Jody Guodace may not be as well known as Kim Kardashian, but she’s a burgeoning social media influencer nonetheless.
“I post on LinkedIn and Twitter,” said Guodace, a USPS territory representative in Bismarck, ND, who posts new content several times a week.
“It takes me all of 15 minutes to schedule a week’s worth of posts,” she said.
Similarly, John Hyatt, a WestPac Area writer and editor, has no problem keeping his Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter followers buzzing with fresh content.
“The hardest part for me is trying to think of hashtags to include in my posts. Using relevant hashtags really helps expand their reach,” he said.
Guodace and Hyatt are two of the more than 500 Executive and Administrative Schedule (EAS) employees who are part of USPS Zone, a voluntary program that allows participants to promote stamps, package tips and more on their personal social media accounts using preapproved content.
Participants get to pick and choose the content they share, as well as suggest postal content of their own.
Launched in January 2021, USPS Zone is a first-of-its-kind program for a federal government agency, although similar employee advocacy programs are widely used in large private organizations across the nation.
“You can think of it as a sort of free marketplace for postal-themed social media content,” said Jonathan Castillo, an acting social media senior strategist and USPS Zone community manager. “Our goal is to make engaging on social media fun and easy — you can literally click and share posts within seconds.”
Mary Beth Levin, the Postal Service’s social media strategy and analytics manager, called the program “a unique opportunity for social media novices to get their feet wet and for the social media savvy to strut their stuff.”
While the Postal Service already has a strong corporate social media presence, USPS Zone leverages individual connections and encourages friends and family to use the Postal Service.
“Customers are more likely to trust information from people they know,” said Hyatt, who, along with Guodace, was one of the program’s top performers in January.
“This is a great program to let people know what the Postal Service is and that we are not just any other business. We give back to the community in so many ways and are a dedicated, integral part of this country. USPS Zone really helps our employees share that positive message with the rest of the world.”
To sign up — or to have a program representative address your group of 10 or more EAS employees — send an email to uspszone@usps.gov.
Share your feedback at uspslink@usps.gov. Your comments could be included in the “Mailbag” column.
