2. Category F: Outstanding Initiative in New Media
North Carolina National Guard North Carolina National Guard Senior
Senior Leaders on Twitter Leaders on Facebook
Twitter.com/NCTAG Facebook.com/NCAdjutantGeneral
Twitter.com/NCAirAAG Facebook.com/NCAirAAG
Twitter.com/NCSCSM Facebook.com/NCCSM
Twitter.com/NCCmdChief Facebook.com/NCCmdChief
Twitter.com/NCCWO Facebook.com/NCCWO
3. Background Information
In January 2012, the North Carolina National Guard launched Facebook and Twitter accounts for all NCNG
senior leaders. North Carolina’s Adjutant General, Major General Gregory A. Lusk also launched a professional
blog in October, and continues to reach audiences through his monthly video blog.
Mission Objectives
As the NCNG’s Public Affairs office continued to make strides in social media - NCNG senior leaders began to
take notice, and wanted to develop alternative methods to communicate with the everyday Soldier and Airman.
One segment of the senior leader’s Social Media mission is to utilize this valuable emerging media technology
outlet to deliver NCNG’s message and meet strategic objectives:
- Provide ready forces to support Federal and State requirements – provides the community with real-time infor-
mation and timely updates on what measures the NCNG is taking to meet these objectives.
For example:
• A monthly report on NCNG troops deployed is produced via the social media outlets to gain
support of friends, family members and fellow Soldiers at home via posts to encourage morale
at home and abroad.
• When the NCNG was called upon for state duty (ex. during Hurricane Sandy), the leaders were
posting updates to what type of operations the NCNG would be involved in. These posts were
shared by emergency services and relief partner organizations, as well as informing our
community and updating them on conditions and appropriate safety measures.
- Develop and participate in programs that add value to our members, families, employers,
and communities.
For example:
• The Leaders’ Facebook pages allow members to send products and share messages to Soldiers
and Airmen abroad via posts, photos or video messages.
• Weekly strategic meetings within the Public Affairs office and among members of the command
staff are conducted to develop posting schedules a week ahead and identify key NCNG programs or units
to highlight capabilities of NCNG.
• The senior leaders social media accounts highlight regularly a certain function of the NCNG such
as Yellow Ribbon, Family Programs, Starbase, Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy, etc.
Target Audiences
With the senior leader pages, we look to connect with Soldiers and Airmen and their families, the reporters,
stakeholders, and partner organizations interested in the NCNG story on Twitter and Facebook.
External Audiences
We have been able to connect with military enthusiasts via the senior leaders’ Twitter and Facebook accounts,
other senior leaders connected in the social media world, and military organizations/military support groups on
our Twitter and Facebook accounts.
4. The initiative for the leaders to enter the social media world was an idea of Major General Lusk. NCNG’s
two-star general would like the NCNG leadership to be transparent as possible when giving operational security
considerations.
We’ve developed pages for the highest enlisted and officer’s for both the NC Army and NC Air National Guard so
that we can continue to send out our command messages to even more of our Soldiers and families throughout
the state of North Carolina.
Pages are updated with updates on the leaders visits
(post-travel) to see deployed troops and State Partnership
Program nations, policy changes, family support
information, and more.
We’ve encouraged, and received senior leadership
participation on their official social media
presences. This brings out the personal aspect,
provides exclusive content and allows Soldiers to
have a platform to communicate with leaders they
might not have the opportunity to otherwise.
Leaders will give shout outs to troops for a job well
done - which tends to mean a lot to them. The
congratulated Soldier or Airman will normally
tag themselves in the photo, or retweet the
mention on Twitter, increasing the exposure.
Senior Leaders also give their perspective on
current operations that the NCNG is involved in.
5. We develop a weekly schedule for posting a week ahead, and will generate those posts, but the schedule leaves
room for flexibility, which we call on-the-fly posts. Normally the senior leaders aide will produce these posts
while working with the senior leader during visits, etc. Major General Lusk could be considered quite social
media savvy himself and will post to Twitter and Facebook via his mobile phone on the way back from a visit, for
example. We’ll monitor his account for SPAM, and any accuracy issues. He’s also responded to posts on to his
wall.
Social Media Strategy for the week of: December 9 – December 15 (TAG)
Sunday – 9 Decem- Monday – 10 Tuesday – 11 Wednes- Thursday – 13 Friday – 14 Saturday – 15
ber 2012 December December day – 12 December 2012 December 2012 December
2012 2012 December 2012
2012
Theme: Subject Honor Deployment Technology Families Tarheel Homecoming Tarheel challeNGe ECU Commis-
to change based update sion
on the fly items
Twitter and FB
suggestions to
support the daily
theme of the orga-
nizational pages.
Twitter
Retweet message Photo/Message to Photo/message
from big Army/AF/ retirees about Challenge
NGB
Happy 376th Birthday
NG
Facebook
Share photo Photo/Message to Photo from
of deployed retirees commissioning
soldier
On the fly –
posted by Aide
-anything that adds
to the daily theme
or missions you
are out on (photo,
command message).
Also, responding
to national events,
tragedies, etc.
We’ve developed standard operating procedures for senior leaders in social media, and in the future we see this
becoming a more and more important part of our strategic communication plan, even as leadership continues to
evolve.
6. Marketing Strategy
The North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs team developed Social Media business cards which listed
the URL’s to all of the organization accounts, of which perspective fans can easily find all of the leader accounts.
These business cards were distributed on missions, and special events hosted or attended by the NCNG.
Members of the senior leadership team also added the accounts to the signature block in their email.
Each one of the accounts promotes one another by providing links, and cross promoting on each network. The
Public Affairs team has also added links to the public website - nc.ngb.army.mil - and on the NC Army Guard
Knowledge Online.
Developments in Leaders Social Media
Social Media is not going away, and NCNG leaders realize that. Major General Lusk is determined to stay ahead
of the game, discovering new ways to reach out to the NCNG community. He’s recently published his own
professional blog on NCNG’s public website.
www.nc.ngb.army.mil/tag/default.aspx
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Category 1
Category 2 The View “From My Foxhole” is Up and Social Media
Category 3 November Running
08 by on 11/8/2012 10:26 AMon 11/8/2012 10:26 AM
Archives
January Well, I have of f icially entered the “blogosphere” w ith the standing up of my of f icial
Decem ber blog! It’s called, as you can see f rom the masthead above, “From My Foxhole.” I hope
you’ll check back here periodically and take a look at my entries and maybe post a
Novem ber
comment. You can also sign up to be notif ied everytime there’s a new post.
s how m ore › This is just another w ay to communicate w ith our Soldiers, Airmen, Families and
Employers and talk about w hat our North Carolina National Guard is doing and how
You can also reach me on Facebook or
vital it is to the people of this state and this nation. Also, let me know if you have any
Twitter and leave me a message and I will
ideas f or a post by hitting the “Contact Us” link in the menu bar at the top of the page.
Remember, you can also f ollow me on Tw itter at @NCTAG and on Facebook at respond to your questions or conerns!
NCAdjutantGeneral.
This is something of a w ork in progress, and I alw ays w ant it to be f resh, so
please bear w ith me on the grow ing pains! The f act that I can update this f rom my
Blackberry virtually ensures typos w ill pop up every now and then. I’ve already
posted a f ew things here as w e tested the site over the past w eek. Thanks f or
Twitter Feed
stopping by, and I hope you’ll do so again.
MG Gregory A. Lusk
NCT AG
| | 1 Comment(s)
NCT AG T o all....Merry Christ mas, Happy
Holidays and Happy New Y ears!
N.C. Leads Aviation Task Force “Guardian
10 day s ago · reply · retw eet · fav orite
USembMoldova Secret ary of St at e Hillary
November 1″ in New Jersey Rodham Clint on On t he U.S. and Europe: A
01 by on 11/1/2012 10:25 AMon 11/1/2012 10:25 AM Revit alized Global Part nership fb.me/24fmivEdQ
35 day s ago · reply · retw eet · fav orite
Let me take a moment to update you on the progress of our aviation assets NCT AG MSG Scot t & I review w ish list s of 2
7. TAG Video Blog Episode Two - YouTube Page 1 of 2
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TAG Video Blog Episode Two US Army Basic Training
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In addition to creating more video blogs with increased
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content, including requesting submission from
Published on Sep 28, 2012
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THE BOYFRIEND TAG!
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subscribers and video footage from his trips out in the by mallow610
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field, Major General Lusk would like to begin ‘pinning’
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but from a NCNG perspective. He’s asked for
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All of our social media outlets work together to help support the NCNG’s
command messages. To best accomplish this, and assure we get the best value
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMEJBWTXi5U 1/4/2013
for each, we use a few tools to assist with content posting and monitoring.
Tweetdeck allows us to keep track of all leader accounts. Also, all accounts are
connected to a smartphone device to ease timely posting from each.
8. Metrics
Using the template from National Guard Bureau Public Affairs Office, we produce a monthly statistical report to
give the leaders a visual update on how their pages are doing. This report is posted around the Joint Force
Headquarters building and throughout the command hall.
9. Conclusion
The North Carolina National Guard’s Leaders Social Media efforts encompass not only connecting and getting
the command message to the Soldiers, Airmen, friends and families, but also to communicate with partner
organizations and help streamline communications during emergency situations.
We provide our community with a perspective of the NCNG that traditional media may not be able to.
With the constant growth, and ever evolving world of social media, we are constantly looking for ways to im-
prove our manner of getting the NCNG’s command messages out to the public. Our social media efforts work
hand-in-hand with those command messages to:
1. Be a ready team of citizen-Soldiers and Airmen who are always ready, always there
to protect and preserve the life’s and property of North Carolina citizens, defend our
nation and secure our American way of life.
- illustrated through our emergency operations and the move to streamline our strategic
communications with developed hashtags, etc.
2. The more than 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the North Carolina National Guard are
deployed to all 100 counties every day.
- shown through the many organizational pages, senior leaders pages,
and our promotion of them.
3. The North Carolina National Guard is the best bargain for our state and nation.
- Social Media is a “free” outlet we’ve used to tell the story of the NCNG Soldier and Airmen.
Our efforts to embrace new technology as well as introducing our senior leaders to social media keeps us
relevant in regards to military organizations and social media. It also allows us to be the one’s speaking for the
organization, and as the leaders use the platforms, the “hear it from the top” perspective.
NCNG has constantly evolved our strategy, for example, altering what type of posts leaders share, and the
frequency of what is posted on Facebook. On the other hand, we’ve learned and had to assure they were aware
that posting as often as possible to Twitter and continuously interacting with our community is better.
NCNG has developed ways to communicate back and forth with our community on each network, sounding
authentic and professional at all times, and generally, creating a self-sustaining community that we continue
to share our story with, monitor, and grow. This is done by keeping a positive relationship with NCNG’s senior
leaders, rather than by creating fabricated messages from the public affairs office.
Though the senior leaders’ following is not as big as other leader’s pages with larger organizations may be, the
pages growth is organic, and those involved with the page have a working relationship with that leader, or
are truly interested in what they have to share on social media.
The numbers continue an upward trend, and as new leaders come and go, some more social media savvy than
others, they will be able to continue to move forth with the momentum we’ve begun to develop.
The North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs office looks ahead to numerous growth opportunities for our
social media efforts and communications strategy as whole, for 2013 and for year’s to come.
