Social media giants share 2012 tips with GOP
{mosads}The focus on social and digital media reflects a ramped up Republican emphasis on engaging with voters online in 2012. That approach was largely the domain of Democrats until recently, exemplified by Obama’s expansive digital fundraising in 2008 and former Gov. Howard Dean’s (D-Vt.) pioneering online campaigning in 2004.
At the same time, social media behemoths have warmed up to the GOP and started donating to Republican candidates at a higher rate than they had in the past. In September, Facebook started its own PAC. Facebook has also sponsored an online town hall meeting for House Republican leaders, and Google co-sponsored a GOP debate with Fox News.
Other digital strategists told Republicans Thursday that online campaigning’s biggest advantage is that every aspect can be tracked, allowing campaigns to build on what’s catching and toss what’s not.
“The key to digital is to measure everything,” said Niall McSheffary of web application developer Elementz Interactive.
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Case in point: When Harbath tested multiple designs of an introductory page for one of NRSC’s online fundraising appeals, she found that one version worked 294 percent better than the others.
New technology also allows digital get-out-the-vote efforts to target voters by zip code or other data points, McSheffary said, reducing the likelihood of accidentally turning out voters for the opponent.
In another session on effective online ads, media strategists advised Republicans to focus more on video ads and other elements where users are likely to interact with the ad, sharing it with their friends or leaving a comment. They said the banner ads that made their mark during the first years of the Internet have dismal click-through rates and that most users ignore them completely.
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