Cherokee Nation Social Media Wins National Award

The Cherokee Nation's Facebook and Twitter pages recently won "Best Use of Social Media by a Government/Public Affairs" by Ragan Communications, the nation's leading publisher of corporate communications, public relations and leadership development firm.

The nation won one of the 2014 PR Daily Social Media Awards over many other government entries, from California to Florida. The tribe reports that 95,000 people follow the Cherokee Nation's Facebook page. The Cherokee Nation's Twitter account has nearly 7,000 followers and the Cherokee Nation YouTube channel has 1,700 subscribers. That social media footprint will increase with the recent launch of "Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People," the new multimedia, multi-format program that utilizes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo platforms.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker said, "It is imperative for us to find ways to successfully communicate with our audiences. That's why we actively utilize social media to offer our own brand of storytelling. By providing Cherokee citizens and the general public with timely and accurate information about our government, our history, our culture and our people we have built a pristine reputation as a trusted source of news and information."

Ragan officials said in a statement the tribe won the category because, "Engaging all of a government's citizens in staying current with news, getting up to speed on issues affecting them, and participating in government-sponsored activities is a challenge in any case, but even more so when your constituents are spread far and wide outside the geographical boundaries that define the (Cherokee) Nation. Social media was clearly a means by which many of those constituents could be reached and engaged. We recognize the Cherokee Nation for this remarkably effective use of social media by awarding it the prize for Best Use of Social Media for Government/Public Affairs."

To view Cherokee Nation's social media pages, visit www.cherokee.org and click the icon of the respective social media site. For more on the Ragan social media awards visit http://www.prdaily.com/Awards/SM2014Winners.aspx.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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