1. How Gov’t Agencies Can Build Audience and Increase Engagement DODASSMC Conference, Arlington, VA April 21, 2011

2. Contact Info 2 Lauren Modeen Manager of Digital Strategy @GovLoop + @GovEngage Me:@exilauren

3. 3 Let’s Do This!

4. 3 Things You’ll Learn Today: 4 Ten Step Approach to Building Audience Six Proven Tips to Engage Audience 3. Summary of what works, plus cool technologies and resources

5. Hypothesis Historically, Government not very good at building audience and engagement… Haven’t focused resources (time, staff, money, training) You aren’t paid for it – whereas non-profit / for-profit measures in votes and $$

6. Government’s mission to serve all its citizens Cost of misinformation Cost of citizen inaction Attack on brand – agency loyalty and trust Defend your program budgets Take actions that save $ and increase revenue But it Matters A LOT

7. So…We Constantly Ask Ourselves… How do we reach a large number of relevant stakeholders? How do we build relationshipswith them? How do we provide them with clear, timely, actionableinformation? How do we get them to TAKEACTION with our information?

8. How We Learned at GovLoop… Studied our own community as well as sites and communities far and wide including… Studied for-profit communities (Dogster, Catster, Job sites, ITToolbox, Sermo, Facebook, IWillTeachYouToBeRich, change.org, WhoRunsGov, Craigslist, UserVoice, dating sites) Studied for-profit commerce (GroupOn, Hubspot, email marketers, Priceline, etc) Studied non-profit campaigns (Causes, Charity: Water, NeighborsForNeighbors) Studied political sector (EccoDigital, BlueState, Direct Media Strategies)

9. So…What’s the Verdict? It’s REALLY REALLY Hard There’s a talent/skill Hard to be consistent There’s a difference between just doing it and doing it well Lots of optimization opportunities (channels, frequency, types, content)

10. GOAL OF TODAY: TO GO FROM THIS 10 “I’m scared….TOO HARD!” Image source: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

11. TO THIS! 11 “I CAN DO IT!” “It’s not so hard!” “Yay!” Yay! Image source: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

12. 12 Building Audience and Increasing Engagement… …is just like building and maintaining a campfire! 1. PLAN 2. IGNITE 3. FEED 4. TEND

13. Next Up…steps to go from Good to Awesome 13

14. Now, Without Further Ado, I Present HOW GOV’T AGENCIES CAN: ACT I: Build Audience & ACT 2: Increase Engagement 14

15. 15 Act 1: 10 Steps to Building Audience

17. Provide for secure retirement

18. More people get flu shots

19. More people apply for benefits online

20. Awareness of benefits of flu shots, clinic locations, and free shot programs

21. Awareness of benefit application form online16

23. Is it a campaign? Is it on-going?

24. How does it tie into our other initiatives?

25. What is our budget?

26. What is our staff?

28. Size of audience?

29. Quality of engagement?

30. Press/accolades looking for?Define your goals and metrics!

32. 1,000 active members by 1 year (based on relevant association size, other sites)

34. Where is the target audience currently?

35. What else exists?

37. Step 4: Enlist…Another example: Again…capture where they are…CRITICAL!

39. Who are the connectors in the industry?

40. What are potential partner sites?

41. What is our ask of them?

42. How can we incentivize them?

45. Community Leaders

46. Reward Structures

47. Leaderboards

48. What are the Rules?

49. What’s In It for You?

51. Create Community Guidelines

52. Launch leaderboards[KEY: Human beings having a human experience using technology]

54. What do we need to create?

55. What content popular?

56. Who will create content?

57. What content doesn‘t exist?

58. What unique content do we have?

59. What is the content frequency?

62. Get buy-in

63. Marketing/outreach on launch

64. Pictures on invites

66. Do Outreach

67. Produce regular content

70. What type of content popular?

71. What type of frequency popular

74. Facebook Insights

75. Social Mention

77. Authority Labs

78. PostRank

80. 36 Act 2: 6 Tips to Increase Engagement

81. Tip 1: Connect How do you get them to connect?

82. GET THEM TO CONNECT! Majority of people most likely to engage are in the member slice of the pyramid, so concentrate on them first Ask members questions, suggest ideas, help each other out 38

83. 39 Navy for Moms: One of the biggest barriers for kids joining Navy is concerned moms. This community assuages mom and helps get over fears

85. Casual

86. To-the-point

87. Sticky (so come back)

89. EDUCATE THEM! 42 Birdie NYC: mascot for GreeNYC

90. EDUCATE THEM! 43 Heard of Farmville? Want to guess how many active users 18 months after its original launch? “I will submit to you that the person who invents Healthville, which is actually fun to play and where you can network with your friends, but that teaches you, on the side about health, will be one of the most important public health figures of the 20th century. Why? They will do more to inject health knowledge and help change behavior than a phalanx of traditional programs ever do” Todd Park, CTO of HHS – listed in Fast Company’s 2010 100 Most Creative People

92. Include their feedback

94. Tip 4: Energize How do you keep them energized?

96. Ask what they want

97. Use weekly issues/themes

98. Ensure latest/most interesting activity above the fold

99. Highlight people’s accomplishments

100. Do stuff together in person: don’t only know people by their avatars

102. ENFORCE…YES, YOU MUST Create and implement… Policies & Guidelines Lots of resources here…more coming at end! 49

103. Tip 6: Enhance How do you keep them coming back?

104. ENHANCE…ONLY WAY… Deliver value and fulfill their needs…how? Ask Experiment, iterate, and evolve Don’t recreate the wheel unnecessarily – tons of good examples by your peers Falling down is a way to remember how to get back up See the world from a different perspective – wear your shoes on the wrong feed – (jk) Think outside the box 51

105. ENHANCE…ONLY WAY… 52

106. Create Great Content (interesting, fun, quality) Regular, consistent content Many types of content (blogs, videos, photos) Get them to Sign Upsomewhere Multiple, cross-promoted channels (email, text, FB, Twitter, own communities) Authentic and interesting voice Personalization – speaking to people not just masses Calls to action Move Up Commitment Curve (ask if want more) Online and offline events Summary: Top 10 List of What Works

107. Leverage Technologies 54

108. Mobile Apps – Where is the Bus? 55 Everyone wants to know where the bus! Use it as a hook! Solve their problem and in the same experience, give them info they didn’t know they needed

109. Mobile Apps – Airport Delays? 56 Friendly Trojan horse!

110. 57 PlainLanguage.gov Helps gov speak English: Don’t talk over your audience

111. DoD Resources http://socialmedia.defense.gov/education-and-training/ 58

112. More DoD Resources 59

113. More DoD Resources 60

114. Questions & Answers 61 Lauren Modeen @exilauren Manager of Digital Strategy GovLoop+ GovEngage