Strategies for Online Engagement: A Primer for Candidates, Activists

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Strategies for Online Engagement A Primer for
Candidates, Activists Electeds

• Presented by Sarah Granger
• Emerge CA 05 Alumna
• Founder, PublicEdge
• Partner, Womens Campaign Consortium

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What youll learn

• How to build your online presence
• Online engagement strategies including blogging
  for impact building a powerful social media
  network
• Tools tips for campaigning online

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What you need as a leader online

• Bare minimum website and/or blog, e-mail list,
  Facebook page
• Online persona history will be researched
• Willingness to engage online
• One social media savvy friend or volunteer

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Who are You?
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First steps toward creating your online identity
voice

• Reserve names domain, Twitter, Facebook
• Setup simple website and/or blog
• Setup Facebook page
• Aggregate initial contact data in one place
  (where is your primary list?)
• Create new e-mail account if campaigning

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Show who you are online

• Do a detailed search on your name what do you
  see?
• Be clear concise, tell your story
• Create a unique image that stands out
• Your website and social sites must provide the
  most accurate picture
• Personalize - updates, friendly curated version
  of yourself

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Building initial networks

• Build initial e-mail list from contact lists
  social networks (FB, LinkedIn, Plaxo)
• Make sure existing social media accounts are in
  order
• Invite inner circle onto social networks
• Start following local political organizations
  media on Twitter, Facebook

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Costs/budgeting

• Basic website and/or blog FREE
• Strategy consultants, web developers designers
  hourly or by project
• Social media accounts - FREE
• Content, e-mail data entry do yourself, get
  volunteers or hire hourly temp workers
• Database /or fundraising back-end set-up fee
  plus monthly rate based on of records
• ISP monthly charge usually based on traffic

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Tips for tight budgets

• Dont get fancy with the website (pre-packaged is
  OK, like Wordpress)
• Use the same designer for website as logo
• Excel is fine for a local race database
• Repurpose, reuse, reinvent copy
• Focus on e-mail, pushing content out
• Maximize social media use

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Website construction

• Design consistent with overall themes
• Simple, easy to find information
• Basic site is better than no site at all
• Take advantage of color
• Utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Find ways to stand out from the opposition
• Add social media link buttons to site

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Color, Images, Layout, Content, Design
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Essential site features

• Background information, biography
• Photo
• Contribution Mechanism
• Endorsements
• Issue Statements
• Events/Calendar
• Contact Info

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Additional site features

• Campaign News / Blog
• Voter registration information
• Press page articles, additional photos
• Volunteer supplies tools (sign-up sheets,
  talking points, widgets, buttons)
• Campaign Store (via Café Press)

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Keys to good online content

• Segment mix it up for speedy dissemination
• Make it Sticky - keep people on site
• Posts (Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) must be
  personalized, well written, casual
• Videos (YouTube, Qik, etc.) you in action
• Images (Flickr, Picasa, site photos) your story
  through images

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Add-on tools for sites

• Wordpress for blogs, plug-ins
• ActBlue easy Dem donation engine
• NationBuilder online organizing tools
• Salsa free tool for local races coming out this
  summer called Salsa Libre
• Addthis.com buttons and widgets
• Raiseyourvote.com DNC reg. tool

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Search Engine Optimization

• Insert key words into text, images site code
  blog posts
• Make sure page titles smartly named, including
  proper headers
• Name, city, county, state, neighborhoods, etc.
• Issues, actions in the area, proper nouns of key
  locations, topics

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Site metrics tracking

• Overall Traffic
• Referring pages
• Location of visitors/users
• Time on site
• Pages most visited
• Trends analysis

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Database for contacts, supporters, network

• Basic spreadsheets like Excel, databases like
  Highrise
• Sophisticated online back-end services like
  NationBuilder, NGP, Convio, Salsa
• Import existing voter lists, data from social
  networks, mobile phone, Skype, etc.
• Data types - visitors, supporters/users, donors,
  volunteers, data managers
• Safety security

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E-mail outreach

• Still the best communication vehicle
• Use viral themes
• Engage with urgency action
• Utilize endorsers, big name supporters
• Work off of major events, news reporting
  deadlines
• Think outside the box too much campaign e-mail
  looks canned

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E-mail message content

• Stick to one focus (or ask) per message
• Dont ask for money every time
• Use short sentences, repeat key points
• Tell stories, incite action
• Be authentic
• Thank people often!

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E-mail response

• Create standard collection of replies for common
  requests, questions
• Friends reply personally
• Donors thank engage
• Volunteers give tangible tasks
• Undecided provide detailed answers
  (pre-packaged is OK)
• Negative be kind, thank for contacting
• Defamatory ignore (dont feed trolls!)

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Remember the audience
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Building your voice online

• Regular e-mail outreach
• Blogging on your website or keeping one primary
  blog
• Guest blogging op-eds on other sites
• Commenting on other blogs
• Engaging through social media platforms
  (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest)

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Blogging what is it really?

• Self-publishing of articles on easy platform
• Closer to op-ed than traditional journalism
• Generally not edited by pro editors
• Personal viewpoints on issues, events, topics
  more raw, casual
• Authentic keeping it real useful

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Do you really need a blog?

• No, but you need a voice online bloggings the
  easiest way giant megaphone
• Makes you a better writer for op-eds more
• Gives you subject matter credibility
• Allows you to experiment with your voice
• Connects you with people you would not otherwise
  meet
• Takes time, but you get out 3x what you put in

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How blogger influence works

• High quality content spread across networks
• Well written post gets shared, highlighted
• Reputation develops over time
• Can be subtle traffic ? influence
• Even small blogs can get national attention if
  topic is important enough

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What makes a great blogger?

• Unique voice passion for issues
• Experience writing editing
• Available time to write and learn the back end of
  blogging
• Comfort with online publishing systems
• Plays well with others
• Appropriate timing in political cycle
• Willingness to stir up controversy

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Getting started blogging

• Block off time in your schedule
• List top blogs in your local area tune in
• Get to know bloggers regular commenters
• List topics you may want to write about
• Try out your own blog can set private at first
• Try writing longer posts on Facebook
• Offer to guest blog for org. or group blog

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Blog lingo

• Post article
• Page static content (bio, contact info)
• Comment reader remarks, dialogue
• Category topic or general area
• Tag or Keyword keywords for search
• Blogroll related blogs in sidebar
• Troll rude or defamatory commenters

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Posting process

• Research
• Write
• Edit
• Link
• Publish
• Promote
• Repeat

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Blog content

• News (esp. if a candidate)
• Ideas, thoughts on issues
• Highlights from events you participate in
  speaking engagements, publications
• Links to resources or articles of interest
• Personal stories, anecdotes

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Building a community with other bloggers

• Find blogs local news, events, other blogs
• Setup RSS reader to organize follow blogs
• Ask bloggers to exchange links
• List blog, on FB Networked Blogs, BlogHer
• Join blogger e-mail lists
• Follow bloggers on Twitter, Facebook
• Attend blogger events, conferences
• Engage comment, retweet, respond!

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Using Facebook

• Curate posts similarly to blogging, just shorter
• Keep it short sweet, casual
• Take advantage of photos, video, links
• Share important news
• Ask questions of your community
• Keep it clean dont post anything you wouldnt
  want in The New York Times

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LinkedIn value

• Online resume extra way to highlight skills,
  experience in a neutral way
• Reaches professional political network
• Also aggregates some contact information
• Easy to find other people in your network
• Can take advantage of groups

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Twitter as a tool

• Best way to find media, bloggers, advocacy
  groups, online influencers
• Quick easy for sharing news, articles
• Engage with the community via _at_replies
• Learn about issues using common hashtags (p2,
  fem2) terms
• Retweet (re-post) what is relevant to the
  community and voters

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On the move online engagement while mobile

• Posting photos to Facebook from live events
• Live tweeting events, news
• Qik for posting live video
• Publishing quick blog posts when major news comes
  in

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Back Channel secret sauce

• Use your networks esp. trusted friends
• Send individual e-mail to influencers
• Post to blogger or activist e-mail lists
• Mention via Facebook e-mail
• Suggest mentions via Twitter direct message
• Exchange online favors with others

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Integrated social media strategy

• Build social media into overall campaign or
  professional-political persona
• Put your Facebook Twitter IDs on cards fliers
  along with website URL
• Auto-post blog to Facebook Twitter
• Drip irrigation - Sally Lieber
• Remember to keep it personal, social, authentic

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Dont let this happen to you reputation
management
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Reputation control tips

• Promote a positive image early often ensure
  YOU control your image online
• Curate content always keeping image, reputation
  message in mind
• Buy domains relating back to your name
• Regular vanity searches
• Get endorsers, supporters to link to official
  website (so people know which is yours)

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Transitioning roles online

• Activist -gt Candidate -gt Elected
• Each role is public political
• Each role requires issue expertise engagement
• Activists can be most free online
• Candidates need to be more careful
• Electeds must be most cautious
• Authentic voice must hold throughout

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Other online organizing tools

• E-mail groups document sharing Google Groups
  Docs, Dropbox
• Events Facebook Events, Evite, Eventbrite,
  Plancast, Foursquare
• Conference calls Freeconference.com
• Large or bulk file transfers Yousendit.com
• Video chat Skype, Google Hangouts
• Polling SurveyMonkey on web, Polleverywhere for
  mobile devices

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If you have the money

• Google web ads
• Facebook ads
• High end web designers
• Personalized videos
• Mobile SMS outreach

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Remember to SHARE!

• Social networked, engaged
• Highlighting short sweet, positive
• Authentic true to your voice
• Repetitive consistent, continuous
• Educational informative, valuable
• ! enthusiastic, passionate

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Questions?

• Contact Sarah Granger
• E-mail sarah_at_sarahgranger.com
• Twitter
• _at_sarahgranger _at_publicedge
• LinkedIn
• Linkedin.com/in/sarahgranger