CRAFTing 2010

CRAFT

May 19, 2011 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

Size Doesn’t Matter. It’s How You Use It.

CRAFT

Most people who run online campaigns are used to questions about list size.  “How big is our list? How can we get more emails? How can we reach 100k, 200k, a million or more?”  Rarely do the higher ups ask “How many of our people actually read our messages?  How many actually took action on an ask?”

Size is often all that matters.

While most corporate marketing programs focus on the ROI of the list – specifically looking at cost of acquisition, open/response/conversion rates, and lifetime value of the contact – most political and advocacy organizations focus solely on how many names are in the database.  It’s flawed thinking.

Here are a couple of ways to get more from your list without obsessively focusing on the number.

Voter Registration

One of the first questions political campaigns should ask is “How many of our email addresses are matched to a registered voter?”  Campaigns may be surprised to learn that nearly half of their email supporters can’t actually vote because they are not registered.

List appends are typically reserved for adding marginal, opt-out addresses to your file. These addresses are often unresponsive and only serve to clutter your file.  They end up being the Zombies that bring down a healthy list.

Campaigns should instead consider a physical address match to their file.  Many vendors will take your email addresses and provide you with a matched name and physical address.  You can then compare your email file to registration roles.

The benefits are clear.  Identifying your unregistered voters allows you to get them registered.  That’s obvious.  What may be less obvious though is the value of that particular voter.  They came to you.  This isn’t a random grocery store/county fair acquired voter.  These people are interested in your campaign, more likely to turn out if asked by you, and, most importantly, much easier to move to activist status with some work.

They should be guaranteed votes for your campaign – which most untargeted voter registration efforts can’t claim. More importantly, they can easily become your super-activists.

Make Your Emails Personal

Most campaigns think of email in two capacities – as a source of funds, or as recipients of information.  Campaign emails either ask for money, or distribute press releases and random messages.  Rarely do they put more thought into an ongoing relationship.

Think about the types of material the visitor is likely to receive – news or volunteer opportunities.  Those are pretty much it.  Yet many email programs don’t recognize even that basic distinction.

Many campaigns have a simple “Sign up for News” option on their page.  They typically ask for minimal information like first name, email, and maybe a zip code.

The trouble with this approach is it acts as a bait and switch for your supporter.  That person will likely get volunteer information, finance asks, and the news they actually asked for.

Instead, consider asking them to sign up, but include checkboxes for the type of material they want – news and volunteer activities.

News Subscribers

If they choose news, greet them with a message from the Communications Director specifically explaining the types of material they will receive. Make the subject clear so they know the message is in reply to their subscription.

If possible, you should also ask them to visit a page to manage their profile and choose specific news types – including press releases – they might like to receive.

When you send news, don’t just blast out the release.  Make it a personal message from the Comms person with a short note that frames the release.  Don’t assume they are constantly paying attention, and give them context, not just content.

Anyone who has affirmatively chosen not to get Volunteer requests, shouldn’t get any.  They can, however, get finance asks.  These are best done in concert with new ads that are announced, or specific products.  The brief introduction should frame the ad, and suggest a donation to help keep the ad on the air.

Volunteers (and Donors)

If your subscriber chose to Volunteer, make the first message a personal greeting/introduction from the person who will manage your volunteer efforts.  Clearly articulate the kinds of messages they will receive and the types of activities with which they can help

Your supporters will greatly appreciate the recognition of their value, and the personal nature of the message.  They will likely even reply, so be sure someone can answer incoming messages.  Don’t relegate these to an “info@” box.  Theses are the people who will work to get you elected. Don’t take them for granted.

Every message should build on the relationship between your campaign and your supporter.  That is true with volunteers more than anyone else.  You should leave the supporter feeling involved, not lectured, or worse, ignored.

Each ask should be framed in the same way the news content is.  Don’t consider a new ad rollout to just be news.  Send a note to your volunteers sharing the ad (framing it, as above) and asking them to pass it around.

Volunteers should be asked for money, but not without context.  We need your cash to beat our opposition isn’t as compelling as a specific, tangible result.  This is why thermometer fundraising is so effective.  Don’t just ask for money.  These are volunteers, after all.  Instead, give them a project or goal, and specific measurable ways to help.

The Facebook Effect

Many campaigns have applied the same “size matters” approach to Facebook, constantly pushing for more “Likes.”  At the same time, most people recognize that while there may be limited correlation between Likes and election outcomes, there is most certainly no causation.

That is true of email to. I am aware of absolutely no study demonstrating causation (or even correlation) between list size and election results.  It is simply too easy to append data or buy a list.  If everyone on your list was dumped in without permission, and nobody reads your messages, the list is ineffective.  Its impact on the election will be none.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

People who have effective Facebook campaigns invest time in growing and interacting with those supporters.  The same can be true of email.  Spending time to talk with your list (not at them), and developing that relationship into more than a one-way communication channel will yield greater results.

Keeping the email content relevant, making the messages personal, and creating a relationship with your readers doesn’t have to be a daunting task.  It does, however, require more thought.

The upside, however, is the results should more than pay off with regard to supporter engagement, dollars raised, votes cast and their likelihood to carry your message.

Feb 14, 2011 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

Follow the GOP Freshmen Class

CRAFT

Jan 06, 2011 | Categories: Political | Leave A Comment »

Twitter: Nuts and Bolts

CRAFT

Just as Twitter was a useful tool when asking for votes, it can be useful for serving constituents and informing the public. I’ll give you some tips I learned from my years working in the U.S. Senate.

In this post I’ll talk about Twitter nuts and bolts. In my next post, I’ll go into what your boss and your office should tweet about.

Start by creating a new, official account

Yes, I know you have thousands of followers on the campaign account. Yes, I know dual accounts can divide your audience, but until House and Senate rules are clarified it’s a good practice to have separate accounts. Just do it. Now, I have seen offices mix official with campaign tweets, and surprisingly haven’t read any stories about whether this is a violation of Congressional rules. To be safe, keep separate accounts and don’t be the first office to be the subject of such a story.

Sign up for an account

And find a good Twitter name ASAP. Even if you don’t know how you’ll use the account you will at least prevent crafty opponents from snapping up your boss’ name.

Get your staff on Twitter

Activists, reporters, and your constituents are talking on Twitter. Join the party. To get good at Twitter you have to use Twitter. Having a few staffers on Twitter also helps when you want to get added exposure for one of your boss’ tweets.

For staffers already on Twitter, advise them to keep a clear distinction between official business tweets, political tweets, and personal tweets. Staffers can maintain their own personality, but they shouldn’t tweet about fundraisers, campaign events, or helping other campaigns on official office time or using office computers or BlackBerrys. Also, staff should assume any tweet could end up on the front page of The Huffington Post. A disclaimer saying “all opinions are my own” won’t stop a reporter from writing a story. No one wants to lose their job because of an unwise tweet.

Don’t have a staffer pretend to tweet as your boss

Ideally your boss should tweet, but there will be those who simply won’t do it. Don’t create the illusion; there’s enough cynicism in politics. You can still be interesting and get followers without the boss tweeting.

If you plan to have a mix of boss and staff tweets, prevent confusion by labeling the tweets as being from staff. For example, Sen. Russ Feingold’s campaign staff used “STAFF” as a label.

Use analytics

Use a URL shortening service like bit.ly to tracks click-throughs. That way you can see what content is most interesting to your boss’ followers. This gives you an instant focus group.

Cross-market

Push videos on Twitter. Mention Twitter in videos, on Facebook, and in emails to constituents. Have staffers put their boss’ Twitter handle in their email signature. Your audience is across multiple channels, so you need a multi-channel approach to reach them.

Jan 04, 2011 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

Blog Outreach: Beyond the Basics

CRAFT

Over the last few years we’ve seen the merging of professional journalism and weblogging. Still, the vast majority of webloggers you will deal with write online as a hobby. Here’s some additional tips to add to Daniel Huey’s previous post.

Ask before adding to your list

My first piece of advice is to ask if a weblogger wants to be on your e-mail list. Don’t start sending e-mails to them without building a relationship. Filling inboxes with spam will not get you in good graces.

Webloggers are picky

Unlike reporters, webloggers live in a world where they’re working, taking care of their kids, etc. They aren’t like professional webloggers who have a huge appetite for content all day (and night) so they can be more discerning about what they write about.

When building your relationship with webloggers figure out what each person is passionate about. They may care about tax policy or education or they may be interested in the raw politics of Congress. It will take a lot of trial and error and to determine what each weblogger cares about.

Occasionally you will find some webloggers who will post anything you send them. They may be trying to transform their weblog into a money-making site by building their traffic. Take advantage of their need for content.

Get your boss to talk to them

Webloggers are a combination of activists and writers. They care deeply about issues and have an agenda. At the same time they use the Internet to educate, persuade, and rally others around causes. Having your boss talk to them will build trust and be a source of ideas and feedback. Here are a few things you can do:

• Hold off-the-record conference calls with a select group of webloggers to give them a candid take of how your boss and Congress is performing, how he or she can improve, and what the grassroots cares about. The goal of the call shouldn’t be about pushing a message. It should be about your boss listening.
• Talk one-on-one with a weblogger. This could either be on the phone or over a cup of coffee. Your boss will have lists of calls to make everyday. Add a weblogger to the list to build deeper relations with the blogosphere.
• Give exclusive guest posts to webloggers. Unique content will attract eyeballs for the weblog. The weblogger will appreciate that. Also, follow up by responding to comments. Readers will respect your boss more if they know he or she is being a part of an actual conversation.

Dec 14, 2010 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

Analog Adventure in Tokyo

CRAFT

Election season.

Day after day, hour after hour, crisis after crisis you’ve long since lost any sense of normalcy as your reality has been engulfed by your own volition into an endless cycle of work and stress.

Finally the wave of work crashes over you – a long building torrent of tension suddenly crescendos leaving worry, stress and sleeplessness to evaporate.

So for me there was no more logical choice to go on vacation far, far away.

I had a plan.

No beaches, cruises or tropical settings.

Instead I’d travel to Tokyo, Japan.

Really it was one large excuse to eat copious amounts of sushi and take voluminous amounts of photos.

But, somewhere along the way I discovered a love for film.  My newfound affair started with a Rolleiflex T Type 1 medium format camera (circa 1958) and quickly expanded with names like, Velvia, Portra and Ilford (different types of 120 film).

The Rolleiflex is a somewhat brutal looking piece of German engineering.  It’s a TLR meaning there are two lenses, one that allows you to view the image, the other for actually taking the photo.  Their visage is such that they look the part of a STAR WARS contraption rather than a completely mechanical photographic masterpiece.

Yet the brutal machine is a romantic device – and film is a seductress.  Everything is manual.  You load the film, set it in place – push the shutter (nearly silent) and then turn the crank to advance the film.   It feels genuine.  There’s no digital metering, no autofocus, no instant gratification of seeing the moment in time you just captured on a LCD screen.  Instead you have to be careful.  You have 12 shots on a roll of 120 film – as opposed to more than a 1,000 shots using a 64 gig card in a DSLR.

The greatest sensation you receive when using the Rolleiflex is in composing your shot.  You look down unto ground glass, where the image is reversed much like a mirror.  Every reaction to the scene you make during composition must be opposite to what you see on the screen.  It’s a hauntingly disconnected feeling, yet at the click of the shutter you feel like you accomplished a great heist, stealing a moment in time.  It feels good.

So good in fact, that after several days of taking both the Rolleiflex and my Canon 5D Mark II on adventures around Tokyo, I gamely decided to let the Canon rest at the hotel.

It was a good decision.  At the end of the day I shot 20 rolls of film – the results of which tell a far better story of Tokyo than the hundreds of digital clicks from the first two days of my trip.

Film is not without it’s traps and challenges.  Operating a 52-year-old camera without a manual can be a bit of a challenge.  I didn’t load the film properly on a number of rolls leading to scratches on the negative.  But even with scratches the film still had beauty.  Finding the correct exposure was the biggest challenge.  I had to use a light meter and then many times just guess on my shutter speed and F-stop for a given situation.

Film is also complicated on the backside.  You have to get the film processed with each type of film requiring a different development process (B+W Negative, Color Negative, Color Transparency).  If you are truly enterprising you can develop the film yourself.  Even after developing, you need to scan your film and then process it further in Lightroom just as I do my digital files.  It’s a labor of love.

While I’ve dipped my toes into the realm of film photography, I’m still a staunch digital supporter in the field of motion picture. 35mm motion picture film is a truly majestic aesthetic, yet one unattainable for most budgets.

Over the last two years there has been an arms race among camera manufactures to produce digital cinema cameras that allow cinematographers to produce near film quality looks at dramatic cost savings.  On the high end, the RED camera is an equal to 35mm film in resolution.  The canon 5D Mark II has an aesthetic quality rivaling film because it is capable of greater shallow depth of film.  This winter, both Panasonic and Sony will introduce new camera bodies that use cinema glass.  Innovation is coming fast and furious.

Film versus digital is a grand rolling debate, in both the photo and motion picture world.  But there are no right answers.  They are just tools, different cameras, formats, processes and they all have their place.  I’m just happy to have rediscovered the joy of composing using film while on a wonderful adventure in Japan.

Please enjoy a selection of photos I took using my Rolleiflex:

(The complete set can be found here.)

Velvia film yields amazing saturation of colors.  The colorful face was part of larger advertisement in a long underground corridor running through Western Shinjuku.

Tokyo is a mammoth city crawling with people.  I was particularly struck by how many salarymen just tend to wander around aimlessly engulfed yet isolated in a city of millions.

Shibuya station is a busy crossroads and social hub.

I was fortunate enough to capture this moment from a traditional Japanese wedding being held at the Meji Shrine.

This is Hideo Asano.  He’s a former journalist who covered the civil war in Afghanistan, a novelist and a Haiku poet.  He’s also homeless.  We met in Ueno Park, this is his portrait.

A perfect moment.  A large wringed crowd had gathered in Ueno park to see this street performer.  I snuck towards the front to snap a pic and he spied me and struck a pose just as I did.

Cyclist in Shibuya.  It feels as if the whole city is on his tail ready to swallow him whole.

I read somewhere that 1 in 10 Japanese own a Louis Vuitton product.  Tokyo residents’ materialism is ever-present.

Spying an acrobat through the crowd.

Julie Germany – the film scratches and backlighting are haunting but beautiful.

Self-portrait.

Dec 03, 2010 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

It’s Personal

CRAFT

During the battle over healthcare legislation, the Left frequently invoked touching personal stories and anecdotes to illustrate their points and bolster their positions.  This is an effective tactic often overlooked by the Right.

Aside from the obvious benefits to messaging, utilizing these personal examples provides compelling motivation for action. This tactic can help move you from sound bites to rallies, from articles to donations, and awareness to votes.

Invoking Emotions

By personifying a policy, you can provide an emotional hook and human connection that will motivate people to be more deeply connected to your issue.

Providing Symbolism

Every cause needs a symbol. They provide a rallying point and unified theme that everyone can relate to.  Everyone likes to feel like they are part of something larger than themselves.  Symbols make that experience more tangible.

Articulating Policy

This is a useful tactic to explain particularly intricate policies. First hand accounts can show the importance and real-world impact of otherwise esoteric ideas.

Holding Attention

In the never-ending fight for people’s time and attention, memorable personal stories keep particular issues and topics top of mind.  When these stories are illustrated in emails and videos (and distributed properly) they have the potential to go viral.

Driving Action

Organizers on the Left often rely on personal stories, and then immediately invoke them as part of a call to action. Again, this creates an emotional stir, and then immediately provides an outlet to express that compassion, anger, or excitement.

Not Political

When exposed to an overtly political message, most people literally or figuratively switch off. These stories capture and hold an audience’s attention because they are inherently about people, not politics.

As we set out under new leadership in the House and look ahead to the 2012 election, the Right must continue to assess the effectiveness of our message and how it connects with the everyday concerns of Americans. In order to continue the current momentum the Right must draw clear distinctions between their policies and those of the Left. More importantly, these stories help to keep focus on the real world, grassroots level where success or failure is ultimately judged.

Nov 30, 2010 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

A Smarter Response to the State of the Union Address

CRAFT

After the election, I saw several Republicans discussing who should deliver the SOTU response speech.

No one should.

First, any speech is bound to suffer by comparison to a speech before a joint session of Congress, with the Supreme Court in attendance.  Republicans tried to capture some of the same spirit by having Bob McDonnell speak before a small crowd of supporters in the Virginia House of Delegates chamber, but if you can’t match the pomp and grandeur of the president, try to avoid a direct comparison.

Not only is the venue working against you, but the president is a nationally-elected official; no member of the opposition can have the same stature.  Appearing to try to match the president’s status just plays to his strengths.

And finally, a speech, to be delivered immediately after the president’s carefully-planned opening move, puts the responder at a disadvantage.  Since the response speech is written without knowing exactly what the president is going to say, what is supposed to be a criticism of the president’s speech or agenda is relayed in vague terms, not pointed responses.  A prepared speech can only talk past the president, appearing deaf to what the president just said in the marquee event.

This precious free airtime could be spent dismantling the president’s argument, then pivoting to counterattack and providing alternatives.

How can the opposition do this?

Take advantage of the fact that they have fewer restraints.

First, make it a table discussion with more than one responder.  As a suggestion, include at least one governor to remind the audience that there are independent sources of authority, laboratories of policy that should retain their power to handle local problems (a big-city mayor could also do), and also include a legislator representing the opposition in Congress to directly address the president’s agenda on the federal level.

This also takes the pressure off of any one person to speak for the party, and signals that the opposition is having a frank conversation, not speaking press-release style through the great filter of lawyers and focus-group-tested language.  Make good use of stars like Paul Ryan and Chris Christie who have shown they’re champs at off-the-cuff communication and aren’t afraid to take on big issues.  Bobby Jindal would have been far better suited to this than talking into a camera solo.

Second, use resources the president doesn’t have.  The president is limited by the tradition of giving his speech in the chamber of the House of Representatives, which only affords him a microphone, a teleprompter and an audience.  Instead of trying to beat the president at his own game, use a modern-looking studio, where the responders can make use of supporting staff and visual aids like charts and video.

And this extra content should come from a well-coordinated rapid-response team who provide ammunition for the response.

• The model for responding to a speech in progress is liveblogging.  Certain people, by some mix of expertise, encyclopedic memory and quick wit, have proven they can tear apart a carefully-crafted speech in real time.  Identify these people—bloggers, political operatives, think-tankers—and (with their advance permission) borrow their best arguments and lines.

• A media team would be responsible for matching the president’s remarks to earlier video and quotes from the president, his advisers and top congressional allies that contradicted the president’s SOTU message.  Anyone with a good memory and a well-ordered catalogue of video and/or transcripts can do this.  What could be more damaging than showing that the speech just delivered contained flip-flops?

• To respond to specific policy proposals and claims, have a team of stat junkies, economists and others who can call up relevant charts and other visuals to help the responders on-screen.

This kind of rapid counter-offensive would be much more entertaining than the president’s exhausting, conventional address, giving viewers a good reason to stick around afterward.  And it would be much more effective than current efforts like sending out fact-check emails and post-speech press releases, the contents of which are read by only a tiny minority of people who saw the speech.

Don’t play to the president’s strengths. Use your own, leveraging all the media available to you that the president doesn’t have.

Nov 11, 2010 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

Shakedown

CRAFT

CRAFT is proud to showcase the work we recently produced for The Manhattan Institute for Public Policy Research. In conjunction with the release of Steven Malanga’s newest book Shakedown, we set out to create a mini-documentary, telling the story of this timely subject.

Shakedown dissects the unchecked growth of the public sector unions and non-profit groups at a time when our country is frustrated by the lack of fiscal responsibility at the federal level and fearful of what mounting debt and deficits will mean for our future. Debt at the state and municipal levels, budget busting pension obligations and unwieldy union power are at the heart of this hydra-headed issue.

This video provides a glimpse into the story Malanga explains so well in Shakedown.

Oct 22, 2010 | Categories: Political | Comments Off

Rule #17 – Be a Hero

CRAFT

(This is the final installment in a five part series looking at the living dead that infect your email list. You can find the whole series here.)

So now you have run your reactivation campaign. You have saved all you can from the zombie apocalypse.  It’s time to deal with the horde – that stubborn subset of the living dead who refuse to engage.

Selling your boss on the idea that you want to stop mailing 50% of your list may be a daunting challenge.  He loves that “two million” number more than life itself.  How do you convince him it’s just not worth it?

In the soon to be classic movie Zombieland, our hero, Columbus, lives by a set of rules. One of the most important of these is number seventeen – don’t be a hero.  Without giving the story away, he’s forced to reconsider that.

Similarly, you should see it as your job to be the hero.  Here’s how you do it.

First, you should keep those addresses in your database. Make sure they can be easily suppressed from regular mailings, but stop sending them mail on a weekly basis.  This will afford you two nifty benefits.

The first benefit is saving money that could be better used elsewhere. You can mail them occasionally as new ideas for reanimation pop into the brains they are no longer munching on.  You may think of a creative way to reach them.  Go back once a month with a message to draw them in. If they make up half of your list, and you mail weekly, you’re still reducing your monthly costs by 37.5%.  Multiply that by 12 months and you have a good cost justification you can give your boss.

The other benefit is you can still count them as “registered” subscribers.  Your boss can still cite them as part of the “two million supporters” he likes to throw around because they still get mailed regularly. However, your mail reports will no longer include the dead weight. Your open, click-through, and conversion rates should rise significantly.  Your boss will see numbers that are consistent with “active” supporters.

If you can convince your boss to raise your acquisition budget equal to what you are saving on mailings, you can also focus on attracting more active supporters, rather than spending that same money on the undead.

The net benefit to you is significant.

Your organization saves face by not having to lower its reported list size. You have freed up resources for new acquisition (so the organization doesn’t have to find the budget for it). Your success metrics are more in line with reality, and not bogged down with Zs. Finally your ISP is no longer suspicious and your messages sail through with few deliverability issues.

You have done yourself and your employer a favor, and saved the world from the ravenous appetites of the Living Dead.  Go pour yourself a cold drink and enjoy life among the living…  just be sure to keep that cricket bat handy.  You never know when you will need it again.

Oct 15, 2010 | Categories: Political | Comments Off