THE LEAFLET

In the wake of his departure, we would like to highlight and thank our longtime Digital Strategist, Jason Galliger. From being the voice of Casey Trees social media to producing videos and taking photos – Jason has brought his unique and creative vision to Casey Trees!

Check out some of Jason’s parting thoughts and one last haiku:

Casey Trees (CT): Where are you off to next?
Jason Galliger (JG): I will be heading to National Geographic, specifically their Consumer and Member Marketing department.

CT: What will you miss most about the Brookland neighborhood?
JG: Hmm…besides Menomale?

What I really liked about Brookland is that it allowed me to see Casey Tree’s impact on a neighborhood scale. It also has a character that isn’t your typical downtown D.C. vibe, and as a native Washingtonian, really opened my eyes to the character of this city.

CT: Please give your Casey Trees top three “Greatest Hits”.
JG: That’s a tough one. So many options to choose from, but if I had to pick three I would say:

1. My blossoming tree tweet that led to 3 articles about Casey Trees including this one quoting yours truly.
2. While all of our social media followings have grown during my tenure I’m particularly proud of the growth of our Instagram. It was 171 when I started and now it’s over [current IG following rounded to highest, most impressive number]. I loved seeing it sprout (sorry, last tree pun ever) into a robust channel that our digital audience really seems to love.
3. Purchasing a GoPro (to my successor: you’re welcome). Without that I couldn’t have created videos like this pick-ax swinging video,  this tree climbing video, and of course our endless amount of timelapse videos.

CT: What advice do you have for the next person in your position or any aspiring digital strategist?
JG: Don’t be afraid of change. Embrace it. Digital mediums are constantly growing and evolving. Platforms that were hot one day (i.e Meerkat) can be replaced the next (i.e Periscope, Facebook Live). The key to being a good digital strategist is to look at these emerging trends, platforms, methods and tools and finding ways to utilize them in service to your organization’s mission, client’s needs or your own.

Aside from that my personal social media maxim is this: “content is king, engagement is queen, the audience is the emperor and timing is everything”. There’s a lot to unpack there but the overall theme is that without quality content that is engaging and relevant to your audience there is no point in posting at all. I would also add that having a strong analytics tool along with a communication strategy and timeline is equally as important.  Knowing where you are going can inform the quality and longevity of your messaging.

CT: Please describe your Casey Trees experience in a haiku.

digital faces

each different, each unique

but all for D.C.’s tree

-Jason Galliger