5 Ways to Convince Higher-Ups to Invest in You at S4SCON

You are 100% ready to e-meet your peers at the virtual Social for Safety Conference happening in just 23 days, but there’s just one last thing you need to do: convince your higher-ups. 

It’s been a tough year both socially & financially, and many departments are facing budget cuts. One of the first things to get slashed can be training, especially for positions that might not always have a seat at the table. We’re here to say exactly this: You’re at our table, and we’re here to best help you. 

How do you get your boss & other higher-ups to be in your S4SCON corner? Follow these steps here (and if you need anything else, just let us know).

1. Get your FAQs in order!
“What do you get out of S4SCON? Especially now that it’s virtual?” We can hear higher-ups saying it to you from here. Gently remind them that your job is a niche, and that not many people are in these positions — there’s extreme value in connecting with each other, sharing best practices and figuring out issues together, even virtually. You’ll probably get a lot more questions (including, “It’s just going to be a whole day of Zoom calls, isn’t it?!”) and these resources will help:

• Download our one-page S4SCON event guide
• Include our schedule page into your pitch where you’ll find our daily schedule of optional before & after networking & meetups
• Check out this helpful FAQ page to help guide any other commonly asked questions your higher-ups might have (and reach out to us if you need help answering any others!). 

2. Who're the speakers? How will they help you?
You’ll hear from prominent industry leaders and social media experts in around 20 keynotes & breakout sessions at virtual S4SCON! This includes representatives from Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, the Crisis Ready Institute, local/state/federal governments, legal counsel and more on topics that are highly relevant for socialgov like: allyship, accessibility, handling comments, debunking misinformation, transparency, virtual JICs, tech help and more.

Send over this guide to get to know the S4SCON keynote speakers more and the initial breakout session lineup to really help convince them.

3. Costs ↓ (like, way, way down)
No travel, no hotel rooms, no extra days away from work needed. No dinner expenses, no sightseeing cash from your pocket. With physical conferences, your higher-ups got used to those costs, but now not having time to get familiar with a new baseline cost for virtual events, even the smaller price tag can send them into sticker shock. Remind them of this: 

• The All Access Ticket with additional live features (and that gets you the in-person feel), is one third of the cost of other physical conferences. A third! And, that’s not including any travel costs.
• Taking 2 days for a virtual conference (where you’re still technically in the office) vs. taking 5 days to travel, attend a conference, coordinate travel/hotel is a huge difference.
• You get all the learning, expo hours, networking breaks and before & after meetups, without having to risk travel. If there’s an emergency, you’ll be right there to help your community (and can watch sessions on-demand when you can).
  

4. What's the REAL value of S4SCON?
Virtual S4SCON helps government agencies get social media training to protect your agency, keep public trust & strengthen outreach. In two days, with no travel, you’ll walk away with valuable info, best practices & tips you won’t get anywhere else.

The true value? The connections you make along the way, even virtually. Have a question for Facebook, Twitter or Nextdoor? You’ll know who to go to. Need help crafting a tough message? You have your peers you can reach out to. This is value you won’t find anywhere else.

5. If you higher-ups STILL need more...
Here’s your real pep talk: YOU are worth the cost. YOUR position is needed. YOU deserve the training you need to elevate your profession. Remind your higher-ups of just exactly that. You’re here for your agency, your community and for your fellow socialgov peers — get the best training, methods & actionable advice to allow you to continue doing just that, but now, even better.

We’ll see you virtually at the second annual Social for Safety Conference, happening online Sept. 22 & 23! Don’t be the govie who misses all the fun - make sure to register for the All Access Ticket to meaningfully connect with each other and attend special invite-only sessions.

Best communicate with the public you serve by becoming a part of the free Government Social Media network — only available to full/part-time employees of government or educational institutions. Get access to socialgov-specific resources, like the COVID-19 SocialGov Hub group, and other organized content. Virtually collaborate with each other, share advice, get input, tips & more by joining the Government Social Media network today. 

We support the largest network of government social media professionals in the U.S. by guiding government agencies through complex social media issues. Government Social Media helps you successfully communicate with the public you serve, protect your agency and keep public trust while finding your support community. 

Interested in submitting a blog for your socialgov community? Just reach out to Sarah with your topic idea!