Women, Social Media, and political campaigns Yale Women's Campaign School Presentation

The Women’s Campaign School at Yale Social Media and Web For Your Campaign

Morra Aarons-Mele July 2010

What Online is Good For*

•  Message •  Money (caveat) •  Mobilizing •  Relationships

*Unless  you  are  Barack  Obama  

Message – Niche marketing, not mass – Getting to know the candidate

•  Search engine visibility •  Presence on major platforms and networks

–  YouTube – News/Rapid response

•  Twitter •  Email list •  Know what your opposition is doing online

– Media •  Twitter •  Email

Baseline: Website

Message: Bulk Email

•  Collect email at every chance you get – Site – Events – All posters, collateral

•  Google Groups – Segment, internal

•  StreamSend, MyEmma, Constant Contact – Stats, spam filters, segmenting

SEARCH

Message: Social Media Tools

•  Win the search battle! •  Twitter/Facebook

– Connect the two •  YouTube •  Rapid Response •  Blogger relations •  But don’t forget about email!

Source:  Quantcast;  h0p://www.slideshare.net/FredSolop/social-­‐media-­‐and-­‐poli;cs-­‐may-­‐20-­‐2009  

Money •  Free tools

– Act Blue – PayPal

•  Who to hire? http://personaldemocracy.com/who2hire-landing-page/who-hire-pdf-political-technology-guide

•  Look beyond your website – Meet, greet, email, ask – Events, social networks, widgets, Facebook,

emails, friends

•  It’s all about retail politics! –  Thank you’s, follow ups and celebrations! –  Give people a chance to grow

•  LIST MAINTENANCE –  Your list is your source of power!

•  Social Events outside of just electoral work –  People come for the cause and stay for coffee

•  Social Networks are key –  They save money and time –  Positive use of social pressure – the bandwagon effect.

Running on PEOPLE

Source:  Tanya  Tarr,  h0p://www.slideshare.net/tanyatarr/being-­‐the-­‐change-­‐in-­‐ac;on  

Mobilizing

Mobilizing

•  Google Calendar •  MeetUp •  Facebook •  Upcoming.com •  Office Hours •  Emails!

h0p://www.slideshare.net/ElisaCamahortPage/blogher-­‐goes-­‐to-­‐washington  

•  Women sponsor 3 times more bills than men--more women-friendly policies for health care, child welfare, domestic violence, child support, unemployment benefits and education. (Institute for Women’s Policy Research)

But we don’t seem to realize it!

Factors

*h0p://www.na;onaljournal.com/njmagazine/cs_20080628_6871.php;  **  The  SheSource  

Gen  X:  distracted,  apoli;cal  

“Obama”  effect  on  29  and  younger*  

Aging  donor  pool  

African  American  Women  most  likely  to  give:  are  you  asking?  **  

Women Want Real Contact

•  Women put their time where they’re invested (e.g., school)

•  And where they understand their role and purpose, can see results

•  Step away from pure transactional non profit communication to a relationship

•  Connect through stories – Story of self, story of us, story of now-

Marshall Ganz

Good Sites

•  epolitics.com •  NTEN.org •  neworganizing.com •  http://personaldemocracy.com/ •  What You Need to Know About Facebook

Marketing: http://bit.ly/ce4qLL •  PDF “Who to Hire”

Finally…

•  Don’t underestimate interns and young staffers

•  But don’t shortchange your web program. It IS worth your personal and loving attention!