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Check out this 2024 research comparing Agents to other educational approaches

2024 Research

How to Promote Your Mission

Get started Making and Promoting your Missions!

Make sure your on-site staff is in the know

Staff at Columbia State Historic Park

LA State Historic Park Knowledgeable Staff

Knowledgeable Staff at Events

Mission 49 Field Agent and Staff!

It is very important that on-site staff are knowledgeable about your Mission. Staff should be able to:

  • Explain how to download the app from the App or Play store.
  • Show users how to find and download the Mission.
  • Direct users to the location where they can start their Mission
  • Be able to explain to players where/how to collect their reward upon completing the Mission.
    How do I increase awareness of my Missions?
    We have curated a checklist of everything you need to attract attention to your Missions!

    Display engaging On-Site Marketing materials

    Field Agent Cutouts
    • Players love to take photos with life-sized Field Agents.
    • Field Agents cutouts double as eye-catching signage.
    • Agents of Discovery can create custom promotional materials. Check the Pricing page for details

    Lake Perris, CA

    Pueblo Grande Museum, AZ

    Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, CA

    Los Angeles Historic Park, CA

    Hiawatha National Forest, MI

    On-site Signage
    • The AoD team can design custom signage for you upon request
    • Consider sizing and placement of signage. Signs should be placed in high-traffic areas and encourage visitors to Play your Mission!

    Castle Rock Parks, CO

    Redland City Council and Indigiscapes, Australia

    Sunshine Coast City Council, Australia

    Town of Gilbert, AZ

    Fivepoint’s Confluence Park, CA

    Pacific Science Center, WA

    Field Agent Cutouts
    • Players love to take photos with life-sized Field Agents.
    • Field Agents cutouts double as eye-catching signage.
    • Agents of Discovery can create custom promotional materials. Check the Pricing page for details
    On-site Signage
    • The AoD team can design custom signage for you upon request
    • Consider sizing and placement of signage. Signs should be placed in high-traffic areas and encourage visitors to Play your Mission!

    Lake Perris, CA

    Pueblo Grande Museum, AZ

    Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, CA

    Hiawatha National Forest, MI

    Redland City Council and Indigiscapes, Australia

    Town of Gilbert, AZ

    Fivepoint’s Confluence Park, CA

    Pacific Science Center, WA

    Promote your Mission online

    Website

    Have a web page or section of your website dedicated to promoting your Mission that motivates them to play! Be sure to place it in a spot where visitors will view it prior to visiting your site so they know in advance to download it.

    Things to include in your post:

    • Your Field Agent
    • Location of your Mission
    • Information about how to download the app and your Mission.

    The above images are examples of good websites.

    Social Media

    Social media is one of the easiest ways to promote your Mission, and is a great way to reach your players! Make sure you have a hashtag ready for players to use, and remember to use #AgentsofDiscovery. Tag us on Facebook @AgentsofDiscovery, on Instagram @agentsofdiscovery, or on Twitter @AoDiscovery.
    How Agents of Discovery can help you promote your mission:
    Video Content
    TikTok

    Show off your Missions with a fun TikTok like the one below.

    YouTube Videos

    Seize the opportunity to promote your missions and showcase your initiatives more visually to your audience! Create a YouTube video to engage your viewers in a whole new way.

    Here are some examples showcasing Missions around the world such as Sunshine Coast City Council’s promotional Mission video shown here. See Geauga Parks District’s tutorial video promoting how to play their Missions.

    Check out more of our favorite videos about Agents of Discovery:

    MacArthur Park, CA

    Harris County, TX

    Geauga Parks, OH

    Instagram Reels

     

    Facebook Live Events

    By sharing about your Missions through Facebook Live, you can provide an instant, real-time source of content for viewers that highlights and promotes your Mission.

    Facebook Live is a free, fun, and interactive way to engage with your audiences, and to immediately provide answers to any questions that they may have.

    For an example, click here to see a recording of the Mission Conservation Facebook live-stream.

    WiFi Landing Page

    If you offer free visitor WiFi at your site, you can promote your
    Mission on your WiFi landing page, thereby creating visibility for every visitor who logs onto your WiFi.

    • This has been a very successful approach in Los Angeles. Check out the landing page for Oh Ranger WiFi at Griffith Park.

    Provide Fun Rewards/Prizes for your Mission

    Nature Conservancy Florida Bag Reward

    Geauga Parks Plant & Animal Guide Reward

    Crystal Lake Park District Drawstring Bag Reward

    Geauga Parks Armband Reward

    Geauga Parks Punch Card for an Outdoor Blanket Reward

    Rewards for Mission Conservation’s NWTF Convention Mission

    Agent Pins

    Having digital and real-world incentives for players to complete your Mission is a very important best practice.

    Incentives can be something small like:

    • Lanyards
    • Snack coupons
    • Discounted admission coupons
    • Buttons, badges, stickers, tattoos, small prizes, AR filters, etc.

    Click here to see more examples!

    Your Mission’s Reward message should indicate where/how players can collect their reward.

    Augmented Reality Filters

    AR Filters can help you create a personalized immersive brand experience that makes players happy and leaves a lasting brand memory.AR is a great way to tap into the curiosity of young minds and to effectively engage with your audience on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.

    It just takes 5 easy steps to build your own AR Filter:

    • Create your artwork using Spark AR
    • Import your creation
    • Build on the experience using Photoshop
    • Test your effect
    • Publish and promote

    Click here to see a quick tutorial!

    You can also promote the AR filter by adding the snapcode right into your Mission as a reward. Check out these AR filter examples created for the Wonders of Wildlife Conservation:
    Endangered Species Snapchat Reward
    Ocean Appreciation Snapchat Reward
    Bat Awareness Snapchat Reward
    Totally Turtles Snapchat Reward
    Public Lands Day Snapchat Reward
    World Wildlife Conservation Snapchat Reward

    Link Missions to your Existing Programs and Events

    Whittier Narrows’ “Agents of Discovery Squad” Events

    The City of LA created a Mission for their Lotus Festival

    The City of Desert Hot Springs created a Mission for their 60th anniversary and Trail Cleanup Day

    Mission Conservation created a Mission for the 2023 NWTF Convention

    • You’ll see a big increase in players by using existing programs and events to create Missions
    • Create Missions for local events and celebrations (Independence Day, Earth Day, Halloween, long weekend events, new exhibits/attractions, etc.)
    • Special event Missions are a great way to get the word out about your Mission.
    • The Challenge Library has thousands of ready-made Seasonal Challenges that you can easily pick, place, and publish right to your Mission!
    Summer Camps and Field Trips

    City of LA Summer Camp event

    “Agents of Discovery Squad” playing a Mission at Whittier Narrows Nature Center

    Kids playing a Mission at Lynwood summer camp

    • Use your Missions as fun educational activities during field trips and summer camps!
    • The stats page enables you to quickly and easily assess learning outcomes

    Additional ways you can promote your Mission

    Link Missions to Junior Ranger Programs

    Linking your Missions to your Junior Ranger Programs is a great way to get players to interact with your Mission in a new way. California State Parks made a fun printable activity guide for visitors to fill out while they play the Mission. It has fun games like a word search, trivia, and more to help players reflect on what they learned in the Mission. As a bonus, they can take the booklet home with them to help them remember the information. Check out the full activity guide here.

    Promote Your Mission in Multiple Languages

    It’s a great idea to create Missions in multiple languages, but don’t forget to promote those Missions in each language as well.

    Geofilters

    Geo-filters are a way for you to promote your Missions in particular geographic area so that it is easier for you to target a certain demographic, neighborhood, or city.

    Geo-filters are available on Snapchat and are free of charge to non-profit organizations.

    Create your own Geo-filter in just 4 easy steps:

    • Design your filter
    • Upload your filter
    • Set the date and time
    • Choose the location

    Create Your Own Giphy Stickers

    Making your own stickers is a fun way to add personality to your brand image and allow your viewers to promote your Mission in their own personal Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat stories.

    Create your own today in just 4 simple steps:

    • Create a GIF with a transparent background
    • Upload it to Giphy
    • Verify your Giphy account
    • You can now find your sticker in the story finder!

    You can also find the Agents of Discovery stickers on Instagram and Facebook.

    Click here for a quick tutorial.

    Check out this example of how Sunshine Coast Council made their Mission stickers.

     

    Track Your User Engagement

    See general Mission statistics

    Track your number of users

    Track which Challenges are performing best

    Track player interactions with your Mission

    Track how effective your promotion is using your Dashboard on the Mission Maker. This invaluable tool can transform the way that you promote your Mission and can help you target your audience more efficiently.

    Track your engagement in just 4 easy steps:

    • Log in to the Mission Maker
    • Go to ‘My Missions’
    • Search for the name of your Mission
    • Click ‘View Statistics’

    Learn more about about the link between social media promotion and user engagement on Federal Lands:

    Alaska Region User Engagement
    Patuxent Research Refuge User Engagement

    Does your organization have a secure firewall? Check out our Whitelisting Requirements