Jump-start your training experience by attending these interactive, practical workshops and embrace the promise of social media. These information-packed sessions are a great opportunity to network with fellow attendees while taking a hands-on, common sense approach to understanding social initiatives that will enhance your understanding of the informative, case study presentations throughout the training.

*** Choose A or B or BOTH for Maximum Value and Learning ***

Social Media 101: How To Leverage Popular Social Media Tools For Your Organization - What They Are And How To Use Them

This workshop is designed to move you from timid curiosity about social media to confident champion. Yes, it will cover the basic terms and definitions but most importantly, it’ll give you the basis for understanding the structural characteristics of this new media form.

Why is social media invading all aspects of our lives? What’s in it for you? Who is responsible for leading change and how do you advocate the adoption of social media in a government context?

Bringing along your laptop, iPad or smartphone is suggested but not mandatory for this interactive session -- we’ll get as hands-on as possible. Come prepared to get involved as key concepts will be illustrated through interactive group exercises. The objective of this must-attend workshop is to deliver a session that positions you to get your training experience.

Specifically, we will discuss how your organization can:

• Utilize Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and other social media services
• Leverage technology to engage and collaborate with stakeholders
• Find your audience and choose the most effective social media tool for the specific message being communicated
• Empower existing supporters to spread your message within their own networks
• Achieve organizational "buy in" to implement new programs

WORKSHOP LEADER: Hillary Hartley is the Director of Integrated Marketing at NIC, Inc. Hillary has worked for NIC and its state government portals for 15 years, starting at Arkansas.gov in 1997. In her current role as Director of Integrated Marketing, Hillary oversees NIC’s Web design, usability and social media programs. She is a frequent speaker on social networking trends and Web 2.0 best practices for government.

Testimonials From Past NIC, Inc. Workshop Sessions:

“Hillary did a great job of keeping workshop on track & timely. Balanced content
& audience feedback, she was engaging and knowledgeable.”

“Hillary knows her stuff!”

“Hillary did an excellent job of introducing a novice to the world of possibilities.”

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own

How To Manage, Monitor & Measure Your Social Media Initiatives And Demonstrate Its ROI

With more federal agencies taking the plunge into the world of short-burst social media, turning to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as main channels of communications, it is critical that agency leaders and message-makers be fully plugged into what is being said on these social media platforms.

Citizens, constituents, and government stakeholders of all stripes are sharing more information than ever before about their likes, dislikes, ideas, hopes and frustrations. They are doing this willingly, publicly, and in a digital format that makes measuring and analyzing the information a breeze. No longer do you have to rely on expensive and cumbersome polls and focus groups -- social media now gives you even more data, in a constant stream that's free and accessible.

By measuring your social media efforts, new insights into communications, operations and policy can be gained, such as: Are newspaper stories and TV bits causing big spikes in new followers?

Do your "customer satisfaction" scores align with the sentiment of tweets mentioning your agency? Does how much you tweet affect your rate of retweets or the number of followers you gain?

• The importance of listening and the impact of not listening
• How social media can show if your organization is satisfying public need
• How your social media makes you look to Congress, the White House and any other stakeholders
• How understanding social media can provide value in internal/external communications, departmental policy and operations
• Preparing and scheduling your messages in order to improve visibility and maximize exposure

WORKSHOP LEADER: Evan Gassman is the Digital Strategist at Social Driver. Social Driver believes in a bright future where technology empowers people to create change. Their growing list of clients is diverse and includes leading corporations, national non-profits and associations, and venture-backed startups, as well as strong partnerships with other client services agencies.