Social media strategy central to the Sandia National Laboratories brand

Sandia National Laboratories, one of three U.S. nuclear security labs operating under contract from the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, has developed a social media strategy that has attracted an enviable number of influential followers and maintained a positive public view of the lab’s brand. It’s now won first place in the “Brand Awareness” category of PR Daily’s 2017 Digital PR &Social Media Awards.

A well-articulated strategy drove both the growth of the lab’s audience and the expansion of its engagement across multiple networks (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Flickr and Storify). 

Tight control over Sandia’s engagement ensures that any department looking to communicate through any of its channels must meet a stringent set of criteria, such as supporting the lab’s interests, appealing to a broad audience and telling a complete story. An editorial calendar ensures alignment with holidays, anniversaries and events. Ongoing monitoring enables the organization to engage and respond in a timely manner. 

The stream of quality content, configured for each of the distribution channels (including some of the stunning imagery for which the lab has a reputation) has attracted policymakers and influencers from industry, government, and academia. 

Sandia demonstrates leadership in traditional channels as well as newer venues, such as Reddit Ask Me Anything forums. Audiences have grown steadily across all channels.

Kudos to Sandia’s Darrick Hurst and Valerie Larkin.