Police Officers have a tremendous ability to connect with people in their communities, diffuse tension-fueled and potentially dangerous situations, and act as role models to the younger generations. These qualities are regularly seen throughout interactions in the outside world, but when it comes to social media, there are often opportunities missed.
At 9-ONE-1 Marketing, we identify these limitless opportunities and create powerful social media campaigns that boost your department’s presence in the digital age. Below, we’ve put together three critical aspects of any police social media strategy.
Consistency:
Like many things, being consistent is the key to relevancy and effectiveness with your police social media strategy. Having a weekly, and even monthly, schedule for posting lets your audience know when to expect your content. It’s important that you set a posting schedule that’s appropriate for you and your audience, however. If you aren’t posting enough, it will be difficult to gain followers and momentum on your channels. If you post too much, however, you can unintentionally be putting out too much content, overflowing your follower’s feeds, and can be avoiding those meaningful conversations and interactions you’re striving for. Posting 2-4 times a week seems to be a good starting point to both get purposeful messaging to your audience without being too aggressive.
Content:
As for the content of your social media campaign, there are a few different avenues to explore. Each avenue should be consistent with your posting schedules and include a mix of a few different themes or goals. Take a look below at some content types that are generally effective for increasing engagement and awareness for your department.
Personal:
The average person is very interested in looking behind the curtains of a police department. As we’ve seen from countless television shows, both reality-based and fictional, the masses want to be introduced to the variety of personalities that exist behind the badge. Social media is a great way to showcase the idea that despite stigmas, your officers are human and each have their own characteristics.
Appropriate:
Although it’s important to have fun and be creative when necessary, your department should develop a tone on social media that represents your true objectives and values. While being playful and humorous seems to work for some big brands online, the majority of your daily interactions are nothing to joke around about. Be genuine, but be sure to uphold a certain level of professionalism and respectfulness that signifies the seriousness of policing.
Community-Driven:
Police departments work closely with community members. These people are the reasons police units exist in the first place. Whether you’re in Collegeville or anywhere throughout the country, your posts should always have the correct target audience in mind. Some posts will be directed toward recruitment, some toward retention of your current officers, and also many toward connecting the community together.
Call To Action:
It’s important to remember that you are using social media to assist with department-specific goals and to meet certain objectives. A Call To Action, or a “CTA”, can come in many forms, but essentially is some sort of request, direction, or informative message that includes an open-ended idea meant for your audience to respond or take “action.” For police departments, this typically includes messaging such as “volunteer with us today here” or “to donate to our organization, click here,” followed by appropriate links. Not all CTA’s must be centered around recruitment, however. These posts can also be great opportunities to include safety tips or similar informative messaging.
9-ONE-1 Marketing is an experienced team of digital marketing professionals all working toward the common goal of increasing your department’s awareness, online and off. From content writers who craft engaging captions to graphic designers who produce stunning imagery and graphics, our team has the tools and the expertise to help you stand out. When you partner with 9-ONE-1, you’ll be matched up with a manager who learns your specific goals, develops a plan to thrive on social media and beyond, and ultimately delivers legitimate results. In Collegeville and beyond we’re known for unparalleled professionalism and true knowledge and appreciation of the emergency service industry. Start getting social today by calling our team at (484) 673- 0385!