How to Build Audience and Engagement in Government

1. Government Online Community
Building: How to Increase Followers
& Engagement
Lessons from
The GovLoop
Playbook

2. EPA ROCKS!
GREAT MISSION GREAT PEOPLE

3. Public Service is Awesome

4. • Do-Gooder:Do-Gooder: 3rd Gen Public Servant, DHS Fellow, Multiple Gov Agencies
• Innovator:Innovator: Co-Founder, Young Government Leaders
• Award Winner:Award Winner: 2006 Rising Star Award, 2007 Fed 100 Winner
• Speaker:Speaker: 25+ Conferences, Brookings, Harvard Kennedy School
• Author:Author: Wikinomics, Federal Times, Public Manager
• Athlete:Athlete: Used to be good at golf – 3rd
in State
• Scholar:Scholar: Recovering Sociologist - Miami (OH) and UPenn
• Gentleman:Gentleman: Likes Cats and Babies
Founder

5. Problem:Problem:
Why
?
Millions of government employees
working on similar issues but no safe place
to connect and share best practices.
Solution:Solution:
Online community.
Hub to connect disparate conversations/events.
New technology leveraged to collaborate.

6. 3 Things You’ll Learn Today
1 - Lessons from growing GovLoop.com from
0 to 35,000+ government leaders
2 - Lessons from a year of talking to non-profits,
for-profits, government agencies
3 - 10 Step Approach to Building Audience and
Community with Real Live EPA example

7. 2 Questions I Think About
• How to Grow GovLoop
– Increase Engagement (Make It More Useful
-Measured in PVs, Open Rates, Feedback)
– Reach More People (Measure in # of Members,
Active Members, Growth Rate of Members)

8. My Last Year of Research
How Others Increased Audience & Engagement
• 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,
Neighbors4Neighbors)
• Studied political sector (EccoDigital, BlueState, Direct Media Strategies)

9. What I’ve Learned
• 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. The GOALS ARE SIMPLE
• What are the Goals of Private/Non-
Profit/Political Web and Social Media
Presence?
• Reach large number of relevant stakeholders
• Build relationships with them
• Provide clear, timely, actionable information
• Take ACTION with your information (Usually involves $)
HOOK  ENGAGE ASK

11. Examples
• Big Cat Rescue – Animal Rescue in Tampa, FL
– Get lots of people aware of them
– Get them to Subscribe to Content
– Provide compelling content
– Ask to Give $ or Visit Park
– 23k fans, 100+ Likes per post

12. 10 Consistent Themes
• 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

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

14. BUT It Matters A LOT
• Government 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

15. What EPA Web Goals?
• What are the Goals of EPA Web and Social
Media Presence?
REACH MORE CITIZENS AND ENGAGE DEEPER
• Reach large number of stakeholders (citizens, state/local
government, experts, NGO/non-profits, etc)
• Build relationships with them
• Provide clear, timely, actionable information
• Stakeholders take action with your information

16. RULE 1
IdentifyIdentify
What is the problem you want to solve ?

17. EPA
ExampleIdentifyIdentify
EPA lacks engaged audience on a rapidly
growing topic – Renewable Energy
•EPA wants to be thought leader in space
•Lack of great compelling content
•Want to increase engagement w/ stakeholders
•Administration priority
Build renewable energy online community

18. RULE 2
LogisticsLogistics
What is the time frame? 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?

19. EPA
Example
LogisticsLogistics
3 months to launch
On-going project
$50,000
Staff – existing Web staff,
1 Program lead, 1 program assistant
Use existing technology plus new
collaboration software

20. RULE 3
Defining SuccessDefining Success
What is success?
Size of audience?
Quality of engagement?
Press/accolades?

21. EPA
Example
Defining SuccessDefining Success
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

22. RULE 4
EnlistmentEnlistment
Who are our stakeholders?
Where is the target audience currently?
What else exists?
What have we done in past?
What other F/S/L doing?

23. EPA
ExampleEnlistmentEnlistment

24. RULE 5
Experts and PartnersExperts 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?
Develop outreach materials

25. EPA
ExampleExperts and PartnersExperts and Partners

26. RULE 6
Community StrategyCommunity Strategy
Community Managers
Community Leaders
Reward Structures
Leaderboards
What are the Rules?
What’s In It for You?
On-boarding process

27. EPA
ExampleCommunity StrategyCommunity Strategy
5 Internal Community Moderators
Create EPA Community
Guidelines
Launch leaderboards

28. RULE 7
Content StrategyContent 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?

29. EPA
Example
Content StrategyContent Strategy

30. RULE 8
LaunchLaunch
Invite early adopters
Get buy-in
Host a Party
Marketing/outreach on launch
Provide swag

31. EPA
Example
LaunchLaunch
Pictures on invites
Party
Conference
Swag

32. RULE 9
Start DoingStart Doing
Follow Strategy
Do Outreach
Produce regular content
Engage with community
THIS IS THE HARD PART

33. RULE 9
Start DoingStart Doing

34. RULE 10
MeasureMeasure
What is working?
What type of content popular?
What type of frequency popular?
What are our key problems?

35. EPA
ExampleMeasureMeasure
Weekly/Monthly Reports
Web Analytics
Community Analytics

36. Continuous ImprovementContinuous Improvement
Fresh Content
Fresh Volunteers
New Technology
Fresh Staff
Consistency is Hard

37. 1.1. Ask ?s / Read Case StudiesAsk ?s / Read Case Studies
2.2. Places/Help on G2GPlaces/Help on G2G
CollaborationCollaboration
3.3. Share/Replicate Best PracticesShare/Replicate Best Practices
4.4. Honor/Highlight Public ServiceHonor/Highlight Public Service
Here to Help

38. Topics?
1.1. Climate ChangeClimate Change
2.2. RadiationRadiation
3.3. Environmental IssuesEnvironmental Issues
4.4. PesticidesPesticides
5.5. GrantsGrants
6. Solar energy6. Solar energy
7. Research7. Research
8. Transportation8. Transportation
9. Procurement9. Procurement
10. ??? Tell Us?10. ??? Tell Us?

39. Steve ResslerSteve Ressler
Founder and President
Founder@GovLoop.com
@GovLoop
Questions