Presentation Transcript

1. Your Alumni are Moving onto the Mobile Web. Are You?

   Mobile Applications and Alumni Engagement Chad Davis, Lehigh University Steve Rittler, CounterMarch Systems
2. Our Promise In this session we will boldly go where email, Facebook, Twitter, the alumni website and an online community simply can't: directly into the pockets of alumni Star wars style
3. Hello! A brief introduction Chad Roy Halladay Steve
4. Hello! PURPOSE A well designed mobile app gives instant gratification HOW TO Tools, talent and techniques DONE A case study of an integrated campaign This is what we're here for
5. Why mobile? More convenient People feel smarter when they have the answers More engaging (briefly) Immediacy drives interaction More intimate It's right there in your pocket all the time We just got good at facebook!
6. Why mobile? Mobile devices sales rate exceeds computers > 1 billion mobile broadband subscribers in 2011 http://tinyurl.com/4mol3tp Timeliness > Quantity Situational applications have massive utility value Engagement of students and young alumni Like going from movies to television
7. The machines are taking over Outpacing laptop/desktop sales
8. What is a mobile device? Smartphones iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm Pre with screen sizes from 3.5"-4.2" Tablets iPad (9"), Samsung Galaxy (7"), and the hundreds of others (various) on the way We're Glad you asked
9. Lesser devices "Dumbphones" Extremely limited capability
10. What is used and why Popular Mobile apps These five factors determine the success of every mobile app
11. The Home Screen Installing/bookmarking an app is a personal choice made based on relevance and utility You want to (you NEED to!) be one of those home screen apps an alum uses Prime real estate
12. Key Question How do we drive actions that lead to substantive engagement? Think about the context in which the app is used Provide only what is necessary and useful Act quickly and openly on collected feedback Repeat from last slide…
13. Hypothetical Priorities We're not mindreaders
14. Hypothetical Priorities The space between Finding common ground Understand key needs (some are probably echoes of past requests) Address items that align with your long term plans How easy can you make it to collect an address update? In-app surveys and frequent feedback on enhancements
15. Word of caution Do not try to push every bit of content from your website out into your mobile application! The context in which someone uses a mobile app is very different from a standard website 10 pounds of sugar in a 5 pound bag
16. What is 'mobile'? Text messaging (SMS) Mobile web applications Websites designed for mobile device capabilities and constraints Native mobile applications One for Android, one for iOS, one for Win7…etc. Thinly slicing the terms
17. SMS Ye olde "text message" Short message service
18. SMS Several great services available to help Twilio (also voice!), Tropo, Clickatell Bi-directional communications! Extremely "event-driven" Request and response, end of conversation. Short message service
19. SMS Opportunities Reunion event reminders Event registration Event help desk (on-site FAQ) Low-bandwidth Twitter for events Mobile giving For all devices
20. Mobile Web Apps 100% Browser-based Mobile web apps (think HTML5) have become the de-facto standard
21. Native Mobile Apps A support problem Native apps are installed on the device and live there until removed
22. "Near-Native" Mobile Apps Web to native translation Builds like web, installs like native
23. "Near-native" Mobile Apps ALMOST THERE Tools are maturing fast Titanium Appcelerator (most mature) PhoneGap (most extensible) Adobe (most accessible for developers) Flash Packager for iOS Adobe AIR for Mobile http://tinyurl.com/mcompare Use of familiar languages lowers the bar for app development
24. Good News! The process for implementing a mobile app is the same as other media! Assess target audiences Segment appropriately Design appealing content for each Select implementation on usual factors Execute support and feedback workflow It's not all that different
25. Vendor Questions What type of app do you provide for each platform? What metrics will we have access to in order to evaluate success? Integration: to what extent and how much is included? How well does their product relate to your users? Other than cost
26. Let's talk actual apps Demo time
27. Situational Applications Reunion/Homecoming Event information Campus maps Emergency contacts Networking This has nothing to do with jersey shore
28. Reunion Princeton and Cornell Homegrown app Andrew Gossen @agossen Homegrown EXAMPLES
29. Situational Applications Self-guided campus tour using GPS This has nothing to do with jersey shore
30. Geolocation Your personal GPS coordinates Built in to newer devices and some standard browsers Opportunities What would you do if you knew your proximity to places, things and other people? You're never lost. Ever.
31. Sample: Cornell Compass App tells you how far you are from the center of Cornell's campus You can "check in" from that location An early experiment
32. Social Media + Events Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter are all "mobile enabled" Foursquare's primary reason for being is mobile The gang's all here…or are they?
33. Sample: Cornell's "Zinck's Night" Integrated Twitter, Foursquare and Google Maps A real-time look at global event participation Give my regards to davY
34. Sample: Cornell's "Zinck's Night"
35. Case Study Lehigh/Lafayette Challenge Concept Weeklong Challenge Mobile Giving Results Followup Don't let "that other school" win
36. Results Both schools won
37. Samples Desktop www.zincksnight.com www.llchallenge.com Mobile www.cornellcompass.com www.llchallenge.com www.case.org/app Go ahead and click away Protip: Bookmark and "add to home screen" to see how these apps look like native applications!
38. Final Thoughts Work. Play. Ego. Companionship. Fun. Segment appropriately Build for relevant, actionable content Food for thought
39. Thanks! chad.davis@lehigh.edu srittler@countermarch.com