USAGov is the official guide to government services and information for the public. Its outreach team connects people to that information through USA.gov and USAGov en Español social media, email, and other delivery channels. 2021 was a busy year for the outreach team. Here are a few highlights:
Reaching Over 1.5 Million People During Hispanic Heritage Month
We hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) public engagement campaign from September 15 to October 15, 2021, to celebrate the culture and experience of the Hispanic/Latino community in the U.S. We recognized that there is a lot of confusing and deceptive information online in Spanish. So USAGov en Español used HHM as an opportunity to combat disinformation and provide official resources.
For the 2021 campaign, the USAGov en Español team led the effort and worked directly with subject matter experts at agencies including the IRS, TravelGov, OSHA, and FDA to coordinate public-facing messages about their programs and services.
We promoted agency websites and social media handles directly on our @USAGovespanol social media and email marketing channels using the unified hashtag #TuGobiernoEnEspañol. Additionally, we created original content like articles and graphics that the public and media shared and reproduced.
Overall, we reached over 1.5M people during the HHM 2021 campaign.
Serving as the Official Channel for Emergency Communication to the Public
USAGov has a unique role in emergency response and communication for the federal government. The program is designated by the Department of Homeland Security as the federal government’s official disaster communications channel to the public. 2021 brought a very active Atlantic hurricane season and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic among other emergencies, and USAGov outreach was ready to take action.
In 2021, we shared official and trustworthy information through our social media and email channels on topics like economic impact payments, affordable housing, SNAP benefits (food stamps), and travel restrictions in both English and Spanish. The team coordinated with agencies to support their needs to ensure consistent messaging and answers to the public. Overall, in 2021, we reached people over 12 million times with information about the coronavirus through USAGov outreach channels.
Additionally, in May 2021, just before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, @USAGov and @USAGovEspanol hosted bilingual Twitter chats, connecting experts to the public. The #ChatBeforeTheStorm and #AntesDeLaTormenta events reached over 1.2 million people, thanks to engaging questions about preparing and staying safe during an emergency and collaboration with agencies including NOAA, NWS, and FEMA.
Hosting a Bilingual Consumer Protection Twitter Chat
USAGov supports partners in consumer protection efforts each March for National Consumer Protection Week.
In the past few years, we’ve hosted successful bilingual Twitter chats to gather partners and reach the public with helpful, money-saving information. Through #SlamTheScamChat in English and #OjoConLasEstafas (Beware of Scams) in Spanish, we addressed FAQs, tracked conversations through the special hashtags, and brought attention to partner agencies’ social media accounts.
In two hours of live chats hosted in March 2021, we asked 22 questions, worked with 27 partner accounts, received more than 400 tweet replies, and garnered more than 3 million impressions.
Using Our Experience to Help Your Program
As we celebrate 2021's accomplishments, we’re taking time to reflect on lessons learned. We recognize how important it is to collaborate with other agencies and work together to get government information out to the public.
We’re looking for new and returning agency partners who want to try new things like interactive visuals and incorporating co-branding and co-marketing elements for public engagement campaigns.Interested in a 2022 collaboration to promote your agency’s services to specific groups or to the general public? Reach out to us at USA.gov/partnerships.
