Over the last few days I’ve been researching several of the politicians currently running for president. I’m mainly looking at their email marketing campaigns to see what they’re doing and to be honest … I’ve been a little shocked.
They’re all begging for money – without giving anything in return.
Now, this may be because they’re not “really” running for president yet and they don’t “need” votes yet.
As the candidate list begins to thin and as front runners emerge, I expect to see their email marketing campaigns adjust to encompass the goal of attaining new voters … time will tell.
Regardless, this article isn’t addressing their current email marketing tactics, instead it’s presenting a simple campaign that will help them acquire more voters.
3 Ps
As with all email marketing campaigns, we need to define several aspects before actually implementing the plan. If we don’t have a defined path to travel down, we could be throwing money away.
Here at Crazy Eye Marketing, we define the path as the 3Ps – People, Problems, and Products.
And, depending on budget, market size, and the business’s capabilities – the definitions can be much more specific (ie. 23 year old male with a labradoodle who spends 14 hours a day on reddit)
But! For this example, I’m keeping it simple and fairly broad…
People (who’s visiting the business [politician's website])
18-32 year olds
Problem (why an individual is visiting the business)
They don’t know much about the politician, but are trying to learn more
Products (what the business/politician offers)
This one is a bit tricky because politicians don't really “sell” anything except for their vision of how to make their country better.
They also sell little knick-knacks like t-shirts, stickers, and coffee mugs.
However, none of the above really solve any problems. So, in this instance, the product is access to the email list which will provide insights into the politician.
Marketing and Advertising
I’ve already beat this topic to a dead horse here. So, I won’t go into much detail in this post, but the main idea is that the politician needs to advertise where the audience they're trying to reach … actually hangs out.
In this case, search engine marketing (SEM) and pay per click (PPC) advertising would probably be good starting points as people usually turn to search engines when they have a question (want to learn more about the politician).
Also, social media will be good as the majority of 18-32 year olds are on social media. This medium will also perform well with the lead magnet I am about to suggest as, hopefully, it’ll go viral.
Lead Magnet
Keeping in mind our audience and their problems, what could a politician possibly offer in exchange for an email address?
Have you ever seen Jimmy Kimmel’s Celebrities Reading Mean Tweets?
It’s freakin’ hilarious and every video goes viral.
This lead magnet idea is along the same lines:
10 Of [insert politician’s name] “Toughest” Questions Answered!
Note: “Toughest” may not be a good word as it may imply the questions will actually be tough as opposed to silly, crazy, or ridiculous. (Hey, it's something to test!)
All the politician has to do is record a video of them answering 10 of the “toughest” questions they’ve ever been asked.
The “toughest” questions are the ones that are slightly silly and borderline ignorant. This way, when a humorous/witty answer is given, it's not insulting. For example, Hillary Clinton can't joke about the whole email scandal she's involved with, as that would certainly backfire.
But, she can answer questions like this:
This …
And this …
Here’s the deal tho – it needs to be funny/witty while also being transparent and real … giving actual insights into the politician as a person.
Woah! A transparent politician?!
Maybe I am asking for too much but, if they can pull it off, and show that they're a real person, this will work.
Landing Page / Opt-In Form
The landing page and opt-in form needs to be kept real simple. Remember, these people are coming to learn more about the politician – and that’s it. There’s no need to ask for anything more than an email address.
Heck, I had some extra time so I made a mock-up landing page …
When the play button is clicked, a popup opt-in will be presented asking for an email address in order to view the video.
Landing Page Variations
In the landing page example above I described a “trick” video, which may or may not be a good idea … especially for politicians who are usually seen as sneaky people to begin with …
I present you with a couple more landing page variations:
- Have an opt-in right below the video and tell people, “All they need to do is enter their email address and press, “Watch The Video”.”
- Have the video play 2 of the 10 questions and if they want the rest, enter their email address.
Email Series
Just like with the landing page, I don't know what the best possible email series is; however, I know how to start … and from there changes/optimizations will have to be made.
DO THIS! The thing is, you've got to start … even if it's terrible at first!
The Introduction and Action series will be concurrent (2 emails on the same day).
Action Series
- Email 1: Deliver Lead Magnet (immediately after subscribe)
- Email 2: 5 Unanswered Questions if donate in the next 48 hours (24 hours after subscribe)
- Note: This is just an example of something to sell. Another example could be a blooper real from when the 10 answers were recorded. Or, maybe, some “secret vault” of the politician participating in their hobbies
- The point is, its got to be something someone who wants to learn more about and will pay $1 for. Once the person opens their wallet for the candidate, they're permanently bound!
- Email 3: Last chance EVER to see unanswered questions (or whatever upsell from above) (48 hours after subscribe)
- Instill a sense of urgency and fear that this opportunity is going away
Introduction Series
- Email 1: Welcome, thank you, expectations of being on email list (1 hour after subscribe)
- Email 2: Personal note/biography/relate to the common folk (25 hours after subscribe)
- Email 3: Best content (speeches, articles, etc) (49 hours after subscribe)
Broadcast Emails
After the Action and Introduction series have finished, the politician can continue to send broadcast emails about things like …
- Speeches
- Appearances
- Related news
- Other action series
- To try and get $1
Skies the limit!
Going Forward
While this is not the end-all, be-all for politicians, at least it's a starting point.
Currently, all they're doing is begging for money … which certainly turns away voters that are on the fence with which candidate to choose.
Hopefully, their email marketing campaigns change once they're “really” running for office and “need” votes … time will tell, but you can count on us being there to evaluate their performance!
18-32 year olds
Problem (why an individual is visiting the business)
They don’t know much about the politician, but are trying to learn more
Products (what the business/politician offers)
This one is a bit tricky because politicians don't really “sell” anything except for their vision of how to make their country better.
They also sell little knick-knacks like t-shirts, stickers, and coffee mugs.
However, none of the above really solve any problems. So, in this instance, the product is access to the email list which will provide insights into the politician.
Marketing and Advertising
I’ve already beat this topic to a dead horse here. So, I won’t go into much detail in this post, but the main idea is that the politician needs to advertise where the audience they're trying to reach … actually hangs out.
In this case, search engine marketing (SEM) and pay per click (PPC) advertising would probably be good starting points as people usually turn to search engines when they have a question (want to learn more about the politician).
Also, social media will be good as the majority of 18-32 year olds are on social media. This medium will also perform well with the lead magnet I am about to suggest as, hopefully, it’ll go viral.
Lead Magnet
Keeping in mind our audience and their problems, what could a politician possibly offer in exchange for an email address?
Have you ever seen Jimmy Kimmel’s Celebrities Reading Mean Tweets?
It’s freakin’ hilarious and every video goes viral.
This lead magnet idea is along the same lines:
10 Of [insert politician’s name] “Toughest” Questions Answered!
Note: “Toughest” may not be a good word as it may imply the questions will actually be tough as opposed to silly, crazy, or ridiculous. (Hey, it's something to test!)
All the politician has to do is record a video of them answering 10 of the “toughest” questions they’ve ever been asked.
The “toughest” questions are the ones that are slightly silly and borderline ignorant. This way, when a humorous/witty answer is given, it's not insulting. For example, Hillary Clinton can't joke about the whole email scandal she's involved with, as that would certainly backfire.
But, she can answer questions like this:
This …
And this …
Here’s the deal tho – it needs to be funny/witty while also being transparent and real … giving actual insights into the politician as a person.
Woah! A transparent politician?!
Maybe I am asking for too much but, if they can pull it off, and show that they're a real person, this will work.
Landing Page / Opt-In Form
The landing page and opt-in form needs to be kept real simple. Remember, these people are coming to learn more about the politician – and that’s it. There’s no need to ask for anything more than an email address.
Heck, I had some extra time so I made a mock-up landing page …
When the play button is clicked, a popup opt-in will be presented asking for an email address in order to view the video.
Landing Page Variations
In the landing page example above I described a “trick” video, which may or may not be a good idea … especially for politicians who are usually seen as sneaky people to begin with …
I present you with a couple more landing page variations:
- Have an opt-in right below the video and tell people, “All they need to do is enter their email address and press, “Watch The Video”.”
- Have the video play 2 of the 10 questions and if they want the rest, enter their email address.
Email Series
Just like with the landing page, I don't know what the best possible email series is; however, I know how to start … and from there changes/optimizations will have to be made.
DO THIS! The thing is, you've got to start … even if it's terrible at first!
The Introduction and Action series will be concurrent (2 emails on the same day).
Action Series
- Email 1: Deliver Lead Magnet (immediately after subscribe)
- Email 2: 5 Unanswered Questions if donate in the next 48 hours (24 hours after subscribe)
- Note: This is just an example of something to sell. Another example could be a blooper real from when the 10 answers were recorded. Or, maybe, some “secret vault” of the politician participating in their hobbies
- The point is, its got to be something someone who wants to learn more about and will pay $1 for. Once the person opens their wallet for the candidate, they're permanently bound!
- Email 3: Last chance EVER to see unanswered questions (or whatever upsell from above) (48 hours after subscribe)
- Instill a sense of urgency and fear that this opportunity is going away
Introduction Series
- Email 1: Welcome, thank you, expectations of being on email list (1 hour after subscribe)
- Email 2: Personal note/biography/relate to the common folk (25 hours after subscribe)
- Email 3: Best content (speeches, articles, etc) (49 hours after subscribe)
Broadcast Emails
After the Action and Introduction series have finished, the politician can continue to send broadcast emails about things like …
- Speeches
- Appearances
- Related news
- Other action series
- To try and get $1
Skies the limit!
Going Forward
While this is not the end-all, be-all for politicians, at least it's a starting point.
Currently, all they're doing is begging for money … which certainly turns away voters that are on the fence with which candidate to choose.
Hopefully, their email marketing campaigns change once they're “really” running for office and “need” votes … time will tell, but you can count on us being there to evaluate their performance!