How Gov’t Agencies Can Build Audience and Increase

Engagement

DODASSMC Conference, Arlington, VA

April 21, 2011

©2011 GovDelivery
Contact Info

Lauren Modeen

Manager of Digital Strategy

@GovLoop + @GovEngage

Me: @exilauren

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Let’s Do This!

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3 Things You’ll Learn Today:

1. Ten Step Approach to Building Audience

2. Six Proven Tips to Engage Audience

3. Summary of what works, plus cool

technologies and resources

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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 $$
 But it Matters A LOT

• 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
So…We Constantly Ask Ourselves…

1. How do we reach a large number of relevant

stakeholders?
2. How do we build relationships with them?
3. How do we provide them with clear, timely,
actionable information?
4. How do we get them to TAKE ACTION with
our information?
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)
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)
 GOAL OF TODAY: TO GO FROM THIS

“I’m scared….TOO HARD!”

10 Image source: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

 TO THIS!

“I“It’s
CAN notDO
so IT!”
hard!” “Yay!”
Yay!

11 Image source: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Building Audience and Increasing
Engagement…

…is just like building

and maintaining a
campfire!

1. PLAN
2. IGNITE
3. FEED
4. TEND

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Next Up…steps to go from Good to Awesome

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 Now, Without Further Ado, I Present

HOW GOV’T AGENCIES CAN:

ACT I: Build Audience

&
ACT 2: Increase Engagement

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 Act 1:
10 Steps to Building Audience

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Step 1: Identify

What problem are you trying to solve ?

 Improve public health
What matters most to my agency  Provide for secure
and the public? retirement

 More people get flu

What are the specific outcomes shots
 More people apply for
this program is looking for? benefits online
 Awareness of benefits
What are realistic contributions of flu shots, clinic
that communication can make to locations, and free shot
the outcomes? programs
 Awareness of benefit
application form online

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Step 2: Logistics

Logistical questions to ask yourself:

• What is the time frame? Time to launch?

• Is it a campaign? Is it on-going?
• How does it tie into our other initiatives?
• What is our budget?
• What is our staff?
• What technology to use?
Step 3: Defining Success

• What is success?
• Size of audience?
• Quality of engagement?
• Press/accolades looking for?

Define your goals and metrics!

Step 3: Defining Success…EPA example:

EPA Example:

• High-quality engagement among renewable energy

thought leaders

• 1,000 active members by 1 year (based on relevant

association size, other sites)

• 10 press mentions
Step 4: Enlist

• Who are our stakeholders?

• Where is the target audience currently?
• What else exists?
• What have we done in past?
Step 4: Enlist…EPA example:

Critical: capture where they

are, bring them back in with
emails, newsletters
 Step 4: Enlist…Another example:

Again…capture
where they are…
CRITICAL!
Step 5: Experts and Partners

• Who are the experts on the topic?

• Who are the connectors in the industry?
• What are potential partner sites?
• What is our ask of them?
• How can we incentivize them?
• What outreach materials most effective?
Step 5: Experts and Partners…EPA example
Step 6: Community Strategy

• Community Managers
• Community Leaders
• Reward Structures
• Leaderboards
• What are the Rules?
• What’s In It for You?
• On-boarding process
Step 6: Community Strategy…Example

• Assign Internal Community Moderators

• Create Community Guidelines
• Launch leaderboards

[KEY: Human beings having a

human experience using technology]
Step 7: Content Strategy

• What content do we have?

• What do we need to create?
• What content popular?
• Who will create content?
• What content doesn‘t exist?
• What unique content do we have?
• What is the content frequency?
• Where’s the fun? (more on this later)
Step 7: Content Strategy…EPA Example:
 Step 8: Launch

• Invite early adopters

• Get buy-in
• Marketing/outreach on launch
• Pictures on invites
• Provide swag
Step 9: Start Doing

• Follow Strategy
• Do Outreach
• Produce regular content
• Engage with community

THIS IS THE HARD PART

Step 9: Start Doing
Step 10: Measure

• What is working?
• What type of content popular?
• What type of frequency popular
• What are our key problems?
Step 10: Measure

• Weekly/Monthly Reports
• Web Analytics
Step 10: Measure

Which tools are most useful?

Free: Cost:

• Google Analytics • Radian6

• Facebook Insights • Authority Labs
• Social Mention • PostRank
• Twitter grader • Argyle
To Review:

10 Steps to Building Audience:

1. Identify
2. Logistics
3. Define success
4. Enlist
5. Experts & Partners
6. Community Strategy
7. Content Strategy
8. Launch
9. Start doing
10. Measure
 Act 2:
6 Tips to Increase Engagement

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Tip 1: Connect

How do you get them to connect?

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

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 Navy for Moms:

One of the
biggest barriers
for kids joining
Navy is
concerned moms.

This community
assuages mom
and helps get
over fears

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Tip 2: Educate

How do you help them learn?

• Make your content easy to find

• Casual
• To-the-point
• Sticky (so come back)
• Make it fun!
EDUCATE THEM!

Make it easy for

public to:
1. Find and
2. Choose which
of your resources
are of interest to
them!

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EDUCATE THEM!

Birdie NYC:
mascot for
GreeNYC

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 EDUCATE THEM!

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
Todd Park, CTO of HHS that teaches you, on the side about health, will
– listed in Fast be one of the most important public health
Company’s 2010 100 figures of the 20th century. Why? They will do
Most Creative People more to inject health knowledge and help
change behavior than a phalanx of traditional
programs ever do”

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Tip 3: Empower

How do you get them to own it?

• Ask them for feedback!

• Include their feedback
• Allow them to use their own voice
EMPOWER YOUR PEEPS!

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Tip 4: Energize

How do you
keep them
energized?
ENERGIZE!

• Ask lots of questions

• Ask what they want
• Use weekly issues/themes
• Ensure latest/most interesting activity above
the fold
• Highlight people’s accomplishments
• Do stuff together in person: don’t only know
people by their avatars
• Ask people if they want more and if yes,
deliver more
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Tip 5: Enforce

How do you get them to…

?
ENFORCE…YES, YOU MUST

Create and
implement…

Policies &
Guidelines

Lots of
resources
here…more
coming at end!

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Tip 6: Enhance

How do you keep them coming back?

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

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ENHANCE…ONLY WAY…

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Summary: Top 10 List of What Works

1. Create Great Content (interesting, fun, quality)

2. Regular, consistent content
3. Many types of content (blogs, videos, photos)
4. Get them to Sign Up somewhere
5. Multiple, cross-promoted channels (email, text, FB,
Twitter, own communities)
6. Authentic and interesting voice
7. Personalization – speaking to people not just masses
8. Calls to action
9. Move Up Commitment Curve (ask if want more)
10. Online and offline events
 Leverage Technologies

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 Mobile Apps – Where is the Bus?

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
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 Mobile Apps – Airport Delays?

Friendly
Trojan horse!

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 PlainLanguage.gov

Helps gov
speak
English:
Don’t talk
over your
audience

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 DoD Resources

http://socialmedia.defense
.gov/education-and-
training/

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More DoD Resources

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More DoD Resources

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 Questions & Answers

Lauren Modeen
@exilauren
Manager of Digital Strategy
GovLoop + GovEngage

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