Web 2.0's Power to Brand Public Service

Monster.com's Unleash the Monster blog has an interesting post about how federal agencies can leverage social media to brand themselves to potential recruits. NASA, for example, has generated renewed interest in the agency through the use of Web 2.0 tools, in part by tweeting from space and utilizing Tweetups, or in-person meetings that allow the agency to interact face-to-face with the public.

The Gallup Organization surveyed Americans in late 2006 to gauge their knowledge of and interest in working with specific federal agencies. Agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration scored high for awareness but low for job interest. Seven agencies scored well on both counts: NASA, the CIA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Education, Justice, Defense and Homeland Security Departments.

While at Government Executive, I wrote a bit about the need for agencies to create their own personal brands to help develop their messages and recruit new workers. Just two years ago, I did not recognize the power of social media to accomplish this task. While NASA already holds strong brand recognition with most Americans, its use of social media obviously has made its brand and overall interest in working for the agency even stronger. It seems reasonable to assume that even the lesser-known federal agencies have incredible potential to become more recognizable and interesting to the public simply by leveraging social media tools.

"True, not every agency can count space travel and astronauts in its arsenal of PR tools, but there are resources ... to help you develop your message," Monster's blog states. "Then social media tools can help generate awareness and interest to build recruiting connections that go beyond just posting jobs online."

How recognizable is your agency to the American public? Is it leveraging the power of social media to promote its message and boost public interest in working there?