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MONITORING AND ANALYTICS
Learn how to position a
political candidate in the virtual
world, monitor social media
and measure the success of an
online campaign
By Eliseu Barreira Junior and
Thiago Costa (organizers)
A publication by
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO
PLANNING AND MONITORING
A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION
CAMPAIGN
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Starting off
On April 31, 2006 The New York Times published a report on the radically transformative effect that the internet was having on North American politics. At the time the race for the White House was just heating up. The newspaper analyzed the campaign’s
use of digital media and concluded that the rules pertaining to political advertising, fund raising, mobilization of grass roots support and even the dissemination of attack ads were about to be fundamentally rewritten. “Democrats and Republicans are sharply increasing their use of email, interactive websites, candidate and party blogs, and text-messaging in order to raise money. The Internet, they said, appears to be far more efficient, and less costly, than the traditional tools of politics”, wrote journalist Adam Nagourney at the time.1
As a result the practice of monitoring social media for political campaigns has been gaining in prominence. First, it enables campaign staff to monitor what voters are saying in real time. Second, it helps gauge a candidate’s performance among certain focus groups. Third, it can be used to forestall potential crises. Finally, it can be used to integrate information of interest to the different players in a political committee.
1 Politics Faces Sweeping Change via the Web
[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/washington/02campaign.html?pagewanted=all]
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What has it got to do with me?
Ever since the first business intelligence strategists identified the power of social media, companies have been able to closely monitor their target audiences. In the political universe, the race to be part of
web 2.0 is underway. Several politicians are attempting to cement their participation in the virtual world and have started to integrate social media into their political strategies. This ebook is designed to help those of you who manage or are a part of a campaign’s digital marketing team. We will guide you on how to create your own strategies and achieve greater returns from social media. We cannot overemphasize the fact that the massive use of the internet provides a huge volume of data on social media users free-of-charge to whoever cares to make use of it. Making good use of this data is one of the main challenges that this ebook will help you address.
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Contents
Chapter 1 | Online presence ........................................................ 5
Chapter 2 | Team profile ............................................................. 8
Chapter 3 | How to monitor social media ................................. 11
Chapter 4 | Strategy: what works and what doesn’t ................. 19
Chapter 5 | How to measure the success of an on-line campaign
................................................................................................... 21
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Chapter 1 | Online presence
s
“The presence of a candidate on the internet is an opportunity to open channels for conversation and to establish dialog with the public”
.....................................................................
he online campaign has already become a key tool in political strategies. For a campaign to be successful, a candidate’s online presence must be thoroughly planned.
An online presence means being where your audience is in the digital world in order to publicize the candidate’s name and what he or she stands for. There are many ways to do this, such as blogs and social media profiles, content spaces and interaction on third-party channels (blogs, websites and web portals). The issue of how to proceed in order to achieve more wide-ranging
T
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interaction with the public can be addressed by answering several questions:
> Is there a willingness to interact with the public online?
> Are you prepared to deal with criticism? > Do you have time to devote to what you create on the internet?
Let’s get to the point! HOW TO PLAN YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
Defining the objectives
What do you want to achieve with your online presence?
> Reach a certain number of followers on social media websites who may then become future voters?
> Obtain data on voters for future campaign initiatives?
> Engage people and create a grassroots support network of volunteers to take part in your campaign?
> Get your ideas out there and test the response to your platform?
> Take the public’s pulse and collect ideas for your campaign?
> Interact with members of the public and to provide the opportunity for them to debate your ideas?
> Raise funds for the campaign?
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IN CONTEXT | What people are saying about 2.0 campaigns
“For a presidential candidate, they really should be everywhere people are,” says Dave Kerpen, CEO of social media marketing firm Likeable Media.
Updates on sites such as Twitter and Facebook are now expected, with savvy candidates also tapping into other areas such as LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram to reach potential supporters, he says.
Constituents want news and information quickly, but to really be successful, candidates need to spread their messages through an open, conversational style, says Kerpen.
“Speed is important of course,” he says. “But more important than speed is authenticity and personality.”
Running for the presidency, you’d better be on social media – USA Today2
2 http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-08-12/romney-ryan-social-media/56987408/1
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Chapter 2 | Team profile h.
“The professional who coordinates a candidate’s interaction with his or her constituents is as important as the professional who coordinates the campaign’s fundraising initiatives”
.....................................................................
ow many people should work on an online campaign? It depends on the size of the campaign. The number of people hired may depend on the resources available, but
remember not to skimp because the Internet is a great venue for the formation of social capital -- engaged people who voluntarily become multipliers of the ideas and concepts surrounding the campaign.
H
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The professional who coordinates a candidate’s interaction with his or her constituents is as important as the professional who coordinates the campaign’s fundraising initiatives. He or she must be somebody very close to the decision-making core of the campaign. This is because the coordinator will manage the team and must make decisions quickly. He or she must also keep the team aligned with the principles and ideals that the candidate supports.
Let’s get to the point! WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS CONSTITUTE AN ONLINE CAMPAIGN?
The tasks > Produce on-line content (texts, photos, video, etc.) for publication on websites, blogs and social media outlets where the candidate has a page or a profile; > Publicize the candidate’s initiatives, agenda and opinions on his or her social media profiles; > Promote interactivity with the public online; > Monitor what is being said about the campaign on social media, in comments sections and on other websites on the internet; > Promote the distribution of digital campaign material.
How to hire the right people
> Choose creative and versatile professionals; > Look for people with internet experience. You will save time if you do not have to train people; > Choose good writers. They will be writing material for the campaign and you will not always have time to revise the content before publication; > Select a team that is capable of solving issues quickly. The instantaneous nature of interactions nowadays requires good judgement; > Choose professionals who can dedicate themselves to the work at night and on weekends. Both the campaign and the internet are 24-
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hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week; > Put people you trust on the team. They must be able to represent the campaign and speak for it; and
> Hire at least one professional who understands the production of content across several on-line platforms: websites, videos, social media, emails, etc.
Always make it clear to potential voters when it is the candidate or your team who is posting content. Don’t forget to also publicize the names of the social media team members.
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Chapter 3 | How to monitor social media
“Social media research is cheaper and faster than traditional campaign research” .....................................................................
ocial media has become a vital element in winning over new voters, which means that digital marketing has become increasingly important in political campaigns.
Social media monitoring is a thermometer that gauges what people are saying about a certain candidate or issue and it allows you to collect and act on information much faster than traditional campaign research. This is because the opinions expressed in the on-line environment are more spontaneous that the opinions offered to clipboard-armed, in-the-street interviewers.
S
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1. Define the objectives of the monitoring initiative
You can use the information collected from the monitoring in two ways: underestimate it or apply it in a manner that helps with the decision-making process. According to Mariana Oliveira, of Ogilvy & Mather, “in the case of political campaigns, which are usually ephemeral and where data from research institutes is
scarce, social media monitoring may be useful to support the search for strategic information. This information can help with everything from the creation of content for the TV campaign to the effective mapping of a crisis, before it gets out of hand”.
Let’s get to the point! WHAT ELECTION MONITORING IS GOOD AT – By Mariana Oliveira
> Identifying influencers (activators, detractors, vehicles); > Identifying the public; > Crisis management; > Obtaining insights for content creation; > Interaction with fans and followers; > Clarifying questions; > Conversations with candidates; > Reducing uncertainties in the decision-making process; > Searching for strategic information; > Creating relationships > Managing grassroots mobilization initiatives
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2. Assemble the team responsible for monitoring
Social media analysts involved in monitoring must have several basic characteristics, such as an above-average level of curiosity, the capacity to contextualize facts and the ability to explain what report data means in a useful and interesting manner. But the
analyst’s most important characteristic is the ability to act as a “funnel”; in other words, the ability to read hundreds of mentions and summarize this information in a relevant manner for the client. In a political campaign, characteristics such as agility, dynamism and an understanding of the political scene (who is who, political parties, laws, etc.) stand out.
Let’s get to the point! WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A MONITORING PROFESSIONAL – By Mariana Oliveira
> The ability to explain what the data is saying > The role of a “funnel”; in other words the ability to filter and sumarize hundreds of mentions > The capacity to compile social media data in a simple and relevant manner for the client > The ability to analyze public sentiment
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3. Beginning the monitoring process
Political monitoring teams have more information at their disposal than ever before on the candidate’s potential constituents and they have unprecedented access to each and every one of them to understand opinions, attitudes, expectations and much more. The challenge is to find a model to use this information in the most effective way.
The first part of the challenge involves the choice of a platform that is capable of capturing and supplying social media data. As the volume of information collected is usually large, it is necessary to take part of it as sample.
Let’s get to the point! SELECTING A MONITORING PLATFORM – By Mariana Oliveira
The monitoring platform should deliver > Searches based on clear criteria > Storage of the collected items in a simple and accessible manner > Automatic classification of items based on previously established rules > Categorization of items in accordance with the monitoring objectives > Graphs that illustrate the findings
What to consider when creating and administering the monitored keywords > The main profiles of the candidates in social media > Variations of candidates’ names, as well as spelling mistakes and diminutive forms > Possible pejorative variations associated with the names of candidates
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> Associations of candidates’ names with information that you wish to monitor
4. Structuring flows
Let’s say you have collected some important information. Who will manage it? In a political campaign, each area has its own interests and needs different information. This must be taken into account not only when it comes to executing searches (through the choice of keywords related to each type of
information), but also when a data classification plan is defined. It is necessary to create specific reports for each area.
In general, the most important events in a political campaign happen in the morning, when the latest editions of newspapers are published, or at night, during peak TV viewing times, when the main news programs and political advertisements that cause the greatest buzz are broadcast.
Let’s get to the point! DAILY CAMPAIGN MONITORING
How to create an internal communications system > Create a single environment where the most important information is stored > Structure alerts that can be provided to each area of the campaign > Develop guidelines with recommendations on how responses to users and the classification of their sentiment can be handled
What information is relevant for each sector of the campaign?
> The press officer should know what traditional communications vehicles are publishing or saying about the candidate
> The agency responsible for the production of television programs needs to know what people think about the communications initiatives it is producing
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> The agency responsible for digital marketing needs to know what voters think about its social media initiatives > The party leaders are more concerned about the opinions of the party with regard to the direction of the campaign > The campaign coordinator looks at the big picture in search of more wide-ranging information.
5. Analyzing the material collected
How do potential voters feel about the candidate? Who are the most influential people in your audience? What are the voters’ main questions? Knowing these answers is extremely important when it comes to planning monitoring initiatives. All social media operations must include a Monitoring Plan
developed by the team leader. The briefing must contain the analysis criteria for the public sentiment (positive, neutral, negative or mixed), tagging criteria and possible doubts from the analysts.
Let’s get to the point! HOW TO ANALYZE MENTIONS - By Mariana Oliveira
Planning monitoring analysis > Determine what is important to identify in the issues > Identify the reactions, feelings and desires pertaining to entities, people and campaigns > Add and cross-check information > Draw up a detailed profile of pertinent audiences > Define the criteria for comparisons among the data collected at different times during the campaign or in previous campaigns
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6. Working from the results of monitoring initiatives
Political monitoring in social media is not only be used to collect mentions connected to the name of the candidates, political parties and competitors. When collecting mentions about issues that are positively or negatively associated with politicians and have a potential for publication on the internet, the social media team can identify the most effective way to deal with certain issues or whether they are importante enough to be dealt with at all.
7. Daily monitoring of social media
The most important change that social media brings to a political campaign is the improved ability to develop relationships. In the digital 2.0 world you can’t communicate in the same way you would at a traditional rally. It is necessary to listen, share, exchange experiences and discuss different points of view. It is
necessary to interact. And this is one of the greatest challenges for politicians.
Let’s get to the point! HOW TO DEVELOP A CANDIDATE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS OR HER CONSTITUENTS
Insights for content creation
> Identify the people who are most active among your constituents so you can focus on what they write and produce specific content for them; > Propose conversations with candidates
> Run direct marketing programs with focused messages
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> Produce content and speak to niche groups; maintain dialog with specific groups; > Respond to attack ads, facts, opinions and debates;
> Crisis management; > Interact with “fans” and followers
> Clarify questions.
7. How to adjust social media work according to
political activities
During a campaign, any television programs the candidates participate in require special attention. At the end of a successful appearance it is important to create a report showing the volume of social media conversations generated, analyze the sentiment and the most representative subjects. The
information uncovered by the monitoring initiatives is a much better indicator than focus groups to find out which candidate performed better in the debate.
It is important to listen to what people are saying about the candidate on the internet in order to understand what they think about his or her candidacy. Monitoring may also be used to identify the opinion leaders in a community and the needs and interests of those people.
In politics, it is also essential to monitor the social media buzz created by one’s adversaries. It is not always necessary to carry out an in-depth analysis of information on an adversary, but the choice of some strategic data can be helpful.
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Chapter 4 | Strategy: what works and
what doesn’t
a
“The lack of ability by a politician to interact with Internet users may lead to mistakes that can derail a campaign”
.....................................................................
hat does a successful social media political campaign look like? Just being present on social media is not enough to ensure success at the ballot box. Fernando
Barros, president of the political advertising and marketing agency Propeg explains that “it is necessary to develop creative and unique strategies that can tailor messages to specific audiences, rather than depend on generalized reports”.
Several practices that are common in digital marketing, especially amongst private companies, are not well-regarded in the political sphere. Most voters reject pop-up ads, email
W
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marketing initiatives and newsletters from political campaigns. Paying influential people on the internet (usually bloggers and celebrities) to support a political campaign and create buzz is not always seen in a positive light by potential voters. Using strategies to quickly increase the number of followers of a Twitter profile or the number of fans of a Facebook pages can also backfire and thwart the objectives of the campaign.
Let’s get to the point! STRATEGIES TO CREATE INFLUENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA
> Be proactive in order to meet the campaign’s objectives > Always look for information that may be relevant to other areas of the campaign > Anticipate reactions. > Structure data in both a quantitative and qualitative manner > Identify influencers (proponents, detractors), and reach out to them individually > Identify the key target groups involved with the candidate’s ideas.
IN CONTEXT | Common Social Media Campaign Mistakes
The following is a list of the greatest mistakes politicians make with social media: 1. Use it to ask for votes without presenting their platform 2. Create an online presence and propose interaction, but fail to interact 3. Their profile is managed by consultants and they don’t admit it; 4. Get involved in mud slinging matches with their followers 5. Promote only positive messages 6. Run their campaigns with direct marketing 7. Force intimacy with online users 8. Associate their names with content that has no relation to politics 9. Want to please everybody without questioning them.
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Chapter 5 | How to measure the success
of an on-line campaign
“Every initiative that we propose to carry out on the internet, whether through a website or social media, can and should be measured” .....................................................................
ll planning must be based on a clear goal. This is important because it enables corrections to be made in direction during the execution.
Be thorough and select the most relevant targets to monitor. To find out more about these targets, the funnel shown here in the graphic can help. It simplifies online initiatives into three distinct
A
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stages:
Visibility: the passive relationship with the potential voter.
Interaction: the interactive relationship with the potential voter.
Conversion: the voter is won over by the campaign.
It is important to know that whoever passes through the final stage of the funnel may, at any moment, return to the first stage. This is a dynamic funnel. Next, we present the targets that may be associated with each of these stages.
1. Visibility
The point at which the voter becomes aware of certain content or has contact with a certain publication, but does not make him or herself known.
2. Interaction
The point at which the potential voter becomes aware of certain content or a profile and starts to interact with this publication.
3. Conversion
The deepest level of interaction with potential voters. Whoever gets to this stage wants to follow a candidate’s ideas, follow the campaign and possibly engage with it and make a contribution.
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Next Steps...
Do you need a social media monitoring platform for the 2012 elections?
Try testing Scup for 7 days and find out how we can help you.
http://bit.ly/Tsgx97
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References
This ebook draws on the experience and knowledge of several individuals. Previously presented on our blog and through other internet channels, the information presented herein was compiled by Thiago Costa and Eliseu Barreira Junior, from the Communications
Department at Scup. Find out a little more about the minds behind the shared knowledge in this ebook: Sérgio Lüdtke holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), in Brazil, with a Master’s degree in Communications Company Management from CEU/Navarra University, in Spain. His previous experience includes stints as the executive-director of internet and innovation at the RBS communications group and digital content and on-line editor at Editora Globo. Currently, Lüdtke is the coordinator of the Master’s Program for Digital Journalism at the International Social Sciences Institute (IICS), in São Paulo, as well as editor of the Interatores website. Twitter: @ludtke Tarcízio Silva holds an undergraduate degree in communications and a Master’s degree in cyberculture, social interaction and digital technologies from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), in Brazil. Currently, Tarcízio is monitoring and metrics coordinator at the Coworkers agency in São Paulo. Twitter: @tarushijio Daniel Souza was previously Planning Manager at the Wunderman agency (São Paulo). In 2010, Daniel coordinated the monitoring and metrics efforts for the campaign of presidential
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hopeful José Serra, who was defeated in a second-round run-off by the current president, Dilma Rousseff, in the Brazilian presidential elections of 2010. Serra was the candidate for the PSDB, one of the largest political parties in Brazil, which counts ex-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso among its ranks. Twitter: @danielsouza Mariana Oliveira is social media monitoring supervisor at the Ogilvy & Mather agency, in São Paulo. In 2010, she was also part of the social media monitoring team for José Serra’s presidential bid. Twitter: @marianarrpp
