Leveraging the Army’s Social Media Network to Amplify Line of Departure

The winner of our 2024 Line of Departure Idea Competition

Marketing a website is not like the “Field of Dreams.” Building one does not guarantee anyone will come. Too often, digital initiatives assume their audiences will seek them out in the distant corners of the internet, like the perfect baseball diamond in a field of maize. To evoke marketing language, the customer journey must begin with an awareness of a novel resource through a currently leveraged medium to draw the user to the new medium.

Luckily for the Army and the Line of Departure (LD), an organic marketing network already exists at the top of the customer journey funnel that can draw awareness and navigate relevant high-quality traffic directly to their new website.

The U.S. Army’s vast array of unit social media pages, led by media-trained Army Public Affairs Officers (PAOs), can run organic, high-quality social media awareness campaigns to market the LD. But broadcasting LD articles and resources to tens of thousands of Soldiers’ social media will require coordination by Army University Press, the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, the Harding Fellows, and unit public affairs teams.

Modern Discourse on Social Media

Social media is a primary medium for young people, who spend an average of nearly three hours daily on these platforms. Over 80% of individuals aged 18–29 use social media as a preferred source for consuming and sharing information. Soldiers and leaders already rely on unit social media pages for updates, insights, and engagement. Army PAOs operate in this space and currently oversee a robust network on these platforms, managing over 200 unit social media pages. Each page connects with hundreds to tens of thousands of followers, providing a built-in system for amplifying and delivering content like LD articles.

Photo courtesy of MAJ Ryan Crayne

By leveraging these established networks, PAOs can regularly share LD content, ensuring Soldiers and leaders encounter professional development materials without relying on chance. With an estimated industry value of $0.005 per social media impression, a coordinated effort of a single post across the PAO network could yield visibility equivalent to tens of thousands of dollars and reach thousands of Soldiers.

Feasibility and Sustainability

Executing this plan is a straightforward, feasible, and sustainable two-step process. Following initial coordination between Army University Press, the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, and the Harding Project, the Harding Fellows should begin sending relevant article links, simple prepared graphics, and suggested language for social media posts to Army unit PAOs. Unit PAOs then control the final step in tailoring the social media campaigns to their unit, but ultimately, they publish links to LD articles and direct users to the site for further reading.

Photo courtesy of MAJ Ryan Crayne

For example, a unit might introduce an article by connecting its themes to current training, publish an article that discusses lessons learned from a deployment, or highlight authors from the unit. PAOs retain their unit's authentic perspective while consistently presenting LD as a professional resource for their audience. Guidance from the OCPA and AUP can supply templates and timing suggestions as well as gather analytics at a macro level.

This need not flood unit pages. PAOs can integrate LD content at measured intervals, adding professional material without overwhelming followers. Unit social media pages are not just one-way outlets. Posting LD content on social media welcomes comments, questions, and reactions. Social media platforms organically and simply track engagement levels and reach, helping guide future content decisions. This coordinated approach can also support calls for papers, feedback surveys, and other participation-focused initiatives regarding professional military discourse.

The Benefits for All

Using this strategy, PAOs gain quality content to share, raising the value of their platform. LD attains sustained visibility without a costly or resource-intensive campaign. Soldiers and leaders gain consistent access to thought-provoking material, broadening their perspectives. Over time, seeing LD posts as a standard part of their feed, Soldiers begin to view engaging discourse as a normal part of their profession, encouraging them to read further and potentially contribute themselves. If the goal is to establish LD as a recognized, frequently visited platform, leveraging the Army’s PAO network and social media offers a practical, creative, and scalable solution.

Unlike in Field of Dreams, simply building a great resource isn’t enough. Soldiers won’t stumble across LD in some metaphorical cornfield. To draw them in, the Army must guide them from familiar ground to this valuable destination. With its social media network, the Army has a modern marketing tool capable of delivering professional development content to Soldiers across the force.