Social media lessons from an unlikely source: the Army

Four techniques for engaging potential customers.

Four techniques for engaging potential customers

What the U.S. Army has been doing on the social media front, in terms of recruiting and opening honest conversations with potential soldiers, is nothing short of amazing.

Seems a little odd, doesn’t it? I mean what lessons could your brand possibly learn from one of the most hierarchal, conservative organizations in the world? As it turns out, more than you might think.

The Army recently started using social media tools to tell its story to and engage recruits and parents. So far, they’ve seen tremendous momentum.

To date, the Army has enlisted 61 bloggers (most, real-life soldiers). And that list is growing every week. Hundreds of posts and comments. And a growing readership (the Army wouldn’t release exact figures).

There’s also a softer side to this work that can’t quite be measured yet. If you’re considering enlisting in the Army, you now have an opportunity to listen to, ask questions of and engage in an authentic, unfiltered conversation about what life is really like in the Army with soldiers who are living and breathing it every single day. No other military branch is doing anything like this.

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