Creating And Generating Effective Conversations In Social Media: How To Drive Engagement Through...

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This presentation\'s focus was on identifying best practices for the design and development of applications for different platforms, explaining how to generate opportunities for public awareness in each, while exploring the relationship with social media to help generate ideas for participants.

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Alex Nelson | ConsultantAon Consulting | New Media & Creative Strategy

A.L.I. – Social Media for GovernmentSeptember 23, 2010

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About NMCS

Alex Nelson 1.917.715.6344 | Alexander.Nelson@aon.com

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Agenda

PART 1 Applications, Social Media, & the State of the Market

PART 2 Examining Applications

PART 3 Mad Apps

Applications, Social Media, & the State of the Market

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What is an App(lication)?

ApplicationA program or group of programs designed for end users. The term “app” has become popular parlance for software applications designed to run on mobile phone operating systems yet an industry-wide definition of what is and is not an “app” does not exist.

Different meanings in different environments– Web– Mobile– Social network– Desktop

Different programming technologies– XML– CSS/HTML5– Flash– Ruby– JavaScript– Java– C++

-Productivity -News/Weather

-Social Networking -Gaming

-Shopping/Retail -Sports

-Music -Entertainment/Food

-Lifestyle/Travel -Banking Finance

What Apps Can Do….

…and the list goes on

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The Application Effect – Customization, Personalization, & Location

Apps allow for more personal customization and content filtering

– The explosion of application-delivery devices is creating a more catered Web experience

Data democratization is widespread

– The rise of open-source APIs have let developers create a range of applications across platforms

• Facebook’s Social Graph

• Twitter clients

• FCC

Online/offline connections are on the rise with geolocation

– Foursquare

They won’t replace the Internet

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Applications By the Numbers

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Connecting Applications & Social Media

Applications connect to social media in multiple ways:

– Platforms

– Clients

– Add-ons

– Time on site

– Integrated model

Facebook has over 100 million mobile users

Twitter clients make up over 80% of the social network’s traffic

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How an Application Can Generate Social Engagement

Start a conversation

Serve as a message platform

Facilitate a conversation and enable users to reach a social media platform

– Online video sharing

– Social network

– Instant message

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Facebook Applications: Not Just Farmville

Games are the most popular applications on Facebook

– Farmville has over 80 million annual monthly users

Facebook’s audience makes it imperative that organizations attempt to conduct direct outreach

– Are games the best communications delivery mechanism for you?

Facebook applications go beyond games

– YouTube

– Blogs/RSS feeds

– FBML

– Maps

Some of the most successful Facebook Pages use just a few applications in a compelling manner

– Custom landing page

– Sign-up for more information form

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Basic Applications to Make Your Page Work

FBML

Blog RSS Feeder

Flash Player

Twitter App

Posted Items Pro

YouTube Video Box

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Mobile Applications – Going Beyond the iPhone

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Mobile Application Best Practices

Develop across platforms

– Consider your choice of technology

If the application is not social in nature, make it social

– The importance of the social graph

Make the application relevant, simple and intuitive

Ensure your app is more than a portal to your website

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Location-Based Service Applications: The Social Offline/Online Connection

Location-based services allow users to broadcast where they are to their social network or the general public using the service

The major LBS players

– Gowalla

– Foursquare

– MyTown

– Facebook Places

LBS applications are unique in that the application is essentially the only way to access the service

– Marriage of offline/online interaction through an application

– Real-time broadcasting of your location to your social network

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How to Use LBS Within Your Organization

LBS is currently dominated by retailers and corporations promoting deals to users who check in at or by their location

– Starbucks

LBS has practical internal & external uses for organizations

– Tips

– Scavenger hunts

– Timesheets

– Finding services

Location-based services are still relatively new in the marketplace

– Niche customer base

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How Applications Reach Employees

HR is the new marketing

– Treating employees as customers

The demographics for app use match up with almost any company or organization

– If your employees are not regularly using apps, they will be

The new focus on communications enables organizations to approach applications as an innovative way to connect

– Communications preferences surveys

– Acting on those results

Using the intranet as a social meeting place

– Collaboration through social applications

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Content is Still King

Applications are a new delivery system that enhance and amplify messaging

Applications cannot replace communications as a whole just as social media cannot replace marketing

The application is only as compelling as the content

Avoid the bright, shiny widget conundrum

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Successful Application Principles

Compelling design Original functionality Work within the platform Communicate a message Speed, speed, speed Less is more Personalize the experience Discoverability Usability Free is best

BONUS: Popularity matters

Examining Applications

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Whopper Sacrifice

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Spot the Difference

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Hootsuite

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Foursquare

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Wayfinder

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Pop Food

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Food Find

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Ebay – Internal Communications App

Mad Apps

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Thinking About an App for Your Organization

Questions to Ask Does your organization need an application? Who are your internal & external audiences? What platform(s) should you be using? What communications challenge(s) are you trying to address? What have you tried in the past both offline and online? What has worked,

what has not? Are there existing applications out there you can use?

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An Example – Aon Connections

How do you connect a group of widely dispersed employees who are frequently on the road and rarely see co-workers in person?

Aon Connections

– Connect through showing data visualizations

Reasons it works

– All employees have Blackberries or iPhones with access to Foursquare

– Heavy online usage

– Experimentation through implementation waves

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Your App???

Application Name:

Platform:

Purpose:

Functionality:

Share Your App & Questions

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