How to Harness the Power of Social Media
Social media is everywhere. A recent study found that 70 percent of all Americans use Facebook every day, 59 percent use Instagram daily, and 54 percent use YouTube daily. These platforms are a way to connect with people and grow your business, your campaign, or your issue area. The downsides of social media are well documented, but if you know what to use and how, social media can be an effective tool to help reach your goals.
For political and advocacy campaigns, using digital tools has become a necessity. The ability to communicate via social media and digital ads has been proven highly effective at helping convince voters and win campaigns. It allows campaigns to reach people who might otherwise not be paying attention at all, as well as those who can’t be reached via other platforms like direct mail, canvassing, or TV. This article will outline how to use social media platforms and ads to grow your reach and accomplish your goals.
Pick your social media platforms
There are many different social media platforms to choose from, and while you might one day want to use all of them, in the early stages it’s best to pick your top two to three platforms you want to focus on to build your brand or expand your reach. Small businesses would benefit from focusing on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, while it’s recommended that political and advocacy campaigns focus on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
There may be differences of opinion on which platforms make the most sense for you, but the bottom line is that picking your top two to three platforms helps ensure you use your time efficiently.
Although Facebook is considered by many to be a platform for older generations, it’s still the third most visited site by Americans, behind Google and YouTube. Creating your Facebook page is important and necessary to help recruit volunteers or supporters, connect with others, and effectively target people by geographic region, issue area, age, or interests.
The Facebook Live tool has also proven to be an especially effective way to engage with your supporters in real time. Elected leaders use it often to do Q&As or address breaking news. It can also be a strategic way to address potentially controversial issues and to ensure you are countering other messaging. You don’t have to be a prolific poster or user of the platform, but posting content 3-5 times per week is ideal to establish a brand or grow your base of support. Facebook ads are also especially effective, and we will get into those later.
Instagram is owned by Facebook, but a large proportion of its users are still significantly younger – under 30-year-olds. Since young people are less likely to vote, Instagram might not be your top priority. If you are running for office or working to get the support of people who have a high likelihood of voting, Facebook is a better place to spend your time. However, Instagram is still important. It is a trendier site where a lot of tastemakers live, so while you might not need to spend a lot of time on Instagram, you should make sure you are posting a few times per week.
If you are thinking strategically about content, Instagram is where you can be a little more creative. You could brand videos or make content that is fun and easy for people to consume. Facebook offers the opportunity for you to provide a lot of information while Instagram is better for trendy posts, videos, or fun behind-the-scenes content.
Many people have been predicting the demise of Twitter for a long time, but it remains one of the most highly trafficked social media platforms. Twitter has developed into a site for niche issues, but one group of people that use Twitter prolifically are reporters. Reporters break news on Twitter, and they have discussions that provide insight into their reporting, their beat, and more. You do not need to engage in these conversations, but it is valuable to have a Twitter account to post from a few times per week in case you want to engage or reach reporters.
Paid digital ads
The rise of these social media platforms means that the ability to target people using digital ads is better than ever. Micro-targeting on digital platforms is unparalleled compared to other traditional media like TV or mail. You can be efficient with your ad buy – not overbuying to cast a wide – and you can tailor your message. If you are short on cash, digital ads are a great way to get your message delivered to the precise audience you want.
Facebook ads
Of all the platforms, Facebook has some of the best targeting abilities. It allows you to target by region (down to the zip code), age, interests, and more. Facebook recently announced new limitations on how political and issue advertising can target users, but prior to this crackdown, it was an essentially unhindered space. Even with these new limits, Facebook’s targeting abilities are still extremely valuable.
Facebook’s digital ads also allow you to experiment. Rather than paying $15,000 for a TV ad, you can spend $500-1,000 to see if your ads get clicks and then reassess, changing your targeting specifications based on performance. Moreover, the platform’s micro-targeting abilities allow you to segment your ads. You can serve an ad to older adults about your plan to build secure retirements and you can serve an ad to likely parents about your plan to reduce the cost of childcare or make college more affordable. You can spend a third of what you’d spend on one TV ad and speak directly to different audiences. This refined targeting can prove extremely efficient and effective for campaigns looking to raise their name ID in the days or weeks leading up to an election.
Streaming ads
As more people leave cable for streaming platforms, over the top ads (known as OTTs) have become increasingly effective. OTT ads are the short clips that play before your selected video content. Campaigns can buy ad time on sites like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus, and many more. Unlike typical TV ad buys that require a lot of lead time and planning, these digital OTT buys can be made quickly and easily across streaming platforms. You can target by region, so the ad plays in a specific location. OTT ads have grown in popularity, as they allow campaigns to use their money more effectively.
Email lists
Lastly, building and communicating with your email list is another great way to grow your name recognition, raise money, and reach more people. Even if you start with a list of a few hundred friends and family, it’s still a great way to communicate.
The smaller the list, the less frequently you should email with fundraising requests, but do send updates or details about your priorities or work. As you grow the list, you can email more often with details about your endorsements, policy priorities, and to fundraise. A good email list, with a strong open and click through rate and a low unsubscribe rate, is extremely valuable.
Conclusion
Social media has proven to be an effective and low-cost way to reach more people than traditional media. From managing your profile to running digital ads and engaging with your email list, make sure you strategize about who you want to communicate with and how. The low cost of digital ads makes them a great way to experiment with a low risk. Focus on these tools of social media communication and you will be well on your way to achieving your goals.
