Make sure your house is in order to participate in - or set the stage for - conversations that will arise during the election season.
With over a decade of experience working with social change organizations and businesses, including several candidates and political parties, Raised Eyebrow has plenty of wisdom to share about how to ensure your online communications plans are ready for election season.
You’ll learn:
* How to take make sure your organization has the right tools ready to communicate effectively online during election season.
* How to use an election period to build an effective list of longterm supporters for your organization.
* How to make the most of your resources and, where appropriate, partner with others to get out key messages during this critical time.
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Making the Most of Your Online Communications During an Election
1. Making the Most of
Your Online
Communications During
an Election
Emira Mears + Lauren Bacon
Friday, September 16, 2011
2. Q&A
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
3. Q&A
Type question here
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
4. Your Hosts:
Emira Mears Lauren Bacon
Partner Partner
Raised Eyebrow Web Studio Raised Eyebrow Web Studio
Twitter: @emiramears Twitter: @laurenbacon
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
5. Online Election Strategy:
1. Opportunities & risks of election season
2. Communications judo: making elections work for
you
3. Tools assessment going into an election
4.Collaborating for greater impact
5.Viral campaigns: are they in your reach?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
6. Quick Poll
Has Your Organization Run Election-Based
Campaigns Before?
• Yes
• No
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
7. Election Strategies.
Opportunities & risks ahead
Image credit: dvanvliet on Flickr. Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
8. Election Strategies:
Opportunities Ahead
• Stakes are high/urgency
• Issues & policies are top of mind
• Media will cover issues if there’s an election
tie-in
• Public events to engage in: townhalls, rallies,
candidate debates, etc.
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
9. Election Strategies:
What are the Risks?
• Relevance: Any non-election related campaigns will
tend to be overshadowed during the election period
• Resource Drain: Short timelines and fast turnarounds
are required to take advantage of any opportunities
• Horse Race: Backing any one candidate or party
platform can backfire
• Donation Competition: Parties will be campaigning for
dollars
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
10. Election Strategies:
Politics is Not Polite
• Member alienation: Even if the choice seems very
clear to align your issue with one party or candidate,
remember that not all your members will agree. You
risk alienating or upsetting members by playing
politics.
• Have a plan: Don’t let managing individual members’
concerns about political affiliations take up too much
staff time/resources; have a plan for how you’ll
respond to upset members.
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
11. Election Strategies.
Communications Judo
Image credit: MightyMe! on Flickr. Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
12. Election Strategies:
Communications Judo
• Work with the election, not against it
• Try to get your issue on the agenda
• Be ready to act quickly
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
13. Election Strategies:
Speak the Language of Votes
• Familiarize yourself with the party platforms
• Find candidates you can leverage
• Know your numbers
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
14. Election Strategies:
Mobilize Your Members
• Make sure you have the tools to mobilize your
community quickly in support of the issue at
hand
• Do you have your lists in order?
• Are your tools in place?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
15. Election Strategies.
Audit Your Toolbox
Image credit: James Brauer on Flickr. Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
16. Tools Assessment:
Audit Your Existing Toolbox
• Email List(s) • Video
• Blog • Online Donations
• Facebook/Twitter • Offline Tools
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
17. Tools Assessment:
Strategy Before Tools
• Have a strategy
• What is your primary message? (You probably only get
one.)
• Who are you targeting? Members? Parties? Candidates?
• How will you measure success?
• Can you switch gears quickly if necessary?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
18. Tools Assessment:
Email Newsletters
• How up to date is your list?
• Are you adding to your list?
• Is your list segmented? Should it be?
• Are staffed trained on using the software?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
19. Tools Assessment:
Blog
• Do you have an existing blog you can use for election
coverage?
• Valuable tool for fast turnaround/discussion
• If you don’t have a blog, is there a partner blog you
could contribute to?
• Don’t expect to create a blog during an election
period and expect traffic to naturally appear
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
20. Tools Assessment:
Facebook/Twitter/Google+
• Do you have an existing presence you can leverage
here?
• If not, what are your goals with the tool?
• Is it to get people to take action? Or is it to raise
awareness?
• Figure out what metrics you’re going to use for
success
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
21. Tools Assessment:
Facebook/Twitter/Google+
• Make sure you’re thinking long term as well
• How can you make sure you own your contacts?
• If you run a separately branded campaign , how will
you bring those people back in to your org?
• Cross-pollinate your lists
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
22. Tools Assessment:
Online Video
• Can you create multimedia content?
• Does your content lend itself well to multimedia?
• Are your website and other channels currently set up
to share/display multimedia content?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
23. Tools Assessment:
Online Donations
• Are you already set up to take donations?
• Can you target donations for a particular campaign?
• Can you set up quick landing pages/donation funnels
related specifically to an election related campaign?
• Can you integrate your online donations into your
other outreach easily?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
25. Tools Assessment:
Make Sharing Easy
• Make sure your set up with the tools so that your
community can spread your message.
• Post video to YouTube/Vimeo so it’s easy to share
• Have “Share This” widgets on your site
• Include your Twitter/Facebook page in email newsletters
etc.
• Give supporters sample tweets and don’t be shy about
asking people to repost
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
27. Tools Assessment:
Offline Follow-up
• Don’t forget the offline follow-up
• Particularly important when it comes to mobilizing
people on voting day: how are you going to get them
out from behind the screen to make the change?
• Your strategy should be geared at using online tools
to motivate offline action: be clear about this and set
measures for success.
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
28. Election Strategies.
Join forces and increase impact
Image credit: booze-a-holic on Flickr. Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
29. Collaboration:
Joining Forces & Increasing Impact
• Should you act alone?
• Partner to share media space/centralize message
• Can you share lists/communities?
• Guest blog posts, shared newsletter content, cross-
promotion in social media
• Share resources
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
30. Collaboration:
Joining Forces & Increasing Impact
• Risks of Partnering:
• Who will be the spokesperson?
• Building consensus can take time
• Where will donations go?
• Who “owns” lists and supporters after the election?
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
31. Election Strategies.
Going viral
Image credit: naturalhomecures on Flickr. Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
32. Going Viral:
Can You Make it Happen?
• In a word: No.
• What you can do:
• Focus on content strategy
• Make sure you have the tools for sharing -- as we
discussed
• Be prepared to respond if it happens
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
34. Conclusion:
Reporting Out
Image credit: Adam Tinworth on Flickr. Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
35. Conclusion:
After the Election
• Report Out:
• Let your community know what impact they had -
even if it wasn’t the result you were hoping for
• Include reporting out as a part of your content plan
and schedule it in
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
36. Conclusion:
A Good Election Strategy
• Understands the Risks and Opportunities
• Uses Communications Judo: work with the election, not
against it
• Know what tools you have and what you need
• Collaborate where it will increase impact
• Be ready to go viral - but don’t depend on it
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
37. Need more help?
Raised Eyebrow offers:
• Online Communications • Usability Consulting
Strategy Consulting
• Email Newsletter design,
• Information Architecture and development and management
Interaction Design
• Accessibility and Search
• Website Design & Engine Optimization
Development Consulting
• Web 2.0 and Social Media • Custom workshops for your
Consulting organization
www.raisedeyebrow.com
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
38. Questions?
Please use the “raise
hand” feature, or type
a question into the
Q&A box.
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
39. Questions?
Please use the “raise
hand” feature, or type
a question into the
Q&A box.
Type question here
Twitter: #raisedeyebrow
Friday, September 16, 2011
LB: Welcome! Today’s topic is…\nWe’re going to cover:\n- How to take make sure your organization has the right tools ready to communicate effectively online during election season.\n- How to use an election period to build an effective list of longterm supporters for your organization.\n- How to make the most of your resources and, where appropriate, partner with others to get out key messages during this critical time.\n\n
LB: - how to use the Q&A panel\n- Show the “Raise Hand” feature\n- If you’re on Twitter, please use the #raisedeyebrow hashtag to share your thoughts\n
LB: - how to use the Q&A panel\n- Show the “Raise Hand” feature\n- If you’re on Twitter, please use the #raisedeyebrow hashtag to share your thoughts\n
LB: \n
EM: Overview of what we’re going to talk about today. No details, just one line about each. \n
EM: \n
EM:\n
EM: It’s a time when a higher percentage of the general public are engaged in issues and during which you potentially actually have the ear of leaders. Working to get your issue on the agenda for the public discourse around the election and working with media to tie your issue to the election can all help to both raise awareness of issues, while also potentially actually seeing some change or movement on your cause.\n
EM: If your campaign or issue can’t fit into the election discourse, the election season may just be a total wash for you resulting in a time during which effective communication with your constituents just can’t happen do to the election Noise. The resource drain can be really hard on organizations, see if you’re able to hire on contractors or staff up with volunteers during this period, and be aware that your key spokespeople are going to be called on for quick turnarounds/outside of normal business hours work. Risk involved in aligning yourself too closely with a candidate or party that may not win. Can be a very difficult time to canvas for donations, unless you’re able to do a specific election related ask -- more on that later. \n
EM: Make sure you’re ok with this. Politics is a volatile issue and Canadians are still a bit uncomfortable being too openly political or partisan, so depending on how you choose to engage in the election, be aware that you may lose or upset some of your members. Have a plan for how you’ll deal with this. \n
LB: \n
LB: If your campaign or issue can’t fit into the election discourse, the election season may just be a total wash for you resulting in a time during which effective communication with your constituents just can’t happen do to the election Noise. The resource drain can be really hard on organizations, see if you’re able to hire on contractors or staff up with volunteers during this period, and be aware that your key spokes people are going to be called on for quick turn arounds/outside of normal business hours work. Risk involved in aligning yourself too closely with a candidate or party that may not win. Can be a very difficult time to canvas for donations, unless you’re able to do a specific election related ask -- more on that later. \n
LB: Parties and individual candidates are going to want to know how supporting your issue or raising your issue is going to translate into votes. Know your numbers and be able to speak the language of votes. If you have information broken down by ridings -- which are tied to postal codes -- all the better to go to individual candidates with, if your numbers are more general see how you can extrapolate for the parties or individual ridings. If you’re able to bring your members on board to support a candidate or party then you may want to take the risk of making that alignment. But be ware that it may also cost you members. \n\n
LB: Elections move quickly. Do your housekeeping ahead of time. Make sure your tools are up to date so you aren’t scrambling to clean up lists, learn new technologies and update infrastructure during an election season. The key here really is speed/turn around, so making sure that technology and infrastructure don’t stand in the way of you hopping on an opportunity is a great way to prepare for an election. And you can never start preparing too early.\n\nWhat tools do you need for an election season? Let’s cover that next.\n\n
EM\n
EM\n\nEmail List: How up to date is your list? | Blog: Is it active? | Facebook/Twitter: Followers/activity | | Video: Are you set up to make/share video? | Online Donations: Are you set up for online donations? | What about your offline tools? Are they integrated?\n
EM Tools are great, but they’re nothing without a strategy. Don’t feel like you have to do it all. Focus on some key tools and key message and then go forward.\n\nAt the same time, don’t be so entrenched that you can’t switch gears if the discourse changes during the election. Don’t be so firm in your strategy that you risk appearing out of step with the discussion or stay with a tool that isn’t working. \n\n
EM: One of the areas you may want to focus on here is using this time to connect with other departments or areas of the organization. Do they have lists? Should those lists be checked for duplicates/merged or leveraged somehow? \n\nMake sure that staff and volunteers who can help are trained on the tools.\n\n
EM: On the last point, you’ll need to either leverage existing site traffic or communications channels to promote the blog, or else start to plan to build your audience before the election. The audience building issues is relevant for all of these tools really. \n\nException to the last point, The CCPA’s Policy Note blog was begun as a BC Provincial Election blog, it got decent traction during that period of time mostly because they had other lists/followers they could leverage. They have since repurposed it as a general blog. \n\n
EM: This is true for many of these tools, but focusing solely on the numbers in the Social world can really miss the point. What do I mean by that? Is number of followers what you want to focus on? Or will you measure success by number of actions people take outside of Social Media after following a link? Or donations raised? That said, due to the nature of the medium and it’s continued novelty there’s often a media story in simply building momentum online. \n\n
EM: One of the biggest caveats we give organizations who are using social tools for community building and outreach is to make sure you are also funneling those contacts into a format you own. You can’t download the list of supporters and then funnel those into your donor development channel directly, so make sure you’re trying to get them onto lists that will allow for that sort of thing. And, if you’re running a separately branded campaign this is even more important. Make sure you’re able to follow up with those people once the campaign or issue has passed by setting a clear privacy policy/ownership structure when you take their information the first time. \n\n
EM: Online video can definitely be a very compelling way to tell a story and lends itself well to sharing when it’s done right. Some things to ask yourself, if you’re thinking of doing online video. \n
EM: We’ll talk more about donations later on, but here are some basic questions to ask yourself when assessing tools.\n
EM: The Tyee’s election reporter funding campaign is a great example of a fundraising campaign for the election. So far they’ve got $18K pledged for election coverage. What makes it work:\n- Happened pre-election - writ hasn’t even dropped\n- Allows donors to set direction - topics for coverage\n- Has concrete outcomes: more election coverage\n- Allows the Tyee to cover what would otherwise be a pricey time of year for them and leverage that event to build readership\n
EM: Finally, make sharing easy, especially where it counts -- key campaign pages, take action pages, donation pages etc. . Worry more about how people will share the info than about getting everything just right. Don’t send out info in the form of PDFs, create easily shared pages/posts, etc. Don’t by shy about requesting that people retweet/repost info, even go so far as to give them sample content to share.\n\n
EM: Don’t miss opportunities to engage your supporters further. Step them up the ladder of engagement by capturing them when they’re already committing to you. \n
EM: A lot of election-related campaigns need to be done with an eye to motivating real-life/offline action, make sure you have a plan for follow through. \n\nAre you going to try to get out the vote? What’s your plan for voting day? Are you going to measure impact your supporters had? Make sure you follow up with them. \n\nIn most cases, for elections, it will be about getting out the vote, so make sure you have some infrastructure to do that, and if possible tools to measure impact -- which can be as simple as sending out a “did you vote” survey after election day. Or a “have you voted yet?” reminder poll on the day of with “Yes, no, on my way” as the choices.\n\n
LB\n
LB: Is there value in partnering? Given the short turn around and small windows of an election lead up, does it make more sense to not compete with those working on the same issue and instead partner? There are some real advantages here. \n\nThe Stop BC Arts Cuts Coalition is a great example. Here you have a bunch of organizations who had their funding gutted with cuts to gaming grants, by organizing as a group they were able to have more impact (one consistent message) which was important especially at a time with decreased funding. After they formed initially they’ve taken on further campaigns, like coming together to take a stand against the Edgewater Casino Expansion/increased gaming in BC during a time when where those funds are going is unclear. \n\n
LB: So ask yourself, is there value in partnering? Given the short turn around and small windows of an election lead up, does it make more sense to not compete with those working on the same issue and instead partner? There are some real advantages here.\n
EM: This is often one of the biggest questions we field during an election lead up season. That is “What can we do that will go viral?”\n
EM: You can’t force an issue to go viral, no matter how awesome you think your video/flash game/ etc. is, that said, if you don’t have the tools on hand to take something viral you don’t have much hope.\n\nBe ready to leverage viral opportunities if they happen outside of your control. You may not think an issue is going to come up during an election, but if it does be ready to hop on board and make use of it.\n
EM: Some examples during the last federal campaign that did a good job of going viral, Vote Mobs - spurred on in part by Rick Mercer and then hopped on by different student associations and groups across the country, the NDP’s various Trustache graphics.\n
EM: So what next?\n
EM: Once the election is over, it’s really easy for those involved to want to forget about things and move on -- especially if results aren’t what you were hoping for. It’s a tiring time for those of us who engage in it, but if long term community building is a part of your strategy -- and I hope we’ve convinced you today that it should be, you need to make sure you make the time to close the loop. Reporting out could be things like: we were able to track that # number of messages were sent to candidates, or we were able to generate # of media hits, or increased our community by x%. You’ll need to be tracking some metrics for this and it would be wise to have Pre-election benchmarks.\n
EM: quick overview\n
LB: We hope today’s session has been valuable for you. Before we move into the Q&A section, we want to give you a 20-second overview of what we do at Raised Eyebrow, in case you or someone you know needs a firm like ours. In brief, we love helping organizations working for social good develop meaningful relationships with their communities online. We also build outstanding websites. If that sounds like something you’d like to explore further, please check out our website & blog, or give us a shout. We’d love to talk.\n