WASHINGTON ? A National Geographic executive at the Nonprofit Mobile Day said that mobile applications give publishers and nonprofits a way to connect with new, modern users.

During the ?National Geographic Society: building a best-in-class mobile application program? session at Nonprofit Mobile Day, an executive presented the different ways that the company has used multiple mobile channels to showcase its content.  The session also hinted at what is on the mobile horizon for the company.

?The goal with our mobile initiatives is to inspire people to exercise the full potential of what they can do on their mobile devices,? said Katie Juhl, manager of mobile at National Geographic Society, Washington.

?We always try to take advantage of  the device by using features such as the phone?s camera to make an experience rich,? she said.

App model?
National Geographic has developed its mobile strategy with a large emphasis on apps, particularly for iOS platforms.

The organization has apps for magazine and news, entertainment, books, reference and navigation, games, travel and photography categories.

In particular, National Geographic is focusing on one-time and paid apps. Additionally, National Geographic is beginning to actively pursue the freemium model to entice users with a free app that asks them to pay for additional content.

The goal of the company?s app strategy is to be No. 1 in App Store categories, per the executive. In order to help promote apps, developers need to create engaging apps that Apple will want to feature.

National Geographic recently launched an app on Nokia devices that shows users how to take photographs with tips and tricks, which builds on the brand?s reputation for high-quality photography. The organization is also planning to roll out NFC into the app in the future to encourage users to unlock content by tapping their phones together.

Going forward, National Geographic is looking at ways to push into augmented reality and location-based services.

For example, the organization recently enabled a movie poster with image recognition to bring the poster to life with 3D technology. The poster also included a QR code and step-by-step instructions to show consumers how it works.

National Geographic is also looking at how to incorporate augmented reality into city guides to combine its editorial content with a rich user experience.

Mobile animal?
Ms. Juhl explained National Geographic?s mobile efforts into a five budget strategy. This includes digital products and services, subscriptions and transactions, advertising and marketing, partnerships and emerging technologies.

National Geographic has worked with carriers to include both short and long-form video into third-party services to preload content.

One of the other key components of National Geographic?s digital strategy is finding ways to develop digital subscriptions of the magazine. 

According to Ms. Juhl, National Geographic?s print readership tends to be older, making the focus of its digital efforts to target users aged 13 to 30.

National Geographic uses mobile transactions to drive sales of ringtones and wallpapers. Ms. Juhl also said that the organization is working towards in-app and mobile Web purchases.

Additionally, National Geographic is looking to revamp its mobile Web site in the near future.

Ms. Juhl also spoke about the role that mobile bar codes play for the company.

To help educate consumers, all of the mobile bar codes include an SMS option with details that explain how it works.

?The goal of our mobile efforts is to leverage content to get people talking and experience the world around them,? Ms. Juhl said.