by Corey Goldstone
Photo courtesy of psychologytoday.com
Through careful observation, campaigns teach lessons each election cycle that can be invaluable to organizations that have a mission to engage and motivate people to action for the public good.
Before the internet redefined the way that political leaders connect with the public, Ronald Reagan was known by adoring supporters as “The Great Communicator” for his ability to captivate listeners in his televised speeches.
In 2015, politicians and candidates know that if they were to rely exclusively on cable television to get their message across, they would be missing the opportunity to engage with key publics on the many digital channels available today; a fatal mistake. While the art of public speaking is not lost on successful politicians of the digital era, people have come to expect regular updates from their public officials on their own time, on their chosen digital channel, in the palm of their hand.
Political campaigns since 2008 have blazed the digital trail, using social media to effectively target and identify the supporters of a cause and motivate them to act. What can communicators at social impact organizations learn from the innovations initiated by political campaigns?
1. If organizations are not available and current on all forms of social media, they are missing a golden opportunity.
On May 21, Hillary Clinton’s campaign announced on Facebook, “Hillary’s on LinkedIn! (You may have heard – she’s looking for a new job.)” This is a successful post for a number of reasons. First, it draws attention to the fact that other presidential candidates do not have updated LinkedIn profiles. Under the “People Also Viewed” column on Clinton’s LinkedIn profile, you can see Marco Rubio, Candidate for U.S. Senate (with a picture that makes him look like a college freshman) and a mugshot of Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator for Texas. From viewing these profiles, you can’t tell that they are seeking a career change and have their sights set on a new job: President of the United States of America.
Photo courtesy of www.linkedin.com/in/marcorubio
For all job seekers and organizations alike, it is critical to communicate immediate future goals on LinkedIn, and visitors shouldn’t have to work hard to find it. This communications lapse is a direct reflection on the candidate. Also, light humor online can be the best medicine for the people who are tired of dubious promises that they hear from politicians on the campaign stump.
Utilizing multiple platforms in one post is an effective way to grow followership and connect users with your organization, decreasing the ‘bounce rate,’ of followers who leave your organizations’ social channels because they have become bored of your content. On Facebook, Rubio’s campaign links back to MARCORUBIO.com with a message encouraging followers to enter for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas to attend Rubio’s birthday, hosted by a popular television star. This leads me to my next point…
2. Move followers up the ladder of engagement by engaging them early and often, having a clear ‘ask’ and providing them with unique, shareable content.
Maybe your organization wants to recruit 1,500 people to attend a rally that will raise awareness about a cause near and dear to your heart. Perhaps you are leading the effort to get 1,500 signatures for a petition drive. Or maybe the ultimate goal is to raise $1,500. To motivate people to sacrifice valuable time and money for your cause by opening their checkbooks or attending an in-person event, you often have to start small and work your way up. They want to feel like they are a part of a movement, so the more likeminded people that join them in an online community on the journey up the proverbial ladder, the better.
Even if the requested action is as simple as ‘click here,’ or ‘please like this post’, your goal is always to move a supporter up the ladder of engagement with ‘an ask’ on social media. With an image of his campaign logo, Mike Huckabee’s campaign tweeted “Do you support the #FairTax? Share your support by signing my FairTax petition here” (link.) The petition page also includes a favicon of Huckabee’s campaign icon on the webpage (an image of stars on top of a base of red white and blue to illustrate his slogan: Hope to Higher Ground.) This consistency of imagery is essential to building his brand for a new group of voters who were unaware of his 2008 bid for president.
Photo courtesy of mikehuckabee.com
Besides building support for a cause, petitions are valuable because they bring you to landing pages that collect valuable analytic data. In order of importance, campaigns hope to accumulate as many email addresses, zip codes and full names as possible. This helps their organization pinpoint an axis of influence by choosing locations where high concentrations of supporters are. They then pick these strategic locations for grassroots events and fundraisers. On Huckabee’s petition page, including ‘State’ as one of the boxes is unnecessary. He already includes zip code, which can tell his operatives all they need to know. Including redundant information makes it easier for visitors to ignore the page and therefore less likely to input their credit card information when that becomes the inevitable ‘ask’ in the months to come.
Once they have done these things, it’s on to ‘please share this post if you agree,’ which multiplies the number of people that view the post and shows a new list of Facebook friends an easy way to get involved. To capture attention, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. Posts with images always perform better. Also, followers tend to become accustomed to a regular schedule of posts. Especially with Facebook, certain times of the day work best: between 10am-12pm, 3-4pm, and 7-9pm. Avoid Tweeting during rush hour unless there is breaking news that can’t wait.
3. Give individual shareholders an opportunity to participate in an organization’s social media channels (even if it’s for only one day).
On May 21, Mary Jo Brown – a mom, designer, and small-business owner – took over the @HillaryClinton Twitter account to share a day in her life. This kills two birds with one stone. It helps Hillary for America by positioning the campaign as people-centric, as opposed to the often-criticized Hillary-centric 2008 campaign. Also, for previously anonymous business owner Mary Jo Brown, a day holding the reigns of Clinton’s Twitter account will help her to amplify the message of her small Portsmouth, NH.- company because they now have new followers who can stay updated on the services that she provides. When a local organization engages with the social media of a national organization, it can be very empowering for employees and pay dividends; making it easier to impact the community or improve its bottom line, depending on the mission of the organization. Imagery should tell a strategic story and should be tagged appropriately in order to increase the chances that it will be included on the first page of a Google search.
Photo courtesy of storify.com/HillaryClinton/mary-jo-for-hillary