This document provides guidance on planning and monitoring a social media election campaign. It discusses establishing an online presence through platforms like social media, blogs, and websites. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring social media to understand voter sentiment, gauge a candidate's performance, and address potential crises. The document outlines best practices for social media monitoring, including defining objectives, assembling a monitoring team, selecting a monitoring platform, structuring information flows, analyzing collected data, and using results to inform the campaign.

1. MONITORING AND ANALYTICS
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO
PLANNING AND MONITORING
A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION
CAMPAIGN
Learn how to position a
political candidate in the virtual
world, monitor social media
and measure the success of an
online campaign
By Eliseu Barreira Junior and
Thiago Costa (organizers)
A publication by

2. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2
Starting off
On April 31, 2006 The New York Times
published a report on the radically
transformative effect that the internet was
having on North American politics. At the time
the race for the White House was just heating
up. The newspaper analyzed the campaign’s
use of digital media and concluded that the rules pertaining to
political advertising, fund raising, mobilization of grass roots
support and even the dissemination of attack ads were about
to be fundamentally rewritten. “Democrats and Republicans are
sharply increasing their use of email, interactive websites,
candidate and party blogs, and text-messaging in order to raise
money. The Internet, they said, appears to be far more efficient,
and less costly, than the traditional tools of politics”, wrote
journalist Adam Nagourney at the time.1
As a result the practice of monitoring social media for political
campaigns has been gaining in prominence. First, it enables
campaign staff to monitor what voters are saying in real time.
Second, it helps gauge a candidate’s performance among certain
focus groups. Third, it can be used to forestall potential crises.
Finally, it can be used to integrate information of interest to the
different players in a political committee.
1
Politics Faces Sweeping Change via the Web
[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/washington/02campaign.html?pagewanted=all]
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3. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 3
What has it got to do with me?
Ever since the first business intelligence
strategists identified the power of social media,
companies have been able to closely monitor
their target audiences.
In the political universe, the race to be part of
web 2.0 is underway. Several politicians are attempting to
cement their participation in the virtual world and have started
to integrate social media into their political strategies. This
ebook is designed to help those of you who manage or are a
part of a campaign’s digital marketing team. We will guide you
on how to create your own strategies and achieve greater
returns from social media.
We cannot overemphasize the fact that the massive use of the
internet provides a huge volume of data on social media users
free-of-charge to whoever cares to make use of it. Making good
use of this data is one of the main challenges that this ebook
will help you address.
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4. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 4
Contents
Chapter 1 | Online presence ........................................................ 5
Chapter 2 | Team profile ............................................................. 8
Chapter 3 | How to monitor social media ................................. 11
Chapter 4 | Strategy: what works and what doesn’t ................. 19
Chapter 5 | How to measure the success of an on-line campaign
................................................................................................... 21
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5. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 5
Chapter 1 | Online presence
s
“The presence of a candidate on the
internet is an opportunity to open channels
for conversation and to establish dialog
with the public”
.....................................................................
T he online campaign has already become a key tool in
political strategies. For a campaign to be successful, a
candidate’s online presence must be thoroughly planned.
An online presence means being where your audience is in the
digital world in order to publicize the candidate’s name and
what he or she stands for. There are many ways to do this, such
as blogs and social media profiles, content spaces and interaction
on third-party channels (blogs, websites and web portals). The
issue of how to proceed in order to achieve more wide-ranging
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6. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 6
interaction with the public can be addressed by answering
several questions:
> Is there a willingness to interact with the public online?
> Are you prepared to deal with criticism?
> Do you have time to devote to what you create on the
internet?
Let’s get to the point! HOW TO PLAN YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
Defining the objectives
What do you want to achieve with your online presence?
> Reach a certain number of followers on social media websites who
may then become future voters?
> Obtain data on voters for future campaign initiatives?
> Engage people and create a grassroots support network of
volunteers to take part in your campaign?
> Get your ideas out there and test the response to your platform?
> Take the public’s pulse and collect ideas for your campaign?
> Interact with members of the public and to provide the
opportunity for them to debate your ideas?
> Raise funds for the campaign?
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7. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 7
IN CONTEXT | What people are saying about 2.0 campaigns
“For a presidential candidate, they really should be everywhere people
are,” says Dave Kerpen, CEO of social media marketing firm Likeable
Media.
Updates on sites such as Twitter and Facebook are now expected, with
savvy candidates also tapping into other areas such as LinkedIn, Pinterest
and Instagram to reach potential supporters, he says.
Constituents want news and information quickly, but to really be
successful, candidates need to spread their messages through an open,
conversational style, says Kerpen.
“Speed is important of course,” he says. “But more important than speed
is authenticity and personality.”
Running for the presidency, you’d better be on social media – USA Today2
2
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-08-12/romney-ryan-social-media/56987408/1
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8. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 8
Chapter 2 | Team profile
h.
“The professional who coordinates a
candidate’s interaction with his or her
constituents is as important as the
professional who coordinates the
campaign’s fundraising initiatives”
.....................................................................
H ow many people should work on an online campaign? It
depends on the size of the campaign. The number of
people hired may depend on the resources available, but
remember not to skimp because the Internet is a great venue
for the formation of social capital -- engaged people who
voluntarily become multipliers of the ideas and concepts
surrounding the campaign.
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9. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 9
The professional who coordinates a candidate’s interaction
with his or her constituents is as important as the professional
who coordinates the campaign’s fundraising initiatives. He or
she must be somebody very close to the decision-making core
of the campaign. This is because the coordinator will manage the
team and must make decisions quickly. He or she must also keep
the team aligned with the principles and ideals that the
candidate supports.
Let’s get to the point! WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS CONSTITUTE
AN ONLINE CAMPAIGN?
The tasks
> Produce on-line content (texts, photos, video, etc.) for publication
on websites, blogs and social media outlets where the candidate has
a page or a profile;
> Publicize the candidate’s initiatives, agenda and opinions on his or
her social media profiles;
> Promote interactivity with the public online;
> Monitor what is being said about the campaign on social media, in
comments sections and on other websites on the internet;
> Promote the distribution of digital campaign material.
How to hire the right people
> Choose creative and versatile professionals;
> Look for people with internet experience. You will save time if you
do not have to train people;
> Choose good writers. They will be writing material for the
campaign and you will not always have time to revise the content
before publication;
> Select a team that is capable of solving issues quickly. The
instantaneous nature of interactions nowadays requires good
judgement;
> Choose professionals who can dedicate themselves to the work at
night and on weekends. Both the campaign and the internet are 24-
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10. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 10
hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week;
> Put people you trust on the team. They must be able to represent
the campaign and speak for it; and
> Hire at least one professional who understands the production of
content across several on-line platforms: websites, videos, social
media, emails, etc.
Always make it clear to
potential voters when it is
the candidate or your team
who is posting content.
Don’t forget to also
publicize the names of the
social media team
members.
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11. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 11
Chapter 3 | How to monitor social media
“Social media research is cheaper and faster
than traditional campaign research”
.....................................................................
S ocial media has become a vital element in winning over
new voters, which means that digital marketing has
become increasingly important in political campaigns.
Social media monitoring is a thermometer that gauges what
people are saying about a certain candidate or issue and it
allows you to collect and act on information much faster than
traditional campaign research. This is because the opinions
expressed in the on-line environment are more spontaneous that
the opinions offered to clipboard-armed, in-the-street
interviewers.
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12. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 12
1. Define the objectives of the monitoring initiative
You can use the information collected
from the monitoring in two ways:
underestimate it or apply it in a manner
that helps with the decision-making
process. According to Mariana Oliveira, of
Ogilvy & Mather, “in the case of political
campaigns, which are usually ephemeral
and where data from research institutes is
scarce, social media monitoring may be useful to support the
search for strategic information. This information can help with
everything from the creation of content for the TV campaign to
the effective mapping of a crisis, before it gets out of hand”.
Let’s get to the point! WHAT ELECTION MONITORING IS GOOD
AT – By Mariana Oliveira
> Identifying influencers (activators, detractors, vehicles);
> Identifying the public;
> Crisis management;
> Obtaining insights for content creation;
> Interaction with fans and followers;
> Clarifying questions;
> Conversations with candidates;
> Reducing uncertainties in the decision-making process;
> Searching for strategic information;
> Creating relationships
> Managing grassroots mobilization initiatives
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13. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 13
2. Assemble the team responsible for monitoring
Social media analysts involved in
monitoring must have several basic
characteristics, such as an above-
average level of curiosity, the capacity
to contextualize facts and the ability to
explain what report data means in a
useful and interesting manner. But the
analyst’s most important characteristic is the ability to act as a
“funnel”; in other words, the ability to read hundreds of
mentions and summarize this information in a relevant manner
for the client. In a political campaign, characteristics such as
agility, dynamism and an understanding of the political scene
(who is who, political parties, laws, etc.) stand out.
Let’s get to the point! WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A MONITORING
PROFESSIONAL – By Mariana Oliveira
> The ability to explain what the data is saying
> The role of a “funnel”; in other words the ability to filter and
sumarize hundreds of mentions
> The capacity to compile social media data in a simple and relevant
manner for the client
> The ability to analyze public sentiment
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14. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 14
3. Beginning the monitoring process
Political monitoring teams have more
information at their disposal than ever
before on the candidate’s potential
constituents and they have unprecedented
access to each and every one of them to
understand opinions, attitudes,
expectations and much more. The
challenge is to find a model to use this
information in the most effective way.
The first part of the challenge involves the choice of a platform
that is capable of capturing and supplying social media data. As
the volume of information collected is usually large, it is
necessary to take part of it as sample.
Let’s get to the point! SELECTING A MONITORING PLATFORM –
By Mariana Oliveira
The monitoring platform should deliver
> Searches based on clear criteria
> Storage of the collected items in a simple and accessible manner
> Automatic classification of items based on previously established
rules
> Categorization of items in accordance with the monitoring
objectives
> Graphs that illustrate the findings
What to consider when creating and administering the monitored
keywords
> The main profiles of the candidates in social media
> Variations of candidates’ names, as well as spelling mistakes and
diminutive forms
> Possible pejorative variations associated with the names of
candidates
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15. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 15
> Associations of candidates’ names with information that you wish
to monitor
4. Structuring flows
Let’s say you have collected some
important information. Who will manage
it? In a political campaign, each area has
its own interests and needs different
information. This must be taken into
account not only when it comes to
executing searches (through the choice of
keywords related to each type of
information), but also when a data classification plan is defined.
It is necessary to create specific reports for each area.
In general, the most important events in a political campaign
happen in the morning, when the latest editions of newspapers
are published, or at night, during peak TV viewing times, when
the main news programs and political advertisements that
cause the greatest buzz are broadcast.
Let’s get to the point! DAILY CAMPAIGN MONITORING
How to create an internal communications system
> Create a single environment where the most important
information is stored
> Structure alerts that can be provided to each area of the campaign
> Develop guidelines with recommendations on how responses to
users and the classification of their sentiment can be handled
What information is relevant for each sector of the campaign?
> The press officer should know what traditional communications
vehicles are publishing or saying about the candidate
> The agency responsible for the production of television programs
needs to know what people think about the communications
initiatives it is producing
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16. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 16
> The agency responsible for digital marketing needs to know what
voters think about its social media initiatives
> The party leaders are more concerned about the opinions of the
party with regard to the direction of the campaign
> The campaign coordinator looks at the big picture in search of
more wide-ranging information.
5. Analyzing the material collected
How do potential voters feel about the
candidate? Who are the most influential
people in your audience? What are the
voters’ main questions? Knowing these
answers is extremely important when it
comes to planning monitoring
initiatives. All social media operations
must include a Monitoring Plan
developed by the team leader. The briefing must contain the
analysis criteria for the public sentiment (positive, neutral,
negative or mixed), tagging criteria and possible doubts from
the analysts.
Let’s get to the point! HOW TO ANALYZE MENTIONS - By
Mariana Oliveira
Planning monitoring analysis
> Determine what is important to identify in the issues
> Identify the reactions, feelings and desires pertaining to entities,
people and campaigns
> Add and cross-check information
> Draw up a detailed profile of pertinent audiences
> Define the criteria for comparisons among the data collected at
different times during the campaign or in previous campaigns
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17. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 17
6. Working from the results of monitoring initiatives
Political monitoring in social media is not only be used to
collect mentions connected to the name of the candidates,
political parties and competitors. When collecting mentions
about issues that are positively or negatively associated with
politicians and have a potential for publication on the internet,
the social media team can identify the most effective way to deal
with certain issues or whether they are importante enough to be
dealt with at all.
7. Daily monitoring of social media
The most important change that social
media brings to a political campaign is
the improved ability to develop
relationships. In the digital 2.0 world you
can’t communicate in the same way you
would at a traditional rally. It is necessary
to listen, share, exchange experiences
and discuss different points of view. It is
necessary to interact. And this is one of the greatest challenges
for politicians.
Let’s get to the point! HOW TO DEVELOP A CANDIDATE’S
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS OR HER CONSTITUENTS
Insights for content creation
> Identify the people who are most active among your constituents
so you can focus on what they write and produce specific content
for them;
> Propose conversations with candidates
> Run direct marketing programs with focused messages
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18. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 18
> Produce content and speak to niche groups; maintain dialog with
specific groups;
> Respond to attack ads, facts, opinions and debates;
> Crisis management;
> Interact with “fans” and followers
> Clarify questions.
7. How to adjust social media work according to
political activities
During a campaign, any television
programs the candidates participate
in require special attention. At the
end of a successful appearance it is
important to create a report showing
the volume of social media
conversations generated, analyze the
sentiment and the most
representative subjects. The
information uncovered by the monitoring initiatives is a much
better indicator than focus groups to find out which candidate
performed better in the debate.
It is important to listen to what people are saying about the
candidate on the internet in order to understand what they
think about his or her candidacy. Monitoring may also be used to
identify the opinion leaders in a community and the needs and
interests of those people.
In politics, it is also essential to monitor the social media buzz
created by one’s adversaries. It is not always necessary to carry
out an in-depth analysis of information on an adversary, but the
choice of some strategic data can be helpful.
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19. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 19
Chapter 4 | Strategy: what works and
what doesn’t
a
“The lack of ability by a politician to interact
with Internet users may lead to mistakes
that can derail a campaign”
.....................................................................
W hat does a successful social media political campaign
look like? Just being present on social media is not
enough to ensure success at the ballot box. Fernando
Barros, president of the political advertising and marketing
agency Propeg explains that “it is necessary to develop creative
and unique strategies that can tailor messages to specific
audiences, rather than depend on generalized reports”.
Several practices that are common in digital marketing,
especially amongst private companies, are not well-regarded in
the political sphere. Most voters reject pop-up ads, email
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20. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 20
marketing initiatives and newsletters from political campaigns.
Paying influential people on the internet (usually bloggers and
celebrities) to support a political campaign and create buzz is not
always seen in a positive light by potential voters. Using
strategies to quickly increase the number of followers of a
Twitter profile or the number of fans of a Facebook pages can
also backfire and thwart the objectives of the campaign.
Let’s get to the point! STRATEGIES TO CREATE INFLUENCE IN
SOCIAL MEDIA
> Be proactive in order to meet the campaign’s objectives
> Always look for information that may be relevant to other areas of
the campaign
> Anticipate reactions.
> Structure data in both a quantitative and qualitative manner
> Identify influencers (proponents, detractors), and reach out to
them individually
> Identify the key target groups involved with the candidate’s ideas.
IN CONTEXT | Common Social Media Campaign Mistakes
The following is a list of the greatest mistakes politicians make with social
media:
1. Use it to ask for votes without presenting their platform
2. Create an online presence and propose interaction, but fail to interact
3. Their profile is managed by consultants and they don’t admit it;
4. Get involved in mud slinging matches with their followers
5. Promote only positive messages
6. Run their campaigns with direct marketing
7. Force intimacy with online users
8. Associate their names with content that has no relation to politics
9. Want to please everybody without questioning them.
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21. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 21
Chapter 5 | How to measure the success
of an on-line campaign
“Every initiative that we propose to carry
out on the internet, whether through a
website or social media, can and should be
measured”
.....................................................................
A ll planning must be based on a clear goal. This is important
because it enables corrections to be made in direction
during the execution.
Be thorough and select the most relevant targets to monitor. To
find out more about these targets, the funnel shown here in the
graphic can help. It simplifies online initiatives into three distinct
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22. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 22
stages:
Visibility: the passive
relationship with the
potential voter.
Interaction: the interactive
relationship with the
potential voter.
Conversion: the voter is won
over by the campaign.
It is important to know that whoever passes through the final
stage of the funnel may, at any moment, return to the first stage.
This is a dynamic funnel. Next, we present the targets that may
be associated with each of these stages.
1. Visibility
The point at which the voter becomes aware of certain content or
has contact with a certain publication, but does not make him or
herself known.
2. Interaction
The point at which the potential voter becomes aware of certain
content or a profile and starts to interact with this publication.
3. Conversion
The deepest level of interaction with potential voters. Whoever
gets to this stage wants to follow a candidate’s ideas, follow the
campaign and possibly engage with it and make a contribution.
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23. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 23
Next Steps...
Do you need a social media monitoring platform
for the 2012 elections?
Try testing Scup for 7 days and find out
how we can help you.
http://bit.ly/Tsgx97
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24. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 24
References
This ebook draws on the experience and
knowledge of several individuals. Previously
presented on our blog and through other
internet channels, the information presented
herein was compiled by Thiago Costa and Eliseu
Barreira Junior, from the Communications
Department at Scup. Find out a little more about the minds
behind the shared knowledge in this ebook:
Sérgio Lüdtke holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from
the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS),
in Brazil, with a Master’s degree in Communications Company
Management from CEU/Navarra University, in Spain. His
previous experience includes stints as the executive-director of
internet and innovation at the RBS communications group and
digital content and on-line editor at Editora Globo. Currently,
Lüdtke is the coordinator of the Master’s Program for Digital
Journalism at the International Social Sciences Institute (IICS), in
São Paulo, as well as editor of the Interatores website. Twitter:
@ludtke
Tarcízio Silva holds an undergraduate degree in communications
and a Master’s degree in cyberculture, social interaction and
digital technologies from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA),
in Brazil. Currently, Tarcízio is monitoring and metrics
coordinator at the Coworkers agency in São Paulo. Twitter:
@tarushijio
Daniel Souza was previously Planning Manager at the
Wunderman agency (São Paulo). In 2010, Daniel coordinated the
monitoring and metrics efforts for the campaign of presidential
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25. HOW TO PLAN AND MONITOR A SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION CAMPAIGN 25
hopeful José Serra, who was defeated in a second-round run-off
by the current president, Dilma Rousseff, in the Brazilian
presidential elections of 2010. Serra was the candidate for the
PSDB, one of the largest political parties in Brazil, which counts
ex-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso among its ranks.
Twitter: @danielsouza
Mariana Oliveira is social media monitoring supervisor at the
Ogilvy & Mather agency, in São Paulo. In 2010, she was also part
of the social media monitoring team for José Serra’s presidential
bid. Twitter: @marianarrpp
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