Online Campaigning

1
Online Campaigning

• a crash course
• Jim Thompson
• Jason Meyers

2
Objectives Agenda

• Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning
• Strategy
• Content
• Tools
• Relationships
• Part 2 - Case Studies
• Agriculture Union - PSAC
• Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
• Part 3 - Campaign show and tell

3
Part 1

• Steps to effective online campaigning

4
Online Campaigning Strategy
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• What are the realistic goals of the campaign?
• Define demands
• Influence government decision
• Scarecrow effect
• Public education/outreach
• Internal capacity building
• What do you want?
• Define demands
• What are the organizations interests in the
  campaign?
• Propose a solution
• Influence decisions that effect members
• Be seen to be doing something
• Fundraising

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Online Campaigning Strategy
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Whats the message and who is the messenger?
• Ensure alignment through all campaign channels
• Appoint a spokesperson(s) to avoid message
  confusion
• Recruit third parties and unlikely allies
• Who to target? / Who has influence?
• Friend or foe among Cabinet Ministers, Government
  or Opposition MPs
• Political Party representative
• Business executive
• Bureaucrat
• How to reach target?
• Direct lobbying
• Public scrutiny / Media reports
• Grassroots contact
• Pressure from a boss

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Online Campaigning Strategy
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Now, what is the best communication mix?
• Online
• Earned Media
• Paid Advertising
• Viral Marketing
• Collaboration with other organizations
• Face-to-face
• Presentations

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Content
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Website
• Build a microsite, or build into existing site?
• Components of a campaign website
• About the campaign
• About the issue(s)
• Why you should care
• Join an e-network
• Take Action (petition, action centre, etc)
• Viral marketing (tell-a-friend about the
  campaign, post to social networking)
• Fundraising
• Resources for Media
• Media Stories on the campaign
• Campaign Blog
• Connect supporters together (comments on blog,
  forum, etc)

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Content
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Email
• Effective campaigning email is not just rehashing
  press releases - more personal email to a
  friend
• Email should be urgent and rapid follow closely
  behind a news story on the issue
• Must be relevant to audience
• Ask for one thing only
• Should follow public mood on the issue there
  will be a point when the supporters will think
  enough is enough
• Effective imagery and campaign slogans can get to
  the heart of complex and confusing issues
• Report back on success

9
Content
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Anatomy of a campaign email
• Find the CRISISTUNITY in your campaign
• In order to be effective, you must convey both
  Crisis and Opportunity in your email
• E.g. The Conservatives have introduced
  legislation harmful to our cause (Crisis), but
  the opposition parties can defeat it
  (Opportunity)
• Develop a READER FOCUSED THEORY OF CHANGE
• A chain of events that begin with your supporter
• E.g. The Conservatives have introduced
  legislation harmful to our cause (Crisis), but
  the opposition parties can defeat it
  (Opportunity), but only if they get pressure from
  you and me (RFTOC)
• Have a specific and focused ASK
• The ASK is the actual action that starts the
  RFTOC
• E.g. Write a letter to the opposition party
  leaders

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Content
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Detail SUPPORTING INFORMATION
• Some people will automatically be with you
  after the first few lines, while others will need
  more information to be convinced
• Address any weaknesses in your argument
• Good practice to site news articles and other
  outside sources of info
• Provide another link after the supporting
  information
• Provide a MOVEMENT STORY
• If supporting information appeals to logic, the
  movement story appeals to emotion
• Describe what is really going on e.g. "this
  is about ordinary people taking back our
  democracy
• Describe what we are doing - e.g. "we're
  building a network strong enough to get our
  message heard"
• Describe where we are going the world we are
  trying to create e.g. "together we can ensure
  no child goes to bed hungry"

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Content

• Measure
• Delivery rate number of emails received / total
  emails sent
• Open rate number of recipients who open the
  email / number of emails delivered
• Click through rate recipients who clicked on a
  link / total emails delivered
• Conversion rate number of actions / total emails

12
Content

• Good results
• 30 overall open rates
• 20 CTR
• 60 - 75 conversion rate
• Experiment
• Copy
• Subject line
• Sender

13
Tools
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Advocacy software
• Advocacy Online
• Democracy in Action
• Fundraising Software
• GiftTool
• Artez
• Website / Blog Management
• Drupal
• Wordpress
• Integrated platforms
• Convio
• Kintera

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Relationships
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Extremely important for list building and
  maintenance
• Not just what supporters can do for us but what
  we can do for them
• Some tips
• Put join form on website and outline benefits
• Send email from a person
• Personalize messages - remember letter to a
  friend
• Send messages when it makes sense, not on a
  predetermined schedule

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Relationships
Part 1 - Steps to effective online campaigning

• Some tips
• More communication is better than less
• Provide feedback on campaign and show how they
  made a difference
• Listen to supporters and respond personally to
  inquiries
• Benefits of relationship building
• List building / retention
• Fundraising
• Viral marketing
• More likely to take action
• More likely to do harder actions
• Supporters can be eyes on the street

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Part 2

• Case Studies

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Agriculture Union - PSAC FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• The Issue
• Government has taken a hands-off approach to
  food safety / Industry self-regulation
• Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak - 20 dead
• Organizations interests
• Cut-backs affecting members (food safety
  inspectors)
• Engage members
• Highlight value of quality public services

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Agriculture Union - PSAC FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Campaign goals
• To get the government to adopt a four part plan
  to improve food safety
• To establish food safety as a local issue
• To build an e-network of supporters
• To build a brand
• Campaign targets
• Timing of campaign was during election so ask
  was for candidates to take a commitment to food
  safety

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Agriculture Union - PSAC FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Campaign activities
• Campaign website
• Bilingual
• Good copy (secret documents)
• Email candidates
• Candidate commitments
• Join Campaign
• Tell your friends
• Media Stories
• Resources for Media
• Radio ad
• Media Events
• Toronto
• Winnipeg
• Rapid response

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Agriculture Union - PSAC FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Campaign activities
• Links within party leaders offices
• Collaboration with other unions stakeholders
• Online advertising
• Facebook
• Google
• Globe and Mail
• CTV
• CARP
• La Presse

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Agriculture Union - PSAC FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Some numbers
• 18,893 unique visits to campaign website
• 3,950 letters sent to candidates in 286 ridings
• 305 commitments from candidates
• 40 new MPs made the food safety commitment
• 1,338 new joins for the organization
• 4681visits from ads / 372 click to take action
• 42 open rate on emails
• 4.3 action rate on emails

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Agriculture Union - PSAC FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies
1. Campaign launch news conference 2. PIPSC email
(30K) 3. Winnipeg news conference 4. PIPSC email
action alert (2.5K) 5. Globeandmail.com banner
and big box ads 6. Google AdWords/ctv.ca ads 7.
CARP newsletter skyscraper ad 8. PIPSC ad in La
Presse 9. CARP newsletter/PIPSC Ottawa Citizen
ad/PSAC email to 8K members 10. CARP newsletter
banner and advertorial/PSAC BC email 11. PIPSC
community newspaper ads 12. RNA of Ontario email
20K/Email to 4K Straight Goods subscribers 13.
Message to 4K Straight Goods subscribers 14. PSAC
second email blast to list of 8K
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PSAC - FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• What happened?
• About one quarter of candidates made the
  commitment
• All opposition parties pledged to improve safety
• Government announced an investigation into
  Listeriosis outbreak

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PSAC - FoodSafetyFirst.ca
Part 2 - Case Studies

• What was learned?
• Combining earned, paid and viral marketing worked
  well to drive traffic to website
• Look for real world opportunities
• Money spent on banner ads did not result in many
  actions

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Foodsafetyfirst.ca - ads
26
Friends of Canadian BroadcastingFight for Radio
Two
Part 2 - Case Studies

• The Issue
• CBC made changes to Radio Two from predominantly
  classical toward popular music
• Public outcry from very loyal supporter base of
  over one-million weekly listeners
• Organizations interests
• High level of cross over between Radio Two
  listeners and FRIENDS supporter base
• FRIENDS supporters asking the org to Do
  something

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Friends of Canadian BroadcastingFight for Radio
Two
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Campaign goals
• To drive a wedge between CBC management and Board
  of Directors
• To grow the e-network of supporters
• Fundraising
• Campaign targets
• CBC Board of Directors
• Note campaign changed focus to Stephen Harper
  after election call

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Friends of Canadian BroadcastingFight for Radio
Two
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Campaign activities
• 3 large ads in Globe and Mail
• Online Action Centre
• Send email to CBC Board
• Tell your friends
• Media Stories on issue/campaign
• Index of articulate letters
• Q A for journalists / supporters
• Broadcast voicemail
• Series of Action Alerts
• Posting of campaign material on Facebook
• Online fundraising as exit page of Email to CBC
  Board

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Friends of Canadian BroadcastingFight for Radio
Two
Part 2 - Case Studies

• Some numbers
• 2,789 actions from existing supporters (14
  response)
• 1,496 actions from new supporters
• 1,803 new joins (9 increase in the total
  membership)
• 24,271 in website visits (442 increase over
  2007)
• 40 of supporters customized template message

30
Friends of Canadian BroadcastingFight for Radio
Two
Part 2 - Case Studies
31
Friends of Canadian BroadcastingFight for Radio
Two
Part 2 - Case Studies

• What happened?
• No immediate change in programming to Radio Two
  (expected)
• Anecdotal reports that there may be some
  unhappiness with certain CBC management
• Increased e-network by 10
• 14 response rate from supporters
• What was learned?
• Adapt to changing situations (election)
• Newspaper ads were effective in driving traffic
  to the website
• People are willing to send a custom message if
  they are prompted to and care about the issue

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Part 3

• Your Turn!Campaign Show and Tell