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What is engagement?
• Attract someone’s attention
• Involve people in interaction or
discussion
• Motivate amplification, action or
participation
Who to engage?
• Communities
• Donors
What is mobile? (Primarily)
• Cell phones (not always smartphones)
• Texting (SMS)• E-mail• Mobile web• Social media
Smartphones: fastest consumer adoption of any technology!
- Lee Rainie, Pew Research
(Me: Because mobile isinherently engaging.)
The future is here.It just isn’t evenly distributed yet.
Mobile is PERSONAL!
Take out your phones!
See what I did there?
Mobile mindset dare:Use your phone
for EVERYTHING!
…for 1 week
What mobile engagement can look like…
Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo
Citizen journalism project that relies on you to report what’s
happening in your neighborhood.
Report specific environmental concerns through one of the
Grow 716 text campaigns, or tell us about other issues.
Follow your campaign to see what others are saying and
how those issues are being addressed.
Catch of the Day campaign• Missions: Environmental justice, public
health, educate at-risk populations
(sustenance fishers)
• Partner: Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
• Mobile channels: Interactive texting, web
(fish consumption guide), photo messaging,
social media
• Other channels: On-location reps, print
version of guide in five languages
Campaign launched at Family Fishing Day at Broderick Park (6/29/13), continued through September.
Anglers were encouraged to text COD to 877-877, which directed them to online info about local fish consumption advisories and healthier ways to eat local fish.
Anglers shared pictures of their catches on the GROW 716 webpage.
Result: Reached 1,000 people who fish local waterways.
Plus: WSJ coverage
LA County Bicycle Coalition
• Campaign mission: Empower communities to create safe walking and bicycling routes along streets in 3 LA neighborhood
• Events: Bike rides, walks, community workshops.
• Partners: LA DOT, LA County Public Health Dept., TRUST South LA (grassroots community group)
• Activities: Storytelling, spotting problems, suggesting solutions
Vojo.co: Active Streets LA
Result:
236 stories by 24 community members
in 1 day
Uses Mobile Commons to text on behalf of grantees
• Broadcast alerts: Issues (immigration reform,
etc.), events, workshops, deadlines, opportunities.
• Grantees. Made it a priority for grantees to get text
alert signups. Get people to sign up on the spot at
live events.
• Unique links in texts allow tracking across social
media, text forwarding via MC analytics
• Web portal: People can resubscribe if phone
number changes.
What works
• Topical and/or time-focused campaigns• Interactive (location, photo sharing)• Solid SMS support service (Mobile Commons,
RedOxygen)
• Alongside: events, signage, in-person help,
online and print materials• Multiple language support (perhaps call-in line)• Expand engagement past initial campaign: next
steps
Which of these examplesseem relevant
to your challenges?
Other examples you’ve seen?
Tips
Is your websitemobile-friendly?
Is your e-mail newsletter
mobile-friendly?
Campaigns & Events
• Tie mobile signups/campaigns to live kickoff events
• Mention mobile at other live events in your community, encourage on the spot signup
• Photo/video storytelling booth at your events
• “Timeboxing" works to increase mobile engagement: texting signups, etc.
Partners• Media: Public radio/TV often have Mobile
Commons access.
• Community/grassroots groups — good
outreach in-person or via live events.
• State, local county government. Especially
if they offer 311-style call-in info lines.
• Colleges & universities. Typically already
have text alert services set up.
Speak their language
• Good mobile is mostly like good social media• Hire someone who is already interacting well
with that community via social media• Short, clear, direct. • Simple sentences, bulleted lists, active verbs• Invite their input, content — amplify and
respond• Follow your community’s lead.
Tools
What makes killer mobile engagement?
ASK YOUR COMMUNITY! (well, sorta...)
Local Mobile Market Researchbit.ly/mobilelocalsurvey
• Short, easy to do: 8 questions• Not demographics!• Devices, access behavior• Actionable info: Which mobile channels to
use first?• 25-50 every 6-12 months• Yes, mobile changes that fast
Mobile = Primary Use Case
ASSUME that MOST of your audience/community is on
mobile devices, at least sometimes.
Mobile Commons: Use for programs, grantees, donors
Mobile Commons• $2000-$4000/month. Some foundations get
it and use on behalf of grantees. • NPR, CPB, APM, PRI also use it - partner!• Text messaging: broadcast alerts,
interactive, custom reminders, etc. • Mobile analytics• Surveys, reports, quizzes• Text-to-give• Customer relationship management (CRM)
Groundsource
RedOxygen.com: Texting plans
HUGELY POPULARon mobile!!!
Text-to-give: Mgive study
Vojo.co: Active Streets LA
They are PHONES, after all
• Interactive voice response (IVR)
• 311-style call-in info lines
• Asterisk.org: free open-source software
• Twilio.com: Commercial platform with
large developer community. Voice as well
as text, video, e-mail services.
EXTRA STUFF
Catch of the Day campaign WSJ coverage
Western NY’s immigrant population, many of whom are culturally connected to subsistence fishing, has grown significantly over the past decade on the west side of Buffalo.
The program seeks to educate low-literacy and at-risk populations — including immigrants, particularly women and children — about healthier ways to consume locally caught fish.
Materials created for the program have been translated into five languages to make fish consumption information accessible for those whose first language is not English.
Kristen Kaszubowski, CFGB enviro comms coordinator
• Immigrant anglers may not use social media or the web, but they do text.
• Posted signs in places where local anglers go, telling them they can text to see if the fish they catch is safe to eat.
• Response:
Where you are
fishing? Are you
planning to eat
the fish you catch
today?
• Then links to fish
consumption
guide. Or get one
mailed to your
home.
• Asked anglers to submit a picture of fish. Sport fisherman loved that -- increased participation beyond immigrant sustenance anglers
• Great social media content, increased awareness (amplify)
• Told Riverkeeper where to deploy reps.
LA Bicycles: Bryan Moller, Policy/Outreach Coordinator
• Last weekend, we gathered a wide representation of
community members, and taught them how to use Vojo.
• Challenge: How would you want to change your street —
sidewalks, crossings, car speeds, etc. — to make it more
bicycle friendly?
• Went on walk/ride, stopped frequently. Take a picture,
upload to Vojo, explain the problem, suggest solution. 236
postings by 24 community members.
• Upcoming: LA Bureau of street services engineer will come
in, review the stories, talk with community about what street
treatments could address. Public charette.
• “Vojo is the starting point we use to get people thinking about what the problems are on their streets. Pictures highlights the need.”
“It’s really quick and not hard to use. We had teens and older people using it.”
“Even if you don’t use it much, you get people to think about what and where the problems are. That’s the biggest gap — letting people know what they should do and what they should know to solve community problems, without a long winded conversation.”
