Blue Swarm launches Facebook Donation Application
Filed under: News, Red Alert Dossier
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
Campaigns Need to CRUSH IT!
Filed under: Campaign Technology, News, Red Alert Dossier
If you’re running a campaign as a candidate or staffer or simply contemplating your political fate…you MUST read Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
We often say that the political scene isn’t much different from the business scene. You’re trying to sell yourself, build a personal brand, build and organization that’s effective and connected. If you’re smart you’re trying to create content and leverage new media to build online momentum…the list goes on.
You MUST read this book.
If you buy this book using the Amazon link below I’ll subtract the price of the book from your ORS quarterly subscription…not once but FOR LIFE so bring it on…and CRUSH IT! with me. Just email me or @ me (@operationred) and ask for a code and tell me, “I’M CRUSHING IT!” and you’ll get the discount.
California Republican Party – We Want to Help
At Operation Red State we’re committed to helping State Republican Parties become winners online. California is in trouble and it needs new and fresh conservative leadership. We’d like to bring our multimedia membership site to my former state and begin coaching, guiding, and driving the online success of conservatives running for office. If you are connected to the California Republican Party, we’d like to chat.
GOP Auto-Dialer None Too Happy with My Response
Yesterday I received an auto-dial call from the GOP. The caller politely asked me if I’m a registered Republican and whether I am concerned with the way things are going in Washington, etc. Then he asked me for $100. My response was that I’m giving, volunteering, and working for individual candidates that will uphold my principles and that my money is best spent building from the ground up. The caller roughly said good luck as the “disconnect” button was being pushed.
Everyone has their hand out right now. How do you make choices over national party and local candidate giving? Do you ration your giving? I see direct results of my local work..but sending $100 into the GOP ether not so much.
Red Alert Podcast
We encourage you to subscribe to the ORS Red Alert podcast in iTunes or of course you can stick with email/RSS feed at your convenience. We’re bringing new guests and technologies galore so you can learn how to run a campaign online.
We have great new interviews scheduled that will unleash new technologies that will save you money and leave your competition wondering, “How’d they do that?”
Mixed Martial Arts as a Metaphor for Today’s Political Campaign
Back in the day, when you jumped into the political ring you needed a couple key skills (money, great image, deft speaking ability) and you could win. That’s not unlike the early era of Mixed Martial Arts where an incredibly huge guy or an adept Brazilian Jiu Jitsu artist could rack up wins because they overwhelmed the field with an area or two of expertise. Fighter’s were able to train for a fight for a couple months, have the event, and take a couple months off back then too.
Fast forward to 2010. Today’s fighter must be well rounded in all of the major disciplines or he (or she) likely won’t make it out of the minor leagues. He must also train constantly. Short breaks aside, he cannot afford to stop training for even a week lest his opponent exploit the weakness. He needs wrestling, submissions, striking, incredible cardio to go the distance and outlast his opponent..and of course an unwavering spirit that overcomes pain, injury, and adversity to conquer his opponent. He likely needs a cadre of training pros as well to help specialize and improve in various disciplines.
Likewise, today’s campaign is never ending buoyed by a relentless news cycle. It requires not a simple political consultant…but a team of professional specialists. The candidate must have a ground game, the ability to raise ever more funds, an online game that blows the technological mind, a network of grassroots activist support, a massive amount of content production, constant attention to online and offline micro-communities, and the mental game to comprehend countless issues about the economy and scenarios both local and global. Also, don’t forget one small slip and your campaign has to tap out.
Bottom line you must become a multi-disciplinary fighter to win in today’s political Octagon. You need to cohesively put all your weapons into place and get your mind in total harmony with the process. Ready to throw down and become the Ultimate Fighter? Or will you get pounded out and left in whimpering heap in round one? Let’s get it on!
Obama’s SOTU – The Kobayashi Maru
As a Star Trek nerd I’m completely aware that Kobayashi Maru is a simulation that presents the Captain of a Star Ship with a no win situation. Tonight’s State of the Union speech is Obama’s Kobayashi Maru.
Flowery loquaciousness won’t do.
Angry impatience and blaming Bush or Republicans or Global Warming won’t cut it.
Moderating his message and trying to appear more “Center-Left” than teetering on a plank off the Port side won’t fly.
Pouring on the gravy like platitudes about helping the middle class and creating commission for this or that will be chagrined.
Even taking blame and offering olive branches will appear thinly veiled back doors to getting what he wants.
So when the smoke clears and the simulation reset will POTUS survive the SOTU?
Matt Schultz for Secretary of State Joins Operation Red State
Filed under: News, Red Alert Dossier, local politics
Today Matt Schultz, candidate for Iowa Secretary of State, joined Operation Red State to supercharge his online campaign.
When running a campaign online there are strategies and tools that go unused by most candidates for public office. The ORS membership site gives a candidate and the campaign team “full access” to a suite of multimedia courses to hyper -accelerate campaign execution.
“When you make a run for office your thoughts should immediately turn to web marketing. I know that’s counter-intuitive for most. But Matt is in the demographic that is typically much more comfortable ‘out of the digital gate’. He immediately brought some video and a WordPress site to the table. He’s also engaging and active on Twitter. The ORS subscription will round out his online strategy and give him affordable guidance that will take his online campaign to the next level.” – Doug Mitchell, Founder ORS
We welcome Matt and can’t wait to see him redefine how to run for public office.
Run a Killer Campaign for Public Office through MLM
Filed under: News, Red Alert Dossier
- Image via Wikipedia
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.
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Eureka! California Earthquake Representative of Nation: One Disaster Away From Total Anarchy
- Image via Wikipedia
(Authored by Doug Mitchell, Founder of Operation Red State, native Southern Californian, and 33 year CA resident)
California is not the most financially stable state in the Union these days with beyond critical problems. To add insult to fiscal crisis, they had a whopper of an earthquake up in Northern California yesterday afternoon. 6.5 magnitude. That will mean something to you if you’re from earthquake country like me. Those rattle your nerves and clears shelves of food, water, and camping supplies. Thousands lost power, minor damage abounds, and nerves are frayed. The odds of having a catastrophic quake in California sooner rather than later are substantial.
So what if the big one strikes San Francisco or Los Angeles? What bailouts are left to give? What “State of emergency and Federal aid” are waiting for us? What if we get even a moderately destructive hurricane in the Gulf or the South continues to freeze due to the “Global warming instituted by George H.W. Bush”? There ARE NO BAILOUTS LEFT.
Our nation and its 50 states are living like that family who is one “Big failure away from total economic devastation” with massive amounts of debt to go along with the new SUV, the boat, and John Deere Lawn Tractor. So many people are one paycheck or one “Uh oh” from complete collapse…and so is our nation.
For these reasons, I implore you the candidate, you the activist, you the state party, you the casual and frustrated reader…yes even you the liberal…to look deep into your soul in the upcoming elections. Understand that the Peanuts style “WONK WONK” you hear from so many in office today must not stand. You must vote for leadership that will stand on principle and do what’s right. How many in Congress now can you say that you trust to keep our Union together if we had say 5 multi-hundred billion dollar catastrophes in 2010? It’s not about “How much they bring home to the district” anymore. These elections are about our country and its survival.
Like you…with each governmental tentacle extended in private industry under the guise of bailouts and too big to fail whales, I wonder how many more disasters we’ll be able to absorb before we confront the reality put off so diligently our “leaders”. When will so much power and economic girth reside in Washington that we see nationalization and police powers by fiat? If you think I’ve joined the wacko squad just think through what we’re facing now as a nation and who is “providing everything we all need to make it all better”.
If an even moderately damaging earthquake strikes California in a major population center and during rush hour, who will Schwarzenegger call first? Will he call our President and ask for “Money” to pay the people who will rebuild the state? Or, will he call upon the citizenry to band together, take care of each other, and sustain themselves. Will he have a choice?
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