1. Using social media
for local campaigns
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
June 11, 2012
Bob LeDrew, principal consultant

2. Setting the stage

3. I didn’t know what Facebook
was, and now that I do know
what it is, I have to say, it
sounds like a
huge waste
of time.”

4. Some numbers...

5. Traditional campaign tools
• Media relations
• Ads
• Newsletters
• Brochures
• Doorknocking

6. Traditional campaigning
• One-way
• Top-down
• Message control
• Command structure
• Target audiences defined by sender

7. Social media campaigning
• Two-way
• Peer-to-peer
• Messages grow
• Adhocracy
• Target audiences self-select

8. How to use
social media

9. Principles
• Own your data whenever possible
• Listening
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Set your rules & live by them
• Find your leaders & set them free

10. Strategy
• Goals
• Audiences
• Tactics
• MEASUREMENT

12. Outbound Voter
Messaging Identification
Crisis
response

13. Outbound Voter
Messaging Identification
Crisis
response

15. Social media touches on:
Voter ID
Outbound messaging
Crisis response

16. Messaging
• Control of messaging
• Response and interactivity
• Trolling
• Separating diversity of opinion from
organized campaigns (Astroturfing)

17. Leveraging old media
• Forwarding
• Virality
• Sharing, embedding, screengrabbing

18. What it offers
• Strong messaging
• Lead the media
• Engagement, virality and reach
• Reasonable cost
• Unmatched measurement & ability to gauge
ROI

19. Geographic targeting
• Choosing a market / paid media
• Self-selection / engagement

20. Using paid media
• Facebook
• Google
• LinkedIn
• Other ad networks

21. Self-selection
• Facebook
• Blogging / web
• E-mail lists

22. Voter ID
• When people engage (like on FB,
comment, etc.) they’re ASKING for contact
• Use their information (ethically)
• Encourage the spread

23. Outbound Messaging

24. Mistakes don’t kill you

25. Your response does.

26. Example #1

27. Example #2

28. Example #3

29. Social media & crisis
• Blow up quickly = ADDRESSED quickly.
• Avoid the obvious mistakes
• Assume unpredictable mistakes
• Prepare responses in advance
• Empower responders

30. More Examples
• Ontario drivers licence changes
• Speak out on Copyright
• Wisconsin public employees
• 2011 Votemobs
• Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament

31. Measurement
• The goal defines the measure
• Views,
• shares,
• calls to action
• Memberships
• Surveys

32. What has to happen NOW
• Draft messaging
• Choose media
• Ad images & copy
• Calendarize
• Prep launch plan

33. What has to happen DURING
• Insert content in streams (Youtube, FB,
Twitter, etc.)
• Track views, comments, forwards, likes,
clicks
• Continously track ad performance
• Response, crisis and otherwise

34. Bob LeDrew, principal consultant
613-869-2148
bob.ledrew@gmail.com
http://www.translucid.ca
http://twitter.com/bobledrew

37. Blogging
• A blog is a website
• Tagging
• SEO
• Hosted vs. self-hosted

38. Social media news release
• Text
• Images
• Video
• Audio
• Links

39. Twitter
• 140 character
• The retweet
• The hashtag
• The “@” and the DM
• Platform independent
• URL shorteners

40. Video
• Uses: instruction, inspiration, promotion,
entertainment
• Think short
• Platforms: youtube, vimeo, etc.
• Metadata 101
• Tagging

41. Social networks
• Facebook
• Groups
• Pages
• Events
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• Location-based networks (4sq, Gowalla)

42. URL shorteners
• Bit.ly
• Tinyurl
• T.Co
• Ny.tims

43. E-advocacy & resource sharing
• File-sharing tools (e.g. Dropbox)
• Wikis
• Media-sharing tools:
• Scribd for documents
• Slideshare for slides
• Libsyn for audio
• Archive.org for anything

44. Events and e-mail
• Eventbrite, cvent, Facebook
• Mailchimp, Constant Contact

45. Texting
• Fast
• Short
• Links to Twitter

46. Online (PPC) advertising
• Not free
• Targeted
• Strategic
• Measurable and controllable Common
objections

47. Let’s talk

48. Sites worth visiting
The ENGAGE project http://globalgrassroots.wordpress.com/
AVAAZ http://avaaz.org/en/
The Accidental Labour Activist http://www.theaccidentallabouractivist.com/
Social Media For Social Change http://www.sm4sc.com/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/
How to use social media for social change how_to_use_social_media_for_social_change.
php
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/
Malcolm Gladwell on social change online
2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell
Media and social change - online course http://mediasocialchange.net/
“Lactivist” Shannon Smith’s site: http://breastfortheweary.com/
Speak Out on Copyright http://www.speakoutoncopyright.ca/
Social Media Case Studies http://www.casestudiesonline.com/