Navy Social Media Content Guide

Keeping up

with

the

Media

RaceHow to successfully produce products suitable for release through official U.S. Navy media outlets

While traditional forms of communication still have a place in our work, we must penetrate the ever-growing personal networking and social media environment. This means Navy content must evolve, too.

In other words: This is a chance to show your creativity like never before. Success means showcasing humanity, maintaining meaningful relationships, and an increased focus on timely communication. This guide will help you create content through those new forms of communication – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, still photos, graphics, and blogging.

The bottom line with Social Media? We want our fans to engage with us and share our story. So, we have to provide content that is interesting and encourages their participation. The best way to do this is to let the fans do the work – provide a starting place and let them tell their own stories. They’d rather hear each other talk!

First things first – you have to LISTEN to learn what works best. If you aren’t involved in these forms of communication now, you won’t understand them when you need to become involved. So, start by watching and listening. Then, when you are comfortable you can start to speak.

Efficiency and knowledge are necessary to keep up with this media race. Learn as much as you can about your communication platforms and best practices, and you’ll be able to stay in the race.

MAXIMIZE

YOUR

TWITTER

TWEETS

There are a lot of tweets going on out there. You can best use Twitter if you focus on active listening and effective content production – this means intentional communication prior to a crisis, so when one occurs you can reach a wide audience with important information.

Traditionalinformation has tobe presented in atimely andintriguing way

Twitter followerswant to knowwhat has justhappened, andwhat is happeningnow.

Be prepared to pass along timely information to your audience. If linking, include an interesting caption.

Be creative! Would you yourself click on a link with that description? If you wouldn’t, why would anyone else want to, either?

Think– where are you directing your followers, and do they really want to go there?

Crafting Twitter Content: 90-110 characters (120 max) Leaving available characters better enables

others to forward your message on in a re-tweet (RT). Likewise, reach out to specific users and retweet them in order to build

relationships and gain loyal followers. Respond to questions when you can – each tweet is like a phone inquiry!

It’s proper “Twitter Etiquette” to follow those who follow you. This spreads your influence, but be careful not to follow spammers.

How do you know what information to pass on? Watch, listen, and take note of the buzz. What are others tweeting about? What information is trending? Is there information that your command should address quickly to prevent rumors and the spread of misinformation?

Metrics example: In the week following Osama bin Laden’s death, 4512 tweets referred people to Navy.mil. The US Navy’s Twitter page increased by 1520 followers. This was possible because the US Navy had an active Twitter account that was easy to find.

Facebook (noun-feisbʊk): A social network best used through purposeful engagement

Our role is best filled on Facebook by actively seeking out the

stories, relationships, and input of interest to our followers. It

should not be one-way communication; it is communication

based on human interactions.

It’s a platform from which to hover low and be close to conversations. Engaging in conversation and encouraging participation allows us to communicate in a consistent manner with our audience – and, in a manner that builds a solid relationship with those audience members.

Craft purposeful content that is:

200-300 characters per post

Accountable and appropriate (initial each post by administrator)

Not overwhelming – 3 to 4 posts a day may be appropriate

We want to represent the Navy, but also show that the Navy is made of individuals. So, showcase those individuals and encourage their stories.

1. Ask a direct question2. Vote for a favorite photo3. Feature a Sailor4. Respond to fans5. Ask for support

6. Post leadership quote7. Post a video8. Link to another page9. Link to news story or blog10. Post note with news item

Top 10 Navy Facebook Engagement Tips:

“I’m here primarily for my son, to ensure his security and provide for him. The Navy requires a lot of you…but there are a lot of opportunities that come with it; I’m in the process of starting school soon.” BMSN Rami Love from Chicago, Il. aboard USS Normandy (CG 60)

This picture and quote spotlight was posted on the U.S. Navy’s Facebook page on 8 May 2010. It received 316 “likes” and 71 comments. Similar spotlights are also popular with fans.

Ready,

set,

blog!

Crafting Content:

200-500 words

First person narrative. Tell a story – avoid lofty generalization, explain acronyms if needed, and be detailed without becoming too technical.

Date and name each post

Mix it up – include pictures, videos, links, etc. Too much text may deter readers.

Blogging Brainstorm – Ideas for posts

1) Q & A interview2) Video blog3) Letters or postcards4) 1st person narrative5) A regular blogger who returns to post

periodically6) Creative writing, including stories,

poetry, etc.7) The text of a speech8) Picture stories – telling a story with more

of a focus on the pictures than words9) Mixture of lengths, especially including

some shorter posts10) Featuring different writers focusing on

one topic (as seen in the following example)

Blogging is all about creative, personal writing. You aren’t restricted to AP style or technical writing – you are writing about exceptional, interesting, or relevant experiences. This means you don’t have to be completely straight-edge – you want to leave your mark.

When blogging, show your personality and encourage guest writers to do the same!

These blogs were part of a Mother’s Day celebration. They were both posted on NavyLive and are first-person narratives. They were cross-promoted and personal, with incredible emotional appeal. These are the types of blogs people share!

YouTubeYou have my full attention. And three seconds to keep it.

Our sales pitch is quick – we need to give them enough reason fast enough to keep their view.

If you don’t hook your audience within the first three seconds of the video, you won’t hook them at all.

Again, we have found that a human approach works best. A loosely outlined video with natural sounds, minimal editing, and a focused subject are most successful. Talking heads won’t capture an audience anymore!

Before creating or sharing a video, think – would you share this with your friends and family?

Crafting Content:

30- 90 seconds, generally Introduce your command Be wary of too much scripting Consider copyright laws if using music Creativity is key, particularly in subject choice

The U.S. Navy collected and cross-promoted Sailor Valentine Videos in February 2011. People submitted short clips wishing a Happy Valentine’s Day to their Sailor and tagged them #NavyValentine so they could be found. US Navy then put some submissions together in a multi-media video. Tagging videos appropriately allows them to be searched easily.

The Marines posted a handheld video featuring a Marine showing how laundry is done in a combat zone. This down-to-earth, on-the-ground video was wildly successfully and is an example of what viewers want to see – interesting topic, interesting filming.

STILL PHOTOS

Image quality is still desired, but timeliness is becoming increasingly important. Quick pictures show what is happening now and communicates a message immediately. Don’t forget to use the CHINFO still photo decision-tree for guidance on imagery use!

Because of the relatively new ease of photo distribution, we are able and excited to showcase pictures – and stories – that have not traditionally been shared.

Use stills to tell stories: people are more likely to view a photo and glance at a caption than read a whole story.

As with Facebook, successful stills are often personal – viewers want to see how things really are. Portraits are acceptable and encouraged to show the connection between the Navy and individual. Don’t you want to hear this Sailor’s story?

Think about supplementing your communication with new and edgy graphics. Still photos tell a great story, but graphics are often a good way to increase your visibility.

A well-done and publicized graphic can stick with viewers, so they will recognize your command in the future!

Graphics are back!

Crafting Content

I page preferred, 2 page maximum

Begin with a relevant quote from leadership that provides

direction for the rest of the product

Outline key topics with bullet points and links if possible

Limited space: every word must count!

Cite upcoming or pending information as needed

Review the Navy.mil Rhumb Lines checklist before submitting

A news story is a more traditional way to communicate information. It should be crafted according to the Navy.mil online guidelines, and is a great way to promote events with a media advisory. It also serves as the official record of a Navy event.

Navy.mil story

Story Guidelines Use the Navy Style Guide (available online) to format storiesUse a headline, byline, dateline, and event

date

→ If you are struggling to figure out a date for the lead paragraph – consider making that story a blog post

Use value-adding quotes in the story body if possible. Basic information (who, what, where, when, why) should be included within the first paragraph.

Include a high-resolution image when possible.

Successful content is increasingly becoming about human interactions, timeliness and relevance, and creativity. This guide should assist Sailors and commands in creating such products.

However, it may serve only as best practice recommendations . The continuously evolving shape of media and communication capabilities require constant monitoring. We have to look clearly at our forms of communication and constantly re-evaluate if our methods are the best possible.

Points of ContactNavy.mil print storiesLT John FageNavy Liaison OfficerDefense Media Activity-AnacostiaOffice: 202-433-3846Email: john.fage@dma.mil

Imagery (Navy.mil, YouTube, Flickr)LTJG Shawn EklundDeputy, Navy Visual News (OI-7)Department of the Navy, Office of InformationOffice: (703) 614-9154Email: shawn.eklund@navy.milAlt: navyvisualnews@navy.mil

Rhumb LinesLCDR Jeannie GroeneveldDirector, Communications Integration (OI-51)Department of the Navy, Office of InformationOffice: (703) 692-4724 Email: jeanette.groeneveld @navy.mil

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, NavyLive Blog)LT Lesley LykinsDirector, Emerging Media Integration (OI-54)Department of the Navy, Office of InformationOffice:(703) 695-6915Email: lesley.lykins@navy.mil

Ms. Jessica FallerDeputy, Emerging Media Integration (OI-54A)Department of the Navy, Office of InformationOffice: (703) 692-4718Email: jessica.faller@navy.mil

Ms. Tracy JohnsonContract Support, Emerging Media Integration (OI-54CTR)Department of the Navy, Office of InformationOffice:(703) 377-9272Email: johnson_tracy@bah.com

Social Media ResourcesOfficial Navy Website

www.navy.mil

Navy Social Media Directorywww.navy.mil/socialmedia

Navy Social Media Resources Page

www.chinfo.navy.mil

Navy Social Media On Facebookwww.facebook.com/navysocialmedia

Navy Emerging Media on Slideshare

www.slideshare.net/USNavySocialMedia