Lauren Armstrong
Social media has been changing the face of campaigning. This year in New Mexico, we are seeing more of our political candidates making their voices heard on Facebook and Twitter. Besides Facebook and Twitter being great ways to get your voice heard, build relationships with your supporters, having a casual way to communicate with people and promote your campaign, it is also the newest platform for campaign fundraising.
Fundraising is not easy. If you have ever worked on the fundraising side of a campaign, you know that every dollar is a victory. The fact is that we work hard for our money. It is not always easy to give to a campaign. Bills, responsibilities and life in general just come first. When it comes to sending in a check, well, let’s just say that the check is in the mail.
From the candidate’s point of view, the best way to actually collect fundraising money is in the moment. When you meet someone or are at a fundraising event and you and the donor are wrapped up in the excitement of the campaign, this is when you should collect. The farther away you are from the moment, the less excitement there is, and the less likely they are to write a check, much less put it in the mail.
The lack of follow through is not a lack of interest; it is the tiresome process getting in the way. It’s writing the check, sticking it in an envelope, finding the mailing address, finding a stamp and lastly going to a mailbox. Not-to-mention that there is nothing exciting or rewarding about sticking an envelope in the mail. In person, you get the handshake, the smile, the fun of celebrating your contribution.
From a supporter’s point of view, sure we are more likely to donate if we are going to one of your events. If you are here, talking to me, interested in what I have to say, then let me go get my checkbook! Of course I want to help out. I like you now. Of course, how many of us really use checks anymore? How many of us have thought, wouldn’t it be easier if I could just give you my credit card? Personally, I don’t carry my checkbook with me and I rarely have cash.
So, how does a political candidate cross this fundraising chasm? This is where social media becomes a huge boon. You can create substantive relationships with thousands of people. You can talk to your supporters, interact with them for more than a quick conversation at an event. You can get to know them, and they you.
Once you have these relationships, you have the interactions and the trust and then fundraising becomes a natural progression of your online campaign. Because through fundraising in social media not only can you ask your supporters for contributions, but they can ask their friends too. They can now contribute using a credit card, debit card or checking account. Would you like to get miles or points for making a political donation?
Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, Brian Colón, did an excellent job fundraising through social media during the primary. He found that balance of asking for campaign contributions while fostering his relationships with his online friends.
Talking to Brian Colón
In April and May, Brian did a big fundraising push on social media. He raised $138,000 in online donations, which is more money than almost any other candidate for lieutenant governor in the country. He was also publicly recognized for a 48-hour period as the top online fundraiser in the country on ActBlue, the online clearinghouse for Democratic action.
Brian Colón (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
I recently spoke with Brian about the success of his fundraising and social media. He said he wanted his campaign to be the “gold standard” in New Mexico for political social media. With more than 3,400 friends and a highly interactive social media presence, not only has he accomplished this but he attributes his success to it. Brian said, “My campaign was built on social media. I won the primary by 5,000 votes. Facebook and my online activity got me those votes. I would have been at risk of losing the election without social media.”
Brian didn’t just use social media to bring awareness and communication to his campaign, he was able to harness his influence into tangible fundraising results. On his Facebook and Twitter accounts he was open about his fundraising goals. He posted updates about how much was still needed to reach those goals. During big push times he would even post about who donated, giving them public thanks and appreciation.
In many ways this is social media equivalent of the ticker running on the bottom of the screen during the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. We all call in because we want to see our name at the bottom of the screen. Brian Colón managed to capture that atmosphere and enthusiasm. Taking inspiration from the telethon, Brian said, “My father was one of Jerry’s Kids. I have been raising money my whole life, whether it was walking around with a fish bowl raising money for MDA or walking the campaign trail. I have always recognized the value of seeing my name on TV. People like recognition. The telethon was an inspiration.”
Brian successfully translated that inspiration into social media with his updates about who donated and how much. He created that buzz and excitement and was able to convert that excitement into real contributions.
I asked Brian what advantages he found in social media fundraising versus more traditional methods. He said, “People are motivated to do it online because it’s instant. When someone says they are going to drop a check in the mail, you have a 50 percent chance of it happening. It’s not that people don’t want to donate, it’s that writing a check is inconvenient.”
The “instant” quality of social media fundraising combined with the telethon style promotion of the fundraising efforts creates a momentum that mailers and phone call simply cannot generate.
Social media is the new political landscape. Relationship management is integral to successful campaign management. Integrating social media into that strategy not only opens up another stream of communication and fundraising potential, but it opens up a way to connect with your supporters at a level that has previously been unavailable.
Though not everyone is on Facebook or Twitter, why would you want to turn your back on those who are?
Lauren Armstrong is senior consultant at SM Cubed, a social media consulting firm. Follow her @laurencubed or find her on Facebook.