National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Creating Social Media Worth Following at NASA
John Yembrick and Jason Townsend, Office of Communications

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Start by sharing content where your audience is…
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Start sooner, experiment, build your audience
In 2008, @MarsPhoenix was the 5th most popular Twitter account with ~75,000 followers
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Try new things to see if they work
In 2009, @Astro_Mike sent the first tweet from space on the Hubble Telescope servicing mission
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Integrate social into your website
In 2009 and ongoing to present, NASA.gov has added new sharing buttons, tweet boxes, account
listings, etc. to make it easy for followers to find and share your social media content.
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Integrate social into Mobile Apps
In 2009 and ongoing to present, the NASA app has featured social media content from
YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and more – making it easier for followers to find your new
content.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Use Milestones to Add Value
Launched in 2010 with
a check in from the
International Space
Stations, NASA on
Foursquare is now
followed by 450,000+
We provide check in tips at locations around the world to show
the NASA connection to places in your own backyard.
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Seek Out New Platforms to Find New Audiences
Joined Google+ in Nov.
2011 as the 1st federal
government agency
Currently we’re circled by
325,000+ users
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Use the Platforms to Share Your Story
In 2012, NASA checked
the Mars Curiosity rover
into Gale Crater on
Mars to kick off the 23-
month mission of the
exploration of Mars.
The rover check ins
share new locations it is
exploring with
Foursquare
users, embedding them
along for the ride.
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
So what happened?
@NASA on Twitter
• 2009 - ~1,000 followers
• Today - ~3.4 million followers
• 43 astronauts on Twitter
• @Astro_Mike has 1.2 million
followers
NASA Page on Facebook
• 2009 - ~150,000 likes
• Today - ~1.6 million likes
NASA Page on Google+
• 2009 – Didn’t exist!
• Today – We’re in ~325,000 circles
• Astro. Ron Garan is in 2+ mil. circles
NASA on Foursquare
• 2009 – Didn’t exist!
• Today - ~450,000 followers
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
How did this happen?
• Provide GREAT content that will get people talking.
• Social media is a conversation – spend as much time
listening as you do speaking.
• If you start a conversation, participate in it;
don’t start it and walk away.
• Ask for and enable feedback – provide calls to action;
respond to mentions on Twitter; leave comments on
blogs, Facebook, etc.
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
How do we generate content?
Harness the power of the flagship Create a ecosystem of niche, single-
agency accounts purpose accounts
• Carefully curate this and reach the largest • Curated by embedded account managers
number of social media followers specializing on a particular mission, topic, or
• Provide a well-rounded view of everything program
NASA has going on • Develop followings of users interested in a
• Shine light onto things that are unlikely to particular slice of the NASA pie
make news otherwise • Allow for experimentation and trying out new
ideas
We do big things from the top-down AND from the bottom-up.
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
We Keep it Simple: Use Existing Ways to Engage
• Webchats
• Ustream chats
• Tweetchats
• Google+ hangouts
• Comment forums
• Web Streams
• News Conferences
• Ask a scientist events
• Public Events/Outreach activities
• Tours and open houses
• Online contests and submissions
• Expert interviews on other media
and social media sites
• #Hashtags
• Etc…
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
We Take it Offline: NASA Socials
• NASA has had great
success with inviting our
social media fans to in-
person, behind-the-
scenes opportunities at
NASA centers and
facilities
• Events range from two
#NASASocial
hours to two days in
length
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http://www.nasa.gov/social

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
We Make Events Special and Memorable
Provide unique or exclusive:
Information
Speakers
Access
Setting
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http://www.nasa.gov/social

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
We Create Brand Ambassadors
 Participants come from local  Converts casual space
communities and go home enthusiasts into
sharing NASA content within collaborators who want to
their circles of influence share what NASA is doing
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http://www.nasa.gov/social

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
But Why? How does this help?
• Spreads the word as widely as possible by going directly
to members of the public to tell your own story
• As news organizations cut staff and trim coverage, we get
more news coverage…
…in more places, especially smaller, local outlets
• The diversity of participants helps connect us to non-
traditional audiences to further share our message
• We get impactful in-person AND virtual participation
leading to significant levels of worldwide…
ENGAGEMENT
http://www.nasa.gov/social

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
But Why? It Moves Followers From…
ADVOCATES, AMBASSADORS, CREATORS,
Fans, Followers, Consumers
COLLABORATORS
http://www.nasa.gov/social

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
“You may not have a spaceship, but your
company has a fan base. They won't think of
themselves as fans until they're in a room with
like-minded people. They won't think of
themselves as members of a community until
YOU bring them together.”
- David Rosen, @davidhrosen
(group VP, Makovsky + Company)
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

Follow the social media team at @NASASocial for the
latest opportunities to connect and collaborate with NASA
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http://www.nasa.gov/connect