From the Horse's Mouth: How to Execute Army Social Media, Part 1

By LTC Kirk A. Luedeke,

1st Cavalry Division PAO

It is not a novel concept to declare that social media has radically altered the way we communicate, and its place in the digital landscape is assured.

However, what is relatively unbroken ground lies more in the realm of how to define social media and what successful organizations (and individuals) do to effectively leverage existing (and those yet to hit the information environment) platforms to their advantage.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines social media thusly: forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).

The 1CD PAO Team from left to right: MAJ Chris Brautigam,
LTC Kirk Luedeke, SSG Bryce Dubee

So, what does that really mean? If you can look up the definition of social media with such ease, why is it that so many people, whether representing themselves or larger organizations and entities, consistently get it wrong when it comes to the successful application of social media platforms? Why do they fail to make basic, but essential connections that allow for the theory behind social media to not only flourish, but establish a meaningful and tangible impact?

What if you had a graphic constructed that could help you avoid some of the social media pitfalls and mistakes others have made by re-bluing the way you view the online population at large? Would your communications goals and objectives be better met by not only reaching your intended audiences, but by also leveraging those who might not be active participants online but just looking for an excuse to get involved?

The social media technographic ladder might be a good place to start mapping out a more holistic and directed strategy for not only connecting with your key publics, but adding to them by building an online groundswell.

The U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division public affairs office at Fort Hood, Texas, thanks to a team effort shaped by the vision and direct influence of our community manager, SSG Bryce Dubee, earned the 2013 Department of Defense Thomas Jefferson and Department of the Army Keith L. Ware awards, given to the top DoD and DA programs in the category of best social media initiative. Dubee took an already existing and effective program to new heights, and in so doing, educated the rest of the 1st Cavalry Division team on how to leverage the power of social media.

In this two-part series, we’ll look (very briefly) at how social media has changed the way we communicate from the way we did just a few decades ago, offer up some tools to help you identify those people who matter most in what it is you are trying to achieve in social media, and then provide some methodology behind what has allowed the 1st Cavalry Division’s online presence to grow followers at a more than 400 percent rate in just two and a half years. We won’t cover all the bases, but after reading this series, the belief is that you’ll have some ideas of your own to take your own social media efforts to the next level.