Four Strategies for Engagement with Location-Based Services

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This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of onPhilanthropy.

Four Strategies for Engagement with Location-Based Services

By Stacy Dyer

You may be hearing about a popular new social media activity. Multiple apps, including Foursquare, Facebook Places, and Gowalla, allow individuals to check in at various locations using their smart phone, and then share their check-ins with their friends. Players can collect points and organizations of all kinds are offering real benefits for virtual check-ins.

Location-based games and services have seen exponential growth over the last three years. Nonprofit organizations are using them to increase their visibility to a growing audience of relatively young, affluent, and highly engaged supporters.

Getting started is easy.  Here are four strategies you can use to maximize your engagement with constituents using location-based services.

#1 Promote it at your event

Special events are the ideal time to take advantage of location-based services. During busy events, festivals, or other gatherings, the more individuals who check in, the more likely the location will become designated a “hot spot.” Hot spots are promoted to the top of the list whenever anyone in the area checks in, thereby piquing the curiosity of a wide audience. Promote your participation with visual signage in prominent locations. It reminds casual players to pull out their phones and check in.

#2 Offer a special

Offer a special to encourage folks to check in at your event. It can be a free drink from the concession stand, or a free give-away. Be creative. For a more long-term investment, consider offering a reward to the person who checks in most often (e.g. called “the mayor” on Foursquare) at your location.

To ensure an exceptional experience for those who check in and attempt to redeem the special, be sure to train all staff and volunteers.

#3 Drop an item or create a badge

As previously mentioned, Foursquare is not the only location-based service. Gowalla, an Austin, Texas-based company, has its own service, allowing users to unlock badges and encouraging players to leave or swap items when checking into locations. Facebook Places allows you to use Facebook to “check-in” to locations, as well as tag them in posts and photo uploads.

Consider creating a special item just for your event. Players may carry your item to a distant place and drop it off for the next player who comes by. Consider this example: a South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) badge from Austin is dropped off at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, or even farther away. How could such an activity spread brand awareness for your organization?

#4 Make it an adventure

Are you part of a collective of city theaters or museums? Consider creating a trip including all of your participating locations. You can highlight key attractions and direct players to hidden gems. Combine your trip with a special to create a special scavenger hunt game.

You could also develop adventure tours for volunteers to target parks for clean-ups, or donors to visit locations being benefitted by their support.

“One thing I like best about location-based networking is that people often link their check-in service to their Twitter accounts,” says Kristen Britt O’Donnell, director of public relations and marketing for Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. in North Fort Myers, Fla. “Having the Twitter link gives our organization yet another opportunity to engage with supporters one-on-one, by thanking them for stopping by, asking them how their visit was, or offering them suggestions for a future visit.”

Your options for using location-based services are limited only by your creativity. If you keep it fun and engaging, your forays into using this dynamic social media activity will open a new channel for you to connect with your community and donors.

To read more about different ways organizations can get started with Foursquare, specifically, check out this post on the Sage Words blog: “Foursquare is open for business! Not-for-profits take note.”

12NTC: Not just for geeks

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San Fran at night

San Fransisco hosted the 2012 NTC – Nonprofit Technology Conference

I just got back from #12NTC, the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference. As always, it’s an explosion of nptechie geekdom and one of the best parties events I attend all year.

And while I may be a self-proclaimed geek, NTC is not just for geeks anymore! This year’s audience boasted wide variety of folks involved in all levels of nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, and community organizing. The refreshing diversity of social media influencers, philanthropists, and social responsibility leaders created a unique community of vibrant energy motivated to find a way to “make it work” and do good.

Where AFP is a decidedly more mature organization of fundraising professionals, NTEN’s network of younger, more tech-savvy nonprofit leaders offers a perspective on the future of nonprofit management. As a product marketer, it’s a great opportunity for me to spot new trends — like using mobile technology to engage constituents; moving tech solutions to the cloud; or for the fashion conscience, donning patterned leggings with a vintage dress. (Vanessa R., I’m looking at you!)

If you weren’t able to make it to #12NTC this year, no worries! One of the best things about having a tech-savvy audience is that NTEN is able to leverage the power of their attendees to crowdsource session notes. Check out the full list of Google docs here with session notes from everything from online community engagement to data analysis to nerd-herding!

And, of course, watch this blog for my learnings and key takeaways from #12NTC over the coming months!

Always,
Stacy
Product Marketing Manager, geek, and proud NTEN member

 

 

 

3 Personas You Have to Meet

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Maybe you already know them. They certainly already know you. They are your constituents, your supporters, and donors. Want to know who they are? Keep reading…

As a product marketer, I am very familiar with the concept of using personas to help me understand my audience. At Innogive 2012 in San Fransisco, Jeff Dunlap of MobileCause, described the three key personas who interact with causes online.

First, there is the internet artist. He actually doesn’t really care about your cause. What he wants is to impress his friends. He is motivated by the number of retweets and likes he gets in social media. So he makes up something clever–like make up a t-shirt that says, “F**K CANCER.” You can’t say that, but he can! He is, in effect, a “free agent” as Beth Kanter describes in her concept of a Networked Nonprofit.

Next, the curator picks it up. She likes to put things into collections that are easy to browse. She pins that “F**K CANCER” t-shirt in Pintrest, where it gets picked up by Martha-Stewart-types everywhere, and creates a flurry! She doesn’t really care about your cause either, but loves it when her “pin” get shared around.

Now meet mobile grandma. She loves using her smartphone to share mobile photos on Facebook. She posts a picture of her niece wearing the infamous t-shirt. That post gets picked up by another mobile grandma in Denmark, who translates the t-shirt into 3 different languages (in effect, another internet artist) and the cycle starts again.

As you can see, these personas have the power to give your cause a huge boost, even though they may not actually donate cash (or buy the t-shirt) themselves. By understanding what motivates these personas, you can create (or, at least, not squash) opportunities to go viral!

So You Wanna Be a Mobile Superhero?

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Ok, so there was a lot of talk about the Justice League at Innogive 2012.

Justice League

I’m more of an Avengers fan, myself, but maybe that’s just because I’ve always liked Stark’s toys.

Anyway…

Kayta Anderson, shared these 5 forgotten questions we need to answer before you can be we can become superheroes in mobile fundraising!

1) Who is it for anyway?

Know your audience. She says that when at least 5% of traffic to your website is from mobile browsers (you are using Google Analytics to track this, right?) However, there was some discussion that if you don’t have a mobile site, you won’t get mobile traffic.

2) What will it do for them?

We download apps to make our lives easier. Unless the app provides a something sought after by your audience, they won’t download it. Don’t build an app for apps sake. Provide value to drive behavior.

3) What do you have?

Time, resources, money, staff. And not just staff to run it, but who in your organization will get behind the project? They have to be willing to take risks.

4) Where does it fit in?

Mobile is another channel in your multichannel communications strategy. You need to align your messages and strategy across all your channels.

5) What will it do for you?

ROI vs ROE. Traditionally, managers focus on return on investment. Instead focus on return on engagement, which measures things like new supporters, brand exposure, added convenience for supporters, improved advocacy results.

 

How I Met Geordi LaForge at SXSWedu!

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How I Met Geordi LaForge at SXSWedu!
by Stacy Dyer

I had the privilege to hear LeVar Burton speak at SXSWedu, a conference focusing on innovation in learning.

Stacy Dyer and LeVar Burton at SXSWedu

Stacy Dyer and LeVar Burton at SXSWedu

In his keynote address Burton shared his philosophy: “at the intersection of technology and education, storytelling is the key to learning.”

Wise words indeed from a talented artist and life-long learning advocate who has been a part of the legendary Reading Rainbow franchise for 23 years–the third-longest running children’s series in PBS history*. A new Reading Rainbow app will be release in a few weeks.

LeVar Burton keynote at SXSWedu

LeVar Burton keynote at SXSWedu (photo credit: Stacy Dyer)

Technology aside, it is clear that Burton’s philosophy stems from his formative experiences with great storytellers. From Alex Haley’s epic Roots to Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek, Burton’s acting roles immersed him in the visions of great storytellers, and strong family connections to the encouraged an almost evangelistic passion for life-long learning.

According to Burton, Haley’s vision of storytelling demonstrates the indomitable strength of the human need for family, while Roddenberry’s vision sees the infinite potential of humans. For Burton, these vision were bridged by Fred Rodgers. It sounds strange, but for Burton it made sense. Especially when I learned that Burton attended seminary himself (Mr. Rodgers was a minister.) Burton explained how he was inspired by Mr. Rodgers impression of the media of television as a pulpit, as an opportunity to reach his flock and share his message. Burton took this lesson to heart.

After the keynote, Burton was able to attend the networking reception where he mingled with attendees. It was a great opportunity to meet and share ideas with one of my long-time inspirations and idols (did I ever tell you I wanted to be a Star Trek engineer why I grow up?)

How to incorporate the latest technology into effective learning programs is what SXSWedu is all about. As a Star Trek and Reading Rainbow veteran, Burton is uniquely positioned to publicly champion the use of technology while keeping the focus on the content–the story that is being told.

Today, educational technology leaders must focus on building a technology infrastructure for learning. What I have learned at SXSWedu this year is that infrastructure is only the first step. Tech won’t teach. As a learner and mother, I am intrigued how the next generation of educators are leveraging technology to create opportunities for extraordinary educational experiences.

* Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Rainbow

 

Why Mobile Won’t Work Magic

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I attended a webinar recently where the presenter attempted to demystify mobile magic by explaining that it is more like Houdini magic than Disney magic – that is real and it is something you can learn.

First, let’s call that Harry Potter magic just because I like the balance of Harry/Harry.

Now, I’m going to completely disagree.

Mobile isn’t magic—not even learn-able, slight-of-hand magic. There are no tricks and there are no secrets. Sure there are similarities to theatrical magic; getting mobile right takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and admittedly, a bit of showmanship never hurts!

The truth is mobile is not a magic panacea for all that ails your organization’s lackluster fundraising results. You do not add a mobile website or donation form and – poof – watch those donations roll in. However, mobile can be used as a valid tactic for expanding your reach and reinforcing your message, thereby increasing your level of engagement with your constituents.

Rather than thinking of mobile as a magic trick, I prefer to think of implementing mobile tactics in terms of a learning a new style of dance. You already know how to elegantly waltz your way through a direct mailer. Your sophisticated email strategy is as alluring to your donors as a sultry tango. Adding mobile-enabled elements to your existing communications is like throwing in a little Texas swing. You already know how to dance with your donors, mobile is just about doing to a slightly different beat.

By finding ways to leverage your message into mobile channels, such as text messages or mobile-optimized webpages, you augment the repertoire and relationships you have already built. Identify where mobile can supplement and reinforce your existing efforts. Rather than considering mobile tactics as a separate campaign, look for creative ways mobile can enhance current, already agreed-upon goals. Mobile isn’t a new trick; it’s just another way to dance.

Bottom line? Don’t try to use mobile to pull a rabbit out of your hat. You will fail. Instead, focus on how you are already interacting with your donors and begin integrating a few new mobile steps into your choreography.

My favorite NP reads

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Here is a short list of my favorite nonprofit management and technology books that are out right now. Don’t miss them!

The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change
Beth Kanter (Author), Allison Fine (Author), Randi Zuckerberg (Foreword)

http://www.bethkanter.org/the-networked-nonprofit/

In their book, The Networked Nonprofit, Beth Kanter and Allison Fine write, “Networked Nonprofits work as social networks, not just in them.” According to Kanter and Fine, by connecting individuals with common interests and goals, nonprofits create an ecosystem of organizations and people eager to help.  And by utilizing “free agents” – individuals working outside the organization who can organize and raise funds – nonprofits can capitalize on the power of social media to get their message out.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
Chip Heath (Author), Dan Heath (Author)

http://www.heathbrothers.com/switch/

According the Heath brothers, change is NOT a four letter word! During his plenary presentation at the 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference (#11NTC) Dan Heath described the metaphor of the elephant (unconscious/emotional brain) vs. the rider (rational/conscious brain) used in this book he co-wrote with his brother and discussed how nonprofit organizations can use the “elephant” as a fuel for change: Direct the rider. Motivate the elephant. Shape the path.

YOU and Your Nonprofit
Norman Olshansky and Linda Lysakowski, Editors, with 43 contributing authors

http://bit.ly/iHpQoP

Heather Burton, Director, Product Marketing, Nonprofit Solutions, recently was published in this book, YOU and Your Nonprofit. Her chapter talks about how to achieve the “dream board” everybody wants. It’s about understanding not only the long-term vision, but also the current reality and the gaps between the two, and then setting the right priorities at the right time to begin closing those gaps. All the proceeds from purchasing from this direct link will benefit, BookSpring! YOU and Your Nonprofit Use this code and save 25% off. CODE: CCPRESS423

QR Codes: A Tool for Multi-Channel Campaigns

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This article about what these little codes and tags can do, who is already using them successfully, and how you can leverage this handy little app in your own multichannel campaigns originally appeared in the November/December 2011 of Advancing Philanthropy.

QR Codes: A Tool for Multi-Channel Campaigns

By Stacy Dyer

Quick Response (QR) codes – those two-dimensional matrix bar codes designed to be read by smartphones – are growing in ubiquity. You see them more and more in magazine ads and catalogs, directing consumers to pull out their mobile devices and click. QR codes have incredible possibilities for nonprofit marketers who want to take advantage of the emotional connection and immediacy generated by their causes.

What Can QR Codes Do?

Enabling your audience with QR codes gives them the ability to immediately take an action.  QR codes can be created to prompt a phone call, send a text message, or click a hyperlink.

Think of the power of being able to link your supporters directly to your donation form, rather than your home page. QR codes can help eliminate disconnect between exposure to your message and the action you want your audience to take.

Donation forms are only one example. Advocacy institutions can create a QR code embedded with a phone number to call a local politician’s office. As part of green initiatives, museums, like the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, Penn., use QR codes to direct visitors to more information about artists or exhibits online rather than distribute brochures (The Handheld Guide: Experimenting with Mobile Technology in Museums http://www.technologyinthearts.org/?p=1511).

Foundations organizing races, golf tournaments, or other events can collect registrations or sign up volunteers by directing supporters directly to a form on their website that has been optimized for mobile viewing.  By combining the power of QR codes and customized web content, the options for implementation are limited only by your creativity.

Who Uses QR Codes?

QR codes naturally target a younger, more affluent crowd. Tech-savvy Millennials and GenXers will be the most likely audience to scan and click first, but anyone with the ability to download an application, or “app,” on their phone can join the fun.

To increase the consumption of your mobile content, be sure to let folks know the benefits of scanning the code and what they can expect to find on the other end of the link. Offer exclusive content or discounts on services or admission. Depending on your audience, you may also want include instructions for downloading the app using their mobile phone.

While baby boomers aren’t as likely to use them, displaying QR codes is unlikely to put off more mature supporters—they will simply ignore them. With the opportunity to reach new audiences and capitalize on emotional, “in-the-moment” giving, there is nothing to lose by incorporating them into your strategy.

How Can You Use QR Codes?

First, create an emotional connection with your audience. The best time to do that is when they feel the height of that emotion—when they are at your event, in your museum, or reading your publication. “Wait,” you say, “that doesn’t have anything to do with technology!” You are right. This is something successful fundraisers are already doing. QR codes are simply another tool to remove barriers and encourage supporters to act.

Remember to consider the medium with which your audience will be consuming your content: a mobile phone. Optimize your landing pages for mobile viewing. Point QR codes directly to a donation form that has been optimized for mobile viewing and has been tested with the web browsers used by those mobile devices. Create customized, abbreviated forms that require minimal typing and are easy to view and understand.

Direct mail remains the cornerstone of many annual campaigns, yet online giving continues growing year after year.  QR codes offer the perfect bridge to combine multi-channel marketing efforts. They are not the most graphically attractive, but they are not expensive to implement either. By bridging the gap between offline and online engagement, this new technology gives fundraisers a powerful new tool.

In a recent Idealware article, Henry Quinn, marketing manager at L.L. Bean reminds us, “Implementing QR codes across your marketing efforts is a tactic, not a strategy.” No matter how hot or trendy the new widget, the tool itself does not complete the job. However, with the right tools, getting the job done can be easier, more efficient, and more effective.

My Five Reasons For Being A Girl Scout

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Stacy Dyer, Brownie

Stacy Dyer in full Brownie uniform, marching in the downtown Stuart holiday parade

Many years ago, I was shorter, cuter and I could eat a lot more cookies than I can today!

Before the days of Daisies, I joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie.  Yes that’s me to the right, check out my smile.  I loved being a Girl Scout.  Looking back there are many reasons why I enjoyed the experience and why I recommend Girl Scouts today.

Girl Scouts is fun!  I joined Troop #305, in Palm City, Florida initially because my mom’s friends’ daughters were all in the troop and I wanted to hang out with them.  We had a blast camping out, volunteering in local beach clean ups and dressing up in our uniforms to walk in the town’s annual holiday parade (complete with orange flag sock garters!)  Who doesn’t want to be in a parade?

Girl Scouts gets you outside.  A big reason for joining Scouts was the outdoor activities. I enjoyed horseback riding, camping, and wildlife rehabilitation. Scouting encouraged a great love of the natural world and it’s a value that has stayed with me to this day.

Girl Scouts gives you “prizes” and a sense of accomplishment.  Earning badges was one of my favorite parts of being a Girl Scout. Every meeting, our troop leader would organize a fun activity which would get us closer to our target. I have a competitive spirit and I relished the opportunity to have a good time and achieve something purposeful. I had so many badges, I had to get vest instead of a sash. My poor mom couldn’t keep up with sewing them on! I still crave accomplishments and rarely rest on my laurels for long.

Girl Scouts teaches you how to be an entrepreneur.  Call it Cookie Capitalism.  I learned “cold call” selling to strangers outside the grocery store and how to soft sell to my dad’s golfing buddies between the third green and the fourth tee. Back then, the only way to refuse me was to claim you had no cash. Of course, with today’s mobile payment options, and ATMs on every corner, you probably can’t get away with that excuse anymore. Selling cookies is a cornerstone of Girl Scout fundraising that instills an entrepreneurial spirit in young people—another Girl Scout trait I still carry today. I have supported myself as a freelancer and I am currently helping my husband Charles to build his coffee business on the side.  I have many an office colleague hooked on custom roasted coffee.

Girl Scouts empowers you to be the best you can be and to help others in turn. Service to others is a key part of the Girl Scouts experience.  You learn to be your better self by helping others and giving back to your community.  You also learn you are unstoppable and that really all you need in life are your friends, a pocket knife, flashlight and a box of cookies

For over a 100 years Girl Scouts has been developing girls and helping them grow into women.  Not too many organizations in this world have lasted as long.  I am so happy that I am getting to attend the 2011 National Girl Scout Council in Houston, Texas this week.  It is a chance to reconnect with fellow alumni, engage in Girl Scout leadership activities, and check out the captivating speakers.  I’m looking forward to being a part of this unforgettable event.  I will also be live tweeting from the event, follow the festivities on Twitter @stacydyer or the hash tag #GirlScouts100

 

Why Google+ will kill Facebook

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I know what you’re thinking. “Ridiculous! I checked that out a few weeks back, but since none of my friends are on Google+, I went back to Facebook. Wasn’t that just some sort of craze?”

It’s true. Usage dropped off significantly after the first initial rush. And Facebook has matched most of the functionality that made Google+ unique in the first place, but there is a reason why Google will eventually win this battle. They have a key integration that Facebook can’t touch – Picasa.

I love Google’s Picasa. Here’s why: I can edit, tag, annotate, and organize my photos offline. You can’t do that on Facebook or on Flickr.

With the stand-alone Picasa application that installs on my computer, I do not have to be connected to the internet to create an album. This is crucial when I’m, for example, on vacation and don’t have a regular internet connection. No one wants to spend their scarce holiday hours locked away in a coffee shop, fighting with Facebook’s photo uploader, wasting precious daylight tagging and commenting. With Picasa, I can do it all “back at camp” in the evenings and then upload the whole album, tags, comments and all, when I get to a wifi hotspot.

Because of this offline capability, I use Picasa all the time, even when I’m not on holiday. There is no (and never will be) an easy way to share my Picasa albums on Facebook, so I would love to have all my friends leave the book of faces behind and come over to the Goog-side. I want them to have their account so they comment, +/like, and share my photos, just as they would if I had uploaded all my images to Facebook. That way, I get all the benefits of the social sharing, but I can keep using the offline, stand-alone Picasa app to manage my photos.

I’m not saying that Picasa is the best photo manager out there – far from it. But its integration with Google+ will be the killer feature that encourages more users to share their photos on Google+ rather than on Facebook. Status updates with photos are 120% more likely to get interaction than text only posts.

The more photos I post, the more content there will be, the more of my friends will come over to browse.

Wake up Facebook and smell the photo management app! It will be the key to future social site adoption!