Beyond the Algorithm: Letting Community Do the Work

As organic reach declines and paid social grows, destinations must rethink engagement. In 2024, Visit Nebraska launched a community-first model around its Nebraska Passport program. What began as an experiment is now a statewide group with thousands of members, daily user posts and tens of thousands reached—without paid promotion. Public groups, not pages, are the future.

Takeaways: 

• Stop talking at people. Let them talk to each other. We’ll show how shifting from a Page to a Group changed everything and built real connection.
• Let your community do the marketing. With simple prompts and encouragement, your audience can become your loudest, most trusted advocates.
• Protect the space so it stays positive and useful. Clear rules, light moderation, and transparency keep a government-run group safe, welcoming, and on mission.