Introduction
The world of campaigning has changed a lot since the last election cycle, and digital outreach is no longer an afterthought. If you want to be successful with your outreach strategy in 2020, you need to make sure that your campaign is leveraging digital tools like social media and email. Say’s Jared Kamrass, these platforms are not only great for helping you reach voters directly but also for collecting data about your target audience so that you can optimize future communications with them.
1. Build a strong web presence
- Build a strong web presence
The first step in digital campaigning is to establish a website where people can find information about your cause and organization. This can be done by creating an official domain name for your organization, such as www.yourorganizationname.com or www.facebook.com/yourorganizationname (if the latter option is available). If you already have a website or social media account, make sure that it has all of the following components:
- A mission statement outlining what kind of work you do and why it matters
- An overview of recent successes or milestones reached by the organization
- Links to other resources related to what you do (such as research papers)
2. Identify your target audience and message them in the places they congregate online
Identifying your target audience is the first step to reaching them online. You can start by identifying demographics (age, gender, income level) and psychographics (values, interests). Then take it a step further by asking yourself: who are these people? Where do they hang out online? Are there specific social networks you should be focusing on?
What message do you want to communicate with this group of people? What resources will help you accomplish that goal–and how will those resources reach them where they congregate online? For example, if one of your goals is increasing donations for an organization that provides emergency housing for homeless veterans, then reaching out through Facebook groups dedicated specifically to veterans would be ideal; however if another goal is getting more volunteers involved in helping veterans through non-profits like Habitat For Humanity International or AmeriCorps VISTA programs then finding ways of connecting directly with those organizations through email newsletters may prove more effective since those organizations already have existing relationships with potential volunteers who might be interested in becoming involved!
3. Be responsive and timely
If you have a question, comment or concern about your campaign, social media can be used to respond to people. Social media is also useful for responding to requests from supporters, complaints from opponents and compliments from anyone who might be interested in what you’re doing.
4. Use data to optimize your outreach
Once you’ve built a base of followers and fans, it’s time to optimize your outreach. Here are some ways to do that:
- Use data to find the best times and places to post. You can tailor your content based on where people are engaging with it most often (for example, if a certain type of post performs well on Facebook but poorly on Twitter). You can also use this information when deciding which networks will be most effective for future campaigns (for example, if Instagram is where most of your audience hangs out).
- Use data analytics software like Google Analytics or HubSpot Salesforce Marketing Cloud (formerly known as ExactTarget) as part of an integrated marketing strategy that includes social media engagement tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite Pro along with email marketing software such as MailChimp
Don’t forget about digital campaigning when you’re planning your outreach strategy
While it’s important to plan your campaign in advance, don’t forget that digital campaigning is also about being responsive and timely. The best way to do this is by identifying your target audience, and then messaging them in the places where they congregate online. For example, if you want to reach millennials with news about an upcoming event or product launch, it makes sense for you to post on sites like Facebook and Instagram rather than LinkedIn or Twitter (where older professionals tend to hang out).
In addition, building a strong web presence will help ensure that people who visit your site end up sharing it with their friends–which means more people seeing what you have to say!
Conclusion
We can’t stress enough the importance of digital campaigning. It’s not just about being on Facebook and Twitter anymore–there are so many other platforms that you need to be aware of and use to your advantage. And while most people think of these tools as being used by politicians, they’re also perfect for any organization looking at reaching new audiences or increasing engagement among existing ones.
