The Social Pulpit: Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit Monte Lutz

Election 2009: Snapshot 8.5 million more ballots cast; 200 more electoral votes than Senator McCain Converted everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers Social networks, e-mail advocacy, text messaging, online video Obama loves technology. He is the first president to govern with BlackBerry in hand… and 13 million advocates at his fingertips

8.5 million more ballots cast; 200 more electoral votes than Senator McCain

Converted everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers

Social networks, e-mail advocacy, text messaging, online video

Obama loves technology. He is the first president to govern with BlackBerry in hand… and 13 million advocates at his fingertips

Obama’s Social Media Program – Wordle Version

Changing the Way Businesses Communicate Revealed force multipliers Already being adopted by advocacy groups Ladder engagement among natural allies Retool communication by leveraging social media Social media lessons from the Obama campaign Start early Build the program to scale Innovate when necessary Enable content to be easy to find, forward and act Pick where he wanted to play Channel online enthusiasm into specific, targeted activities Integrated online advocacy into every element of the campaign

Revealed force multipliers

Already being adopted by advocacy groups

Ladder engagement among natural allies

Retool communication by leveraging social media

Social media lessons from the Obama campaign

Start early

Build the program to scale

Innovate when necessary

Enable content to be easy to find, forward and act

Pick where he wanted to play

Channel online enthusiasm into specific, targeted activities

Integrated online advocacy into every element of the campaign

Obama’s Social Media Success Did everything incrementally better Identified, prioritized and tracked voters all the way to the polls Strategic decisions made at the granular level: every voter, e-mail, dollar and vote needed to win Did the cool things well and the boring things really well

Did everything incrementally better

Identified, prioritized and tracked voters all the way to the polls

Strategic decisions made at the granular level: every voter, e-mail, dollar and vote needed to win

Did the cool things well and the boring things really well

Formula for Electoral Victory Obama vs. McCain 2x 4x 5x 10x 365 electoral votes 66.8 million popular votes Web Traffic YouTube Viewers Facebook Friends Online Staff

By the Numbers Communication Strategy Result E-mail 13 million people on the e-mail list Received 7,000 variations of more than 1 billion e-mails Donors 3 million online donors Who contributed 6.5 million times Social networks 5 million "friends" on more than 15 social networking sites 3 million friends on Facebook alone Web site 3.5 million monthly visitors to MyBarackObama.com 2 million user profiles with 400,000 blog posts 35,000 volunteer groups that held 200,000 offline events 70,000 fundraising hubs that raised $30 million Video Nearly 2,000 official YouTube videos Watched more than 80 million times, with 135,000 subscribers 442,000 user-generated videos on YouTube Mobile 3 million people signed up for the text messaging program Received five to 20 messages per month Phone calls 3 million personal phone calls placed in the last 4 days of the campaign

Let’s Play Phone Tag Nokia 8860 BlackBerry 850 iPhone 3G Motorola Brick McCain Bush Dean Obama

Public Engagement Model: Spheres of Cross-Influence

Driving Media, Politics and Consumers 92% of journalists research online while writing a story (Vocus) 90% of Congressional offices use blogs to help determine constituent opinion (National Journal) 60% of consumers have changed their opinion of a brand based on what they read online (Pew)

The President’s Social Pulpit Social media is an indicator of how the administration will operate More than two million people visited Change.gov in the first month 5,000 people commented on a Change.gov video featuring Tom Daschle Thousands of house parties Exhibits how new administration can give people the opportunity to demonstrate their support for its policies

Social media is an indicator of how the administration will operate

More than two million people visited Change.gov in the first month

5,000 people commented on a Change.gov video featuring Tom Daschle

Thousands of house parties

Exhibits how new administration can give people the opportunity to demonstrate their support for its policies

Organizing for America Jan. 17 launch “ Continue to fight for change in your communities” Operated within the DNC Led by David Plouffe Economic debate More house parties

Jan. 17 launch

“ Continue to fight for change in your communities”

Operated within the DNC

Led by David Plouffe

Economic debate

More house parties

Are You Ready to House Party?

Lessons from Obama’s Social Media Campaign Laddering support through tiers of engagement Empowering super users Providing materials for user generated content Going where the people are Using tools people are familiar with Ensuring people can find your content Mobilizing supporters through text messaging Harnessing analytics to improve engagement Building the operation to scale Choosing the right team

Laddering support through tiers of engagement

Empowering super users

Providing materials for user generated content

Going where the people are

Using tools people are familiar with

Ensuring people can find your content

Mobilizing supporters through text messaging

Harnessing analytics to improve engagement

Building the operation to scale

Choosing the right team

Lesson One: Laddering Support Through Tiers of Engagement Provide a way for people to get involved based on their level of engagement Advocate Social Personal Recruit others to donate Create a group Host an event Post pictures/videos Write a blog post Join a group Create a profile Post a comment Make a donation Sign up for e-mail/SMS Friend on social networks

Lesson Two: Empowering Super Users Additional, personalized support to the most active MyBarackObama.com community members Tracking and measurement to identify and understand their online activism; content developed to meet those needs Super users were given something “more” than the average user Identify the connectors early and give them the tools to activate others

Additional, personalized support to the most active MyBarackObama.com community members

Tracking and measurement to identify and understand their online activism; content developed to meet those needs

Super users were given something “more” than the average user

You may not have a rock star at the top of the ticket, but you have an Army of Davids looking to you for leadership. What is your political footprint? Lesson Two Corollary: Know Your Political Footprint

Lesson Three: Providing Source Materials for User-generated Content Supporters could discuss and advocate in the first-person MyBarackObama.com: encouraged UGC with raw materials for speeches, videos, photos, how-to guides More than 400,000 videos created and shared on YouTube and 400,000-plus blog posts on MyBarackObama.com Edelman Trust Barometer 2008: people trust “a person like me” online

Supporters could discuss and advocate in the first-person

MyBarackObama.com: encouraged UGC with raw materials for speeches, videos, photos, how-to guides

More than 400,000 videos created and shared on YouTube and 400,000-plus blog posts on MyBarackObama.com

Edelman Trust Barometer: Who Do You Trust?

Lesson Four: Going Where People Are To reach an audience, know where they are and connect with them there

Lesson Five: Use Tools People Are Familiar With Obama had more than 3 million Facebook friends in total; supporters used Facebook tools to spread the message More than 900,000 people joined the One Million Strong for Obama Facebook group Facebook groups for almost every college in America Participation reinforces messages across platforms and creates as many touch points as possible

Obama had more than 3 million Facebook friends in total; supporters used Facebook tools to spread the message

More than 900,000 people joined the One Million Strong for Obama Facebook group

Facebook groups for almost every college in America

Lesson Five Corollary: Don’t Do It Yourself You Can’t Out-Google Google Sully Me

Lesson Six: Ensuring People Can Find Content 90% of people click on page one search results Campaign created Web sites with the URLs of popular search terms to increase findabilty IsBarackObamaAMuslim.com Campaign understood “related videos” on YouTube and mimicked tags One-third of people do not distinguish between organic and paid results Be found on page one of any search – or not at all

90% of people click on page one search results

Campaign created Web sites with the URLs of popular search terms to increase findabilty

IsBarackObamaAMuslim.com

Campaign understood “related videos” on YouTube and mimicked tags

One-third of people do not distinguish between organic and paid results

Lesson Seven: Mobilizing Supporters Through Mobile 90% of Americans are within 3 feet of their cell phones 24 hours a day 5 to 20 targeted messages each month SMS announcement of Biden as running mate was the largest mobile marketing event in the U.S. to date More than 30,000 people signed-up while waiting to hear Obama’s nomination acceptance speech iPhone application: up-to-date info and organized contacts for you With text messaging and mobile web, reach supporters anywhere they are, any time at a lower cost

90% of Americans are within 3 feet of their cell phones 24 hours a day

5 to 20 targeted messages each month

SMS announcement of Biden as running mate was the largest mobile marketing event in the U.S. to date

More than 30,000 people signed-up while waiting to hear Obama’s nomination acceptance speech

iPhone application: up-to-date info and organized contacts for you

Lesson Eight: Harnessing Analytics to Improve Engagement Tracked the success of every e-mail, text message and Web site visit Multiple versions of every ad and e-mail were created to determine what worked More than 7,000 customized e-mails tailored to individual prospects Real-time improvements and daily adjustments Test, measure and revise to improve conversion rates

Tracked the success of every e-mail, text message and Web site visit

Multiple versions of every ad and e-mail were created to determine what worked

More than 7,000 customized e-mails tailored to individual prospects

Real-time improvements and daily adjustments

Lesson Nine: Building the Online Operation to Scale Plan an online strategy before the intensity of a campaign kicks in

Lesson Ten: Choosing the Right Team Core online team started with 11, grew to 30, more toward end of campaign Dedicated Head of Social Media and Chief Technology Advisor roles; reported directly to the campaign manager Facebook and Orbitz veterans Advisors included Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Craig’s List founder Craig Newmark Factor internet and mobile into every aspect of a campaign

Core online team started with 11, grew to 30, more toward end of campaign

Dedicated Head of Social Media and Chief Technology Advisor roles; reported directly to the campaign manager

Facebook and Orbitz veterans

Advisors included Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Craig’s List founder Craig Newmark

What Does This Mean for Your Organization? How will you adapt? How are your competitors and your opposition already using this new public engagement model? Do you have a social media strategy? How is it integrated with grassroots? Communications? What can you do to optimize your existing grassroots program?

How will you adapt?

How are your competitors and your opposition already using this new public engagement model?

Do you have a social media strategy? How is it integrated with grassroots? Communications?

What can you do to optimize your existing grassroots program?

Details, Details, Details White Paper: http://tinyurl.com/socialpulpit Wordle: http://tinyurl.com/socialpulpitwordle Op-ed: http://tinyurl.com/socialpulpitoped @ montelutz [email_address] 202.312.1086 www.edelman.com

White Paper: http://tinyurl.com/socialpulpit

Wordle: http://tinyurl.com/socialpulpitwordle

Op-ed: http://tinyurl.com/socialpulpitoped

@ montelutz

[email_address]

202.312.1086

www.edelman.com