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Winning Campaigns Online
Reaching Out Through Mobile Technology
By Matt Pekarek
The list of candidates for the President of the United States is rapidly narrowing while communication to their prospective voter base is heating up. Finding new, effective forms of communication which pull us in versus push us away should be at the forefront of every politicians mind, much less those running for the most powerful office in the world.
Enter the device most American's turn to on a daily basis to reach each other: our beloved mobile phones.
Every day more Americans are embracing a life in which being tethered to a mobile phone is considered normal rather than a luxury. We can conduct business, reach friends, write and receive text (SMS) messages, browse the web, and more than ever, be accessible through our phones throughout each day - and as always, be on the receiving end of some form of marketing.
Whether it be some commercial interest, advocacy group, or political interest, the mobile phone represents an additional frontier to capture our attention, tickle our fancy, and tease us into buying into something.
In terms of voter contact of their base, candidates should consider mobile technology as a complement to the more traditional forms of outreach - automated calling, live calling, and direct mail to the home. Rather than shy away from this vast and growing frontier, candidates should embrace it within the guidelines that exist to protect their constituent’s right to privacy and choice.
Statistical surveys suggest that although most consumers would choose NOT to be marketed to on their mobile phones, those that do are more likely to be “called to action” by recognized message senders. Consumers will read an SMS or Short Message Service, approximately 94% of the time and respond up to 23% of the time. This is a far greater response reliability than the 1% response on broadsheet advertising or 2-3% for direct mail.
These numbers, while astounding, are "permission-based" response rates - meaning people who want to receive messages respond accordingly. Such numbers should lead candidates down the well-thought road of finding new and unique ways to gather an Opt-In or participation from their existing or targeted constituency which can only bolster their support base even further.
Even with the rise in use of the mobile phone as the primary source of communication among those whom politicians are so desperately wanting to reach, laws exist which severely limit how voters can be contacted on their phones. Considerable damage can be done to any candidate's campaign effort by ignoring and abusing the laws that govern either voice or SMS contact to wireless subscribers.
The FCC has laws in place which strictly prohibit contact via SMS or voice to wireless telephones unless a consumer has expressed consent to receive either form of communication - this is commonly referred to as an Opt-In. Without an Opt-In from a wireless subscriber, any and all contact to a mobile phone from a candidate is nothing more than pure SPAM. To be successful, a format must be adopted to enable the support base to “option in” to receiving mobile phone messages.
How should candidates go about gathering Opt-In subscribers or for extended participation for voice and SMS messaging to mobile phones? A great starting place for embracing what constituents really want is to understand that a choice in how they will be contacted or how they will participate on their mobile device is of utmost importance. After all, higher response rates have shown that this is the driving element - once Opted-In, support increases dramatically.
Because considerable dollars are already being spent on campaigning to keep, grab, or change our attention, the answer in providing a choice to a candidate's following could take one additional simple step without the final affect of complete overbearing annoyance: Give us a Short Code.
SHORT CODE SIMPLICITY
A short code, simply put, is a shorter version of a telephone number. Typically 5 or 6 digits long, they are unique numbers which can receive SMS messages for real-time participation and interaction, capture our desire to join forces with a candidate, or be utilized to broadcast thousand of consistent messages to those who've Opted-In to the short code to begin with.
Some available uses that exist today should be ignored no longer, especially as consumers get more attached to their devices.
EXAMPLE #1: A candidate has already spent considerable time, effort, and money to reach out in town hall meetings, television ads, debates, and signs on our lawns. Add a short code whenever and whenever possible: Text 'The Candidate' at 55555 and show us your support! Place it on the TV ad, place it on every lawn sign, and display it on a billboard. Before long, you may be surprised to find that you have gathered a respectable number of mobile subscribers willing to show their support and hear more messages that can be created to suit the need and mobilize this force.
EXAMPLE #2: Short codes are also a direct path to have the consumer interact in real time - but how? Imagine John McCain and Mitt Romney exchanging words in a heated debate over the direction of the war in Iraq. Flash on the screen under each candidate’s name a simple short code that asks a simple question, whose view do you support on this critical issue?
Very quickly thousands of text messages can pour in showing support for one candidate over another. Commercial interests are quickly embracing this form of interaction as it provides a form
of gathering data and a choice in how consumers choose to participate – The producers of American Idol have been very successful at adopting this technology to meet their voting needs.
Realistically, the political landscape must constantly strive to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of consumer-adopted technology. Adaptation of popular forms of communication such as SMS Messaging are simple and available to every candidate looking to provide choices and avenues by which they can gather support for themselves and their causes. After all, it's the power of constituent choice which drives our great country to begin with.
Matt Pekarek is CEO/Founder of Smartcall Media, Inc. He has been involved in voice broadcasting (robocall) for almost 8 years working to develop effective strategies and campaigns for politicians, fortune 500 companies, and everything in between. He can be reached at Click here to contact this Author
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