Wellstone Action!

posted by Xavier Lopez-Ayala

DECEMBER 16, 2008

Guest blogger Xavier Lopez-Ayala most recently served as the Obama campaign's New Media Director in Minnesota.  He breaks down the key elements of a new media strategy for any campaign here on the wellstone.org blog.

Check out Xavier's unedited how-to guide to Developing a New Media Strategy in our Organizing Tools.

If there's one thing the 2008 election proved, it was that the Internet has lowered the barrier for political participation.  It's transforming where voters get their information and offering campaigns a new medium through which to interact with voters.

And although the net is changing the way campaigns are run, it will never change the goal: to get more votes than the other guy.  The web should be thought of an additional opportunity identify and mobilize supporters, educate voters, and recruit volunteers.

If there's one thing you take away from this post, let it be this: the goal of a successful new media program is to enhance the campaign's field, communications, and fundraising efforts.

While most campaigns and organizations will not have the resources to run a new media program as expansive as the Obama campaigns, a campaign of any size can apply the same organizing tools to help mobilize support online.

So how do you do this?

1. Have a website

Your website is your virtual campaign office.  Visitors should be offered the same opportunities online they'd have if they walked into your campaign headquarters

Let visitors decide how they want to participate in your campaign, and most importantly, don't take away any opportunities.

Remember, the goal of your online presence is to get voters to the polls, and that's very much an offline goal.  You can make it easier for a voter to register to vote using online tools, but it's going to take future conversations to make sure they vote. 

For example: the Obama campaign sent people who printed out a voter registration form on VoteForChange.com a follow-up emailing asking if they'd sent the form in, but you can be sure that those folks were still included in "Vote Today!" emails and GOTV phone calls.

Set up an online fundraising page

Your website should be about giving people opportunities-to learn more, to sign up to volunteer, and, yes, to contribute to your campaign.

As with any other form of giving, the people most likely to give money are those who are invested in the campaign and believe in your message.  Online fundraising isn't a magic bullet, and it's hard to get activists to cross over and become donors.   Use fundraising asks (emails, blog posts, etc.) as a messaging opportunity, with an eye to getting them to make that bigger commitment.

2.  Build your email list

Think of it this way: every email address in your database represents not just a potential voter on Election Day, but also a potential volunteer and a prospective donor.   Use every possible opportunity to collect email addresses:

• Sign-in sheets at events
• Door knocks and phone calls ("What's your email address so I can send you information about my campaign?")
• Prominently display simple sign-up (usually just email/zip or name/email/zip) on your homepage - it's better to get someone on your list initially and collect additional data about them down the road then to not have them on your list at all.

3.  Engage your list

Generally, you'll want to keep emails short (5 to 7 paragraphs) with very clear calls to action (e.g. bolded lines, stand alone underlined linked sentences, graphic link on the side).

In the email, give a clear reason to get involved or give money, and give them an update on what the campaign has been up to, showing them that you're serious about winning.

Remember, the emails your campaign sends out are public communications.  Don't send something that you wouldn't' want to see on the front page of the New York Times.

Here are a couple ideas for email appeals:

• Link to a new campaign video, share with your friends
• Event invitation, with link to RSVP page
• Responding to negative attacks (the Obama campaign mastered the art of "show them that we aren't ____" fundraising appeals)
• Highlighting an opponent's gaffe
• Announcing a new policy initiative
• Sign the petition

One of my favorite fundraising campaigns from the primaries was the Clinton campaign's "MyPA" campaign.

It had all of the elements of a successful fundraising ask:

• Clearly stated the need and what the money would be used for: "We need yard signs to show our campaign's strength. We need vans to get voters to the polls, etc."
• Communicated urgency: "We face an opponent who is outspending us by as much as 4 to 1 -- I need your help now."
• Connected it back to the recipient: "Your commitment and your investment are absolutely critical. I cannot win without your help."

Setting goals, even modest ones like $1,000 in one week, and challenging your list to meet them is a great way of replicating this success.  Provide a visual, such as a thermometer, to let allow supporters to track their collective effort.

Remember, the emails your campaign sends out are public communications.  Don't send something that you wouldn't' want to see on the front page of the New York Times.

3.  Conduct online outreach

Having your website set up is just the first step, but you wont' get traffic if  you don't promote it.  Start printing your website on literature, press releases, and chum.  Add a line to walk and call scripts telling voters to visit your website for more information. 

Reach out to local bloggers.   LeftyBlogs is a good directory of progressive blogs in all 50 states.  DailyKos is a collaborative bloggers, with contributors posting diaries about everything imaginable.  Reach out to these bloggers.

Just like with traditional media sources, you have to build relationships with bloggers.  You can start by adding friendly bloggers to your press list and inviting them to cover campaign events.

Meet people where they are.  Most states have an email list-serv of liberal bloggers that you can get access to.  These aren't publicized, and you will have to be invited.  This is where reaching out to the bloggers you've identified comes in.   You can also buy ad space on relevant blogs in your area, typically for an affordable price.

Ask your new blogger contacts for their rates, which are usually a weekly flat fee.  Be sure to tailor your ad to the audience of the blog.  Buying ads on blogs engenders good feelings, and will make positive coverage of your campaign by the blogger that much more likely.

Advertise online smartly.  Online advertising can take the form of banner ads, blog ads, and search engine ads, each with its own list of positive and negatives.   The one thing to remember is that, if you're going to advertise online, it shouldn't be an afterthought.

Develop your ads with a specific purpose (e.g. list-building, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, etc.) and make sure the landing page matches that intention.  If someone does click on your ad, you have a matter of seconds to convince them to take the requested action.   Don't clutter the landing page-make the call to action as clear as possible.

If you want to learn more, here's a good study about the online ads during the 2008 presidential primaries.

4.  Listen

The Internet has taken the public square and made it more accessible.  There's a good chance that people are talking online-in comments, on blogs, and on forums-and providing real-time about your campaign.  In some cases, this online chatter is drives the public debate. 

"Listening" to social media outlets helps you understand what conversations are happening online and allows you to measure your any response appropriately.

Here are a couple of suggested ways to tune in:

• If you're not already using one, start using an RSS aggregator. I use Google Reader, but there are plenty of others out there. Use the suggestions above to find local blogs in your state or area and subscribe to their feeds. Visit those sites and click on the sites they link to, and if it's relevant to your district or race, subscribe to those, too. If your opponent has a blog, subscribing to their feeds will ensure that you know what they're saying .
• Set up Google News Alerts for your name, your opponents name, your race, or whatever else you want to be kept informed about. Google supports alerts from both traditional news outlets and blogs. TIP: Use the Advanced Search feature to specify the geographic location of the articles returned.
• Depending on the race, you may also want to track what people are saying on Twitter, a micro-blogging site. You can subscribe to RSS feeds of "tweets" meeting various criteria, from words to the location of the poster.

Among new media types, the phrase is "participation in marketing."  Join in on these conversations and add your own meaningful contributions.

5.  Review & evaluate your work

You can very informally evaluate the effectiveness of your online outreach.  If you have the time, you can do more advanced surveys and demographic analysis, but for most purposes, a combination of any of the following should suffice.

• Continually track the "flake rate" for volunteer sign ups. Did they get a follow up phone call? Did they show up for the shift they signed up for online?
• Compare attendance at events before and after you started promoting them online on your website, through email, and to local bloggers. Was there an increase?
• Are you seeing an increase in the number of donations received online? Are they coming from people who've donated offline?