YouTube’s New Search Stories

Wednesday YouTube launched their Search Stories videos similar to the one Google aired on a commercial during this years Super Bowl.  Search Stories allows you to use six search terms under seven or so categories to create some really cool videos.

If there hasn’t been much news about you or you don’t post anything online then this may not be very useful, but for those of you that are, check out our two samples below.  Pretty soon this type of stuff will get old so, we at Operation Red State would rather be the ones that killed it and enjoyed it while it’s still new .

Enjoy!

Analytics should run your eCampaign

I’m a metrics freak.  I love analytics.  Every tool I use has some sort of measurement figure that enables me to make good decisions that will have positive impacts and adapt to change.  Analytics SHOULD run your eCampaign, not gut feeling or perception.  The numbers are always right.

Let me give you an example.  As you saw from my last post, content distribution is insanely important.  The question is, where do you distribute your content?  What media outlets to you most aggressively send your press releases?  Is it based on that sites traffic demographics?  Is it based on their traffic count?  What is it based on?

Enough with the rhetorical questions.  It comes down to this.  It’s all, some and none of those.  The solution you’re looking for is the site that drives people to your site AND to the pages on your site that are most important for them to see.  We’ve heavily leveraged analytics in all our work.  In one of the campaigns we are working on, the results are astounding.  Of the three main competitors here are the monthly traffic levels:

Candidate 1:  From 1/20/2010 to 2/20/2010 they had 185 visits to their website.
Candidate 2:  From 1/20/2010 to 2/20/2010 they had 815 visits to their website.

Our Candidate: From 1/20/2010 to 2/20/2010 we had 1,610 visits to their website.

Recently we had a blog post on their site that received 218 unique visitors.  That one blog post had 18% more traffic than Candidate 1′s site.  How?  Effective distribution that was identified through rigorous analytics.  Our data was able to tell us what sites gave us the most referrals, which gave us the best referrals, which referred people to the pages we wanted them to view.  We can figure out anything and everything via analytics.  Whether it’s analytics on Facebook where we can independently measure click through rates or whether it’s on Twitter?  It doesn’t matter because we have the infrastructure built to handle analytics on everything we do.  Thanks to analytics, our candidate OWNS the eCampaign in his race.

The lesson here is this:  Don’t just trust your gut.  Don’t just trust perception.  Trust the numbers because they justify gut and perception.

How to win your race with technology

Today I’m talking to those of you that run in those statewide races that are won primarily on name recognition.  Races like Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of State, etc.  These are very important positions but are almost always over-shadowed by popular gubenatorial and congressional races.  They don’t spend nearly as much money and they don’t raise as much money either.  This makes it difficult to manage, especially in states like Iowa with 99 counties!

So the answer to winning is a combination of two things:

• Be competent and know what you’re talking about (people know a fool when they see one)
• Get your name out there

For most people the second is the more difficult of the two.  To do this there are three things you need to focus on to be successful in spreading your name.

1. Video:  You MUST leverage video.  Video is both highly searched and easy for any demographic to view.  Furthermore, we’ve given you EVERYTHING you need to produce better-quality video on our blog and you can do it everywhere you are.  I’ve been asked more than once, “Usually when I’m in front of groups I give my stump speech.  Which basically means if I record myself I’ll be recording the same thing over and over again.  So why do I need to record every event?”  The point is not to just hear what you have to say.  It’s to see the people listening to you.  See their reactions.  You shouldn’t ever upload your entire speech anyways more than once.  So take soundbites, create commercials, segment your videos into issue categories.  Use video.  At your events you or someone on your campaign should be walking around asking supporters why they are going to vote for you.  Ask “soon-to-be” supporters what matters most to them in your race.  Be creative.  Video is the top of the totem-pole and I have yet to see anyone fully leverage it.
2. Blogging:  Yes, I’m going to beat this dead horse into non-existence.  I love what we’ve done with Dave Funk’s campaign.  We didn’t design the site but have helped his campaign with content strategy.  If you go to his issues page you’ll see a list of 12 or so  important issues.  Now, obviously we don’t’ want pages and pages of positions on each issue.  No one wants to read that much.  So we’ve taken small excerpts that cover the general idea but links to a blog category.  So every time Dave blogs about Taxes and Spending, you can click on the issues page link for Taxes and Spending and see an archived list of EVERYTHING he’s ever blogged about on that topic.  It’s organized, and it gives everyone the level of content they want.  That’s step one.  Step two is to distribute your content effectively.  Sending it to the masses.  Your race may only be statewide but remember, in-bound links are important.  Publish your content on large networks.  We have targeted sites we use for Funk’s campaign and even the most obscure & bland posts get more than 50 clicks easy.  So create your content, organize your content and effectively distribute your content.
3. Email Marketing:  Go and get an effective email marketing tool.  Almost every demographic is using this tool.  This is equal to Facebook and Twitter in importance when you campaign.  This is a way to reach almost every demographic in one simple outlet.  Use a good email marketing system that allows you to customize your email blasts, automatically pull in your blog feed and allows you to build customized sign up forms for your website, Facebook and anywhere on the web.

These tools are key.  Just because you do them doesn’t guarantee you success, however, if you effectively leverage these three things and distribute them properly you are looking at unprecedented success in your campaign.  Remember, you need to create content, organize content and almost more importantly, effectively distribute content.

Blue Swarm launches Facebook Donation Application

Well, it’s the tool we’ve all been waiting for.  A way to process transactions without ever having to leave Facebook.  With Facebook being the largest and most active of social networks it was only a matter of time before this came around, but now we have this great tool offered to Blue Swarm clients.  I’ve gone ahead and recorded a screen cast on setting it up.  Sorry, it’s not very formal, I just threw it together so we could start using it in one of our client’s campaigns which you’ll also notice.  Nonetheless, you’ll see it’s still a great tool that you can leverage to maximize the donation potential of each and every fan and friend on Facebook.  The great thing about it that I immediately fell in love with is the fact that ANYONE can add a DONATION tab to their personal Facebook page.  That’s right!  You can literally have hundreds and thousands of Facebook users raising money for you with little to no effort on their part.  Watch the screen casting below and hopefully you can get started as soon as possible on this innovative tool.

If the Flash video player isn’t working go ahead and click here to watch the WMV version on Windows Media Player.

CLICK THE MAGNIFYING GLASS IN THE LOWER RIGHT OF THE PLAYER TO GO FULL SCREEN/ZOOM IN

Is SEO a Waste of Time in Running an Online Campaign?

SEO. Search Engine Optimization.  What is it and why do you need it?  SEO, long story short, is a method of strategically using keywords, links and more to increase the findability of your website via search engines.  When I say search engines, I don’t just mean Google, Yahoo, Bing, etcetera.  I mean any search function whether it’s Google alerts or even a news aggregator like Newsvine.  All search functions have algorithms, some more extensive than others, that allow you to search based on keywords and other  criteria.

So if the purpose of SEO is to make your site, your online brand, your online you, more findable via searches, does it really serve a purpose in politics?  The reason I mention this is because how much of a politicians traffic is driven through direct referrals like a Twitter or Facebook account and how much traffic is generated organically through searches?

I’m not sure I’m able to fully answer that question.  Certainly if I wanted to know who was running for City Council in West Des Moines, IA I may simply search, “City Council” & “West Des Moines, IA.”  Obviously being findable is important in this case but honestly, my search query is so specific that I think I’d find them with or without them optimizing their websites with SEO.  The only case it would make a difference is if you wanted your site to pop up first in the results before the competition’s sites.  That said, internal SEO does help.  Utilizing effective tags on your pages and posts make your site more searchable and user friendly.  If I wanted to know what your stance was on a local sales tax increase I can hopefully search, ‘sales tax,’ internally on your site and locate all your comments and opinions on the topic.

Without getting too far off topic I’d like to talk about what I feel is more important than SEO.  Some SEO “geeks” may fault me here saying this is included in SEO but I really couldn’t care less.  It’s called content management.  What is content management?  Well, it’s the production, optimization, distribution and promotion of content.  You’ve read this here before about the insanity of brochure websites.  Why?  Because they don’t manage content.  They don’t create and integrate multiple content distribution outlets that offer ubiquity for you and your message in the online world.  What it comes down to is the fact that you must be blogging, posting images, uploading video, responding and engaging your constituency to make your eCampaign work.  Not a bunch of hidden keywords (which most search engines don’t pay attention to anyways).

A business client of ours sent us a 10-point checklist of SEO tips they received that explain how one could improve their website and, of course, boost their sales.  Of the 10 points I think approximately seven or eight were either the creation or distribution of content.  So by merely blogging and sending it to the right content outlets for all to see  you are 70% of the way there according to these tips.  Quite frankly, I would consider you 99% of the way there.

Again, while many out there would find flaws in my analysis I firmly believe that your campaign should first ignore the technical side of SEO and focus more on content management.  When you have accomplished this maybe you can start hiring SEO consultants but quite frankly, our clients get most of their traffic from effectively targeted followings on social networks.  Not from organic searches.  In all candor, this type of traffic is more effective anyways because they are more likely to be people looking for you or your message, not people that have stumbled their way on to your site while looking for something completely different.  Call me a misinformed moron for saying, but it is what it is.

eCampaign Support via Facebook Fandom

I read this article earlier that made me chuckle.  Long story short, in Canada, there is apparently a looming Teachers’ Strike.  So students from 11 Ontario Colleges planned a walkout at the same time in protest of this strike.  So what did they do?  They had a Facebook Fan Page, DUH!

So on this Facebook Fan Page they gained 22,000 fans.  Quite a number.  They than had  petition, likely distributed through Facebook, that had 4,000 signatures.  Of all these numbers, only 356 students agreed to the walkout.  So the time arrives to walkout and protest and what happens?  (Do you hear the chirping birds?)  Nothing happened. The National Post’s Kelly McParland reported  that,

“Graeme McNaughton, founder of the antistrike Facebook group, said he had found volunteers at 11 colleges who were willing to lead student walkouts. In the end, however, turnout was meagre, and in no case exceeded 20 people.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I find this incredibly funny.  Here you have “activist” college students trying to fight a cause and get incredible online support.  In reality though, only 18% of their fans were willing to sign a petition, 1.618% agreed to walkout and assuming the maximum quoted above (20 per location)  a whopping 1.09% actually did anything.  The National Post reported that one school had a whole student (yes, singular, it’s not a typo) walk out and deliver the petition to the admin offices.  HA!

Lesson?  Just because you have a lot of fans means nothing.  I was actually reading from The Iowa Republican and the Bleeding Heartland and saw a comment by the same commenter that was bleeding with ignorance.  He/She concluded that because one candidate had quadruple the numbers of anyone else running that he would win.  The funniest thing is that he can’t add because one of the other candidates had twice as many as his beloved candidate.

When you’re running your campaign there are two things: Don’t think you lack support because you only have few fans on Facebook and don’t think you’ve got it in the bag because you have a gazillion fans.  In a lot of cases you’d be better off having 20,000 gremlins become fans than having 20,000 actual fans.  (Because gremlins are sneaky, just don’t put them in the microwave;)

So what’s the point of being a fan?  Engagement.  You need to engage.  If I have 100 fans that I am constantly engaging versus someone with 10,000 fans they never engage, I am better off and have a stronger following.  It’s not about fandom, it’s about engagement.  So as you run your online eCampaig remember that even if you rise to the elite of Facebook Fandom, if it’s only based on quantity, not quality, you’re support is utterly worthless.

Video SEO for Your Online Video Campaign

Preview

Search Engie Optimization – VSEO – Video Search Engine Optimization – with Greg Jarboe at SES San Jose 2008

Run a Killer Campaign for Public Office through MLM

I was sitting down in my living room a couple of days and had this epiphany (though maybe blatantly obvious to you, so just humor me) on how to run a killer campaign for public office.  It’s quite simple actually.  It’s called something that a few have grown to love, many don’t understand and many have made zero dollars trying it out.

It’s called Multi-Level Marketing (MLM).  Initially my thought was this is the means to winning the local political campaign.  Rather, it works on all levels of political office it’s just a matter of applying it properly.

MLM, for those that don’t know it very well, in very general and simple terms, is a pyramid scheme.  Think about those running for Congress or any Presidential campaign.  They have County Chairs, State Chairs, Coalition Chairs, etcetera.  It’s one giant pyramid scheme where each chair-person is raising money, motivating volunteers and getting out the vote.  Here are the problems.

On large statewide or national campaigns many don’t think of themselves as MLMs when they should.  Each County or State chair needs to recruit “X” number of volunteers and raise $XX.  Each of his/her recruits need to recruit “X” number of volunteers and raise $XX.  It’s the never-ending circle that creates sort of a top-down grassroots effort (yes, I see the contradiction there).  This mindset will enable you to reach the largest number of people in the most effective way.  Stump speeches in front of hundreds work, but recruiting my 10 best friends/family and having them do the same is much more effective and personable.

On a local level campaign run you typically don’t just think of this, you’re likely not even doing it on accident like the higher-level offices.  Just because you have a small constituency there’s nothing wrong with having a Teacher’s coalition, veteran’s coaltion, etcetera.  You may have to get a little more creative because city council won’t be too involved in Veteran’s issues but it can be done.

Lesson:  Be an MLM marketer.  It works because everyone involved is working for the person at the top and to put them in office rather than working for themselves.  It’s a self-less pyramid schemed.  I’m actually going to pick up some books on MLM marketing because, in all candor, as bad a rap MLM gets it’s precisely the thing your campaign needs.  To put in words a little easier on the ears, you need the organization.  Money doesn’t buy organization, money buys ads and yard signs.  Imagine if you had both.

Running for Local Office? Make a Campaign Sign

Duh!  I know that’s what you’re all thinking.  But quite frankly there are a significant number of people out there that are interested in running and have never ventured into politics.  As a matter of fact, a lot of times, it’s kind of easy to spot them because their signs are, well, interesting.  In all candor, it’s really just about basic marketing principles applied both online and IRL (in real life).

Well, for those of you that are looking to run this 2010, probably a local office, check out these tips from iSnare.com.

1. Colors Matter: Just like you wouldn’t wear certain colors in parts of LA, colors represent something.  The symbolize political parties, ideology and much more.  I’ll often see green colored signs for local offices that are running in rural areas with lots of farmland.
2. Oh I look Great: Would you buy a product without at the very least seeing it in a picture?  Of course not.  You must have a face with your brand.  If your message doesn’t have a face to fall back on you won’t pull in votes.
3. Everyone Knows The Name: What do people see when they look on the ballot?  Names and sometime parties.  Give them a name.  Honestly, if you can hammer your name in the head of every person in your area you will win.  Especially in local races or the “unknown” races that people don’t pay too much attention to.  Your Name could win it for you.
4. Political Party Affiliations: Affiliations do matter, but unlike the advice of the article, it’s not always smart to declare your affiliations.  In many local races you need to consider your self a “Bostonian” before you consider yourself a certain ideology.  “Bostonian” of course meaning whatever city you hail from.  Sometimes party affiliation will help and sometimes it can hurt.  Just remember, when they see your Conservative you may gain the right vote but you’ve possibly lost the left.  That’s quite presumptuous but for simplicity’s sake, let’s leave it at that.
5. Slogan: A slogan is and isn’t necessary.  If you have a good slogan it works.  But remember your signs are only so big so keep it short and simple.  Obama ran on Hope and Change.  And while Hope is gone and the Change has been terrible, it was catchy.  Be original but don’t be stupid.
6. You Constituency: If there is one thing I abhor in this world it’s a political sign where I can’t tell what they are running for.  Especially on local races.  Often you can’t tell what district they’re running for, is it school board or city council, etc.  Tell everyone what you are running for.
7. Use Icons: Icons can work but again, be careful.  Icons can become confusing.  If you use icons keep it simple.  Here in Iowa my brother has used the State of Iowa as an icon and it works.  Don’t have something ambiguous or that just doesn’t make sense.

Anyways, these are their tips (somewhat) on making signs.  Yes, I know, this is a technology blog, but let’s be honest, if you aren’t following these principles in the design of your website and bumper/banner ads than you’re messing up.  Like I said these tips apply online and IRL.  So if you’re running for public office, especially for the first time, you have a new, fresh brand to create.  Follow these tips and make the most of your image and good luck in running you political campaign.

Government 2.0 versus Citizen 2.0

We’ve all heard quite a bit about Government 2.0 the past 20 months or so and the question is still out there – Is Government 2.0 possible?  Government 2.0 is the concept of “collaborative government.”  One where our representatives can execute their responsibilities via the web.  This could be taken as far as allowing Congress to vote remotely out of their offices in their districts or as simple as automating information distribution via the web.  One area where our Iowan SOS Mike Mauro has dropped the ball is not allowing businesses to organize or incorporate via the Internet.

To the degree in which some people would like, full fledged Government 2.0 is either impossible or a long ways away.  It may be impossible because Government is never efficient.  It’s definitely a long ways away because we’ve got a bunch of old people running the show.

What IS possible is Citizen 2.0.  Citizen 2.0 is the activist side of politics.  Via the web every individual can express what they want in a variety of venues.  How does this relate to your campaign?  Stop thinking in terms of Government 2.0 and start thinking in terms of Citizen 2.0.  Government 2.0 is what Obama practiced.  He declared greater transparency through the Internet, he has his team TIGR and everything.  Well, we’ve all seen how that worked out.  Instead you need to focus on driving online activism.  Create an environment that facilitates the creation of Citizen 2.0 and engage with those individuals.  This is the key to winning the eCampaign.

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