We did not start out as Internet strategists. We were political operatives who quickly noticed the change happening in modern communication. Television, direct mail and earned media began yielding importance to direct communication through the Internet. Now the three big departments within political campaigns – political, communications and finance – are being supported, and even driven, by online brand activism.
FOR CAMPAIGN MANAGERS BY CAMPAIGN MANAGERS
Because we were campaign consultants first, we understand the ins and outs of campaigns. Our strategies are by campaign managers, for campaign managers:
- Website development
- Application development
- Online fundraising
- Email marketing
- Reporting
- Going mobile
- Online advertising
- Brand management and online consulting
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
We think of websites as airports. Planes arrive and depart. It is a hub for activity, but is not the only place activity happens. Activity happens at other airports where planes also arrive and depart. The key is connecting those hubs and activity into a seamless network for travelers.
For years, websites were the central hub for nearly all Internet activity, but with the new dominance of social networks, websites have taken a backseat. Still, it is the home base, the central hub where all your activity must be coordinated and connected. We take a different approach to website design and development than most firms because we come from a campaign background. We know that voters and even your most hardcore supporters get distracted. The key to online success is not to build shiny new objects that seem “cool.” You need simplicity — cutting out the clutter and needless tools and focusing activity where it really matters. We use beautiful designs to grab a voter’s attention. We focus on “one-clickifying” every activity because we know that the more times a voter clicks, the less likely you are to get the desired action.
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
Studies show that the majority of time spent online now is dedicated to social networking. From 2009 to 2010, the percent of online activity on social networks jumped 7% to nearly a quarter of all time spent online.
When broken down even further, it is no surprise to find that an exorbitant amount of time is being spent on Facebook and now 60% of Americans on Facebook say they check the network once a day. Do you believe 60% of your supporters check your website daily? Of course not! For the same reason local legislators walk in parades, we believe your online activity should concentrate on social networks – because that is where the people are located.
But there is a problem. Social networks were not developed for you. They were developed for normal users. Luckily we can build applications on top of Facebook and Twitter to acquire email addresses, recruit and activate volunteers, reward sharing and raise money.
ONLINE FUNDRAISING
We know that money is the mother’s milk of politics. We know how it feels to yell at your finance director for that last $1,000 to pay for the GOTV mail piece… because we’ve done it. Our team makes online fundraising its top priority and we have one of the biggest online success stories to tell. We are the team who coordinated Congressman Joe Wilson’s record setting fundraising haul following the infamous “You Lie” incident, raising $2 Million in just 10 days.
Online fundraising takes time. New candidates, and even some old ones, have to spend weeks and maybe months developing relationships with supporters. While yelling at the President of the United States works, we do not suggest it. We build relationships, target those most likely to donate and express need through a combination of social networking, emails, advertising and website tools. We know how to launch successful short term fundraising drives such as the now popular “money bomb.”
EMAIL MARKETING
With the rise of social networks, many strategists say that email marketing is on the decline. This is not true. Email acquisition is the golden nugget of online activism and fundraising. In the beginning of a campaign, it must be the top priority. While surfing the web or networking on Facebook, users are distracted. Their email inboxes is one of the few places where you can get their immediate and nearly focused attention. Using splash pages and integrated website forms, we focus on gaining email addresses for targeted email campaigns.
REPORTING
The most often made mistake online is a lack of statistical reporting. Growth depends on adjustments. We need to know what messages work, what email topics increase open rates and what is causing people to visit your site but not sign up for the newsletter. We constantly monitor all activity and recommend ways of improving strategy and tactics.
GOING MOBILE
Perhaps nothing has changed more in recent years than the mobile trend. Now nearly everyone is carrying a little computer in his or her pockets. That means people are always online and you have a chance to reach them. Your website must be set up for people who are visiting on their smart phones. A text messaging strategy and social media outreach are musts for political organizations.
ONLINE ADVERTISING
It doesn’t matter if you have the most attractive website and the best message in the nation if no one knows it is there. We specialize in online advertising, driving new visitors to your website, capturing information and producing real and measurable action.
Effective advertising happens in three stages:
- Branding / recruitment – introducing your candidate or organization
- Activation – driving visitors to take an action such as volunteering, signing a petition or donating
- GOTV / Persuasion – driving people to the polls and persuading undecided voters
We specialize in search, retargeting and Facebook advertising, as well as targeting specific audiences through websites and blogs. We believe effective advertising combines static, flash and video based ads.
BRAND MANAGEMENT AND ONLINE CONSULTING
The importance of the Internet in American politics continues to grow, and now an effective online presence is essential to candidates and advocacy groups. While the online environment is slowly moving past websites as the central method of communication, and as “word of mouth” is becoming the primary decision driver, blogs and social media have become the primary tool for online marketing.
The interconnectedness of our lives has changed why we go certain places, buy certain things and even support certain ideas. We live in a world where people are now sharing everything they do through text, pictures and video. Every single second, posts go out on social media networks, which in turn will be read and shared, reaching thousands of people with the click of a mouse.
Using social networks, we talk to people and constantly interact throughout the day, every day. We drive supporters back to our web tools, recruiting volunteers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers and donors. We find brand activists and use them to promote our message across the web. Through blogger outreach and social media engagement, we give activists the weapons they need to fight our war.
In many cases, people are already talking about you. Some comments are positive, while others are negative. Using new search tools, we monitor websites and social networks for activity about you. We leave blog comments, tweets and Facebook messages to respond. If the messages are positive, we begin a dialogue with the user in an attempt to recruit him/her as an activist. If the messages are negative, we push back with the truth.
Constant web monitoring allows us to make the necessary adjustments to better promote the message, answering questions and fact-checking what people are saying. We pour through website, advertising, email and social network statistics to figure out what is working and what’s not, allowing us to maintain or pivot strategies.