Fire Your Campaign Manager

February 16, 2010 by Doug Mitchell · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Campaign Technology, Red Alert Dossier

important If you’re a candidate or campaign team ready to hire a campaign manager…or you’ve already hired one please take note:

If the first thing your Campaign Manager tells you to do is to get on Facebook and Twitter…show him/her the door.

Sounds odd coming from we tech centric uber geeks who live inside the Matrix eh? Not really. Here’s why. Although Twitter and Facebook are obviously KEY tools in the overall campaign arsenal…they are merely part of a multivariate marketing equation that will drive you to victory.

When a campaign manager is obssessed with Twitter and Facebook first without having an overall content / web strategy…that means there are serious gaps in their approach. Okay, maybe you don’t have to fire him/her…but absolutely call us and we’ll do a 2 day immersion camp that will blow their minds. It will be a good save for you campaign manager and the best thing for your candidate.

Tags: campaign manager, facebook, Marketing, twitter

Run a Killer Campaign for Public Office through MLM

January 13, 2010 by Steve Schultz @GeniusbyOsmosis · Leave a Comment
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.

Tags: City council, local campaigns, Marketing, MLM, multi level marketing, national campaigns, political campaign, Politician, politics, public office, pyramid scheme, United States Congress

Stay Tuned! New Weekly Ecampaign Do’s and Dont’s Webisode and “How To” Video Tip Series Unleashed in 2010

December 18, 2009 by Doug Mitchell · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Campaign Technology, News, Red Alert Dossier

If you’re not subscribed to ORS’s email updates and newsletter, you’re going to miss out on some incredibly informative electronic campaigning, multimedia production, content creation, content distribution, blogging, micro-bloggin, new media marketing, and campaign communication/collaboration tips that are incredibly useful. The ORS elves have been vigorously shooting video content and editing using the same tools we’ll talk about in our tips.

We’re doing a redesign on the home page and provide a nicely laid out archive of these tips as they hit every 2 weeks (They will alternate with the ORS Red Alert Dossier). I’d say we’re delivering a whole lot of awesomeness for a small investment of your time and email address. Of course, we’re capitalists and believe that if you love our free stuff…you’ll absolutely drool over the paid content we have inside…but that’s the bet we’re making.

So, I’ve made this even easier than normal. You don’t even have to look at the sidebar and select the FREE option, just look DOWN this page a bit more and fill in the box. You’ll be added to our FREE subscriber list and get ready to hang on.

2010 is going to be BIG for us at ORS and for you the political junky, campaign manager, county party chairman, communication coordinator, or candidate for office (from school board to U.S.
Congress). Please join us.

Tags: campaign consulting, epolitics, Marketing, Multimedia, Video

Social Media has Reached it’s Tipping Point in the World

December 1, 2009 by Steve Schultz @GeniusbyOsmosis · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News, Red Alert Dossier, Social Media

The other day an article came out from StrategyEye.com. In a recent survey half of all businesses in the sample said “they are not spending enough online and 86% say they plan to increase their social media budget in 2010.” While this article is in the context of business the concepts involved a very much the same for you politicians.

We said it was going to happen and it finally will begin full throttle (as though it wasn’t growing fast enough anyways). Social Media adoption among campaigns and organizations is vital, however many are unsure of how to get there. Whether it’s a lack of resources, lack of know-how or for many organizations, a lack of time.

The study went on to say “many firms are struggling to make the most of social media, with 54% saying a lack of resources is the biggest obstacle to better engagement. Less than a quarter of those surveyed say they can see a ‘tangible’ return on their investment. Just under two-thirds say they have gained ‘more benefit’ from their social media spend ‘but nothing concrete’.”

The hardest thing I’ve seen from marketing and social media consultants is that when they go into an organization to help develop a social media campaign it’s always about branding and rarely about selling. In a political context we are still selling. Branding gives you a position. Selling gives your target a “call to action” that is, TO RAISE MONEY!!! It seems it’s always about conversing with your consumers and less about SELLING. Both are in fact, necessary.

Even if you just entered a race, yes, branding is important, but if you don’t have enough cash to stay in the race your brand means nothing. If selling is not a part of your social media adoption than you will not reap tangible returns as mentioned above in the study.

People get really confused when I tell them I do social media change management. It’s because they are hell-bent on the idea that social media is something you “register” for and you’re off.

Before you have your next meeting with your political team or the consultants you work with ask yourself this question and then ask it to them:

“How will social media transform real work into real money?”

Simple as that. How is social media going to increase your fund raising ability? How is it going to get you that extra hundred, thousand or even ten-thousand dollars every week? How is it going to making your campaign stronger tomorrow? These are questions they should have answered the first time you entered the online arena and if they cannot answer them now, you need to look elsewhere for help.

If you don’t you’ll fall into this category of campaign or organization:

“‘While an increasing number of companies are embracing social media, many are struggling to effectively manage their engagement,’ says Phil Gripton, managing director of bigmouthmedia UK. ‘They are consequently failing to make the most of a potentially enormous opportunity.’”

Don’t pass this one up! Subscribe to ORS NOW!

Tags: Advertising agency, Brand, Business, campaign, campaign development, campaign startegy, Company, Consumer, Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, politics, Social Media

Gubernatorial Candidate Christian Fong Tweet Has Deep Meaning for Candidates

November 30, 2009 by Doug Mitchell · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Campaign Technology, News, Red Alert Dossier, Social Media

Here’s a tweet I spotted this morning from Iowa Gubernatorial candidate Christian Fong:

christianfong: WSJ tracks % of people dropping landlines in favor of cell phones here http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/ Are you one of them? I am.

You can explore the data in the WSJ article but you already know the trend. Cell phones are in the hands of just about everyone today and those abandoning a land line and going “cell only” are on the rise. This data is census related and years old. Take a look around now. I know many families who have given their children phones before their 10th birthday. Go to any gathering of twenty-somethings and overwhelmingly they’re carrying smart phones.

Bringing it Home

Each year more people abandon traditional media in favor of mobile media.
You can’t spam market to cell phones.
If you’re not delivering content online you’re invisible to an increasing percentage of society (including me).
SMS text message marketing is a powerful tool in your arsenal because those people have raised their hand and said YES to one-on-one marketing.
When’s the last time you used a phone book? (There isn’t a cell phone – phone book in the traditional sense).
What device or mode of communication (or entertainment or content delivery) is typically “always on and always on the hip” of most people you know today?