of importance, expand reach, and even assist search engine.

You will leave this session with knowledge of the key factors (the good , bad and the ugly) that should be understood and considered if you plan to use Wikipedia in your communication strategy, including:

• 7 Cardinal facts we need to know about Wikipedia.
• Discussion of specific case studies highlighting impact
• Appropriate ways to measure the success of our Wikipedia initiatives
• Initiatives to assure we can protect our information and still expand the conversation
  
• The level and application of appropriate human and fiscal resources

Max Lum, Senior Consultant, Office of the Director,
e-Communication and Research Translation
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH,
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

12:05 a.m.

Idea Exchange: Questions, Feedback, Collaboration

12:15 a.m.
Lunch On Your Own -- But Not Alone!

Join a group of your colleagues for a themed lunch with an informal discussion surrounding a specific social media measurement hot topic. Take this opportunity to join others in a small, interactive group setting to network and brainstorm solutions to your most pressing social media measurements concerns.

1:45 p.m.

Group Exercise: Brainstorm Solutions And New Ideas You Can Use

You asked for it, you got it! Interact and discuss solutions to your social media measurement challenges with your fellow attendees and our experienced speakers. You will leave with new tools and hands-on experience and ideas for more successfully applying best practices to your own social media initiatives.

2:15 p.m.

Integrating Social Media Into Your Agency’s Marketing Efforts To Increase ROI

With social media use on the rise in government, communication efforts require an integrated approach. Supporting marketing efforts with social media messages is a big part of this integration.

Texas.gov, one of the 28 state portals under the NICUSA umbrella, has successfully used this strategy in its efforts to increase awareness and online adoption of the driver services offered on its website. Creating and following a plan that integrates social media and measuring the results of those efforts has helped to bolster the success of an advertising campaign aimed at increasing driver license and vehicle registration renewals.

In this presentation, you will hear how Texas.gov:

• Incorporated social media into their communication efforts
• Determined what to measure to receive the most accurate ROI
• Measured the effectiveness of their social media efforts

Lisa Carrell, Marketing Associate
TEXAS.GOV

Hillary Hartley, Director of Integrated Marketing
NIC, INC.

2:45 p.m.

Afternoon Refreshment & Networking Break

2:55 p.m.

Measuring Social Media Success In International Communications

The U.S. Government established the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC) in 2010 in order to develop and carry out public communications efforts, directed to foreign audiences, aimed at countering the actions and ideology of al-Qaeda, and in particular, to countering online propaganda by al-Qaeda and its sympathizers.

The Digital Outreach Team (DOT) is CSCC’s operational social media arm, which operates on multiple platforms in the Arabic, Somali, and Urdu languages. Most DOT engagements happen on third-party platforms, such as web forums, although DOT is devoting increasing resources to Facebook and Twitter. In addition to written engagements, DOT also produces graphic and video material. The team’s engagements are focused on audience interests in key priority regions as determined by CSCC management.

Assessing the effectiveness of DOT communications is difficult. Statistics from third-party sites are spotty or non-existent, and evaluating the impact of their messages on the vast middle ground of “lurkers,” rather than on the more ideologically committed individuals who post or comment, is fraught with problems.

• Reach and impact your targeted demographic
• Analyze your data to see what works and what doesn’t and how to proceed in future efforts
• Assess and change your conversation on different platforms

Daniel Schuman, Deputy Director, Digital Outreach Team, Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications
U.S. Department of State

3:25 p.m.

Your Opportunity To Ask Questions

3:35 p.m.
Co-Chairs' Recap: Key Takeaways And What To Do When You Get Back To The Office

We’ll recap the highlights of the past two days and ask you to share key insights and next steps with the group.

Mike Schaffer, Director, Digital Strategy
Melissa Spade, Senior Account Supervisor
HAGER SHARP
Training Co-Chairs

4:00 p.m.

Close Of General Sessions