Get The (Key)Word Out!
our political sms messages can be the keys to winning an election, but only if you and your team make the effort to get the word out there-- or the keyword, perhaps. We've talked about what opt-in text messaging is, but now we're going to give you a few pointers as to some ways you can advertise to get voters to actually opt in.
The main goal is to think creatively; be more aware of your surroundings and focus on the details. All in all, it's the smallest things that will make the biggest impact. Putting your keyword in places that people will least expect will make a lasting impression, and get your keyword out into the world.
Business Cards
There’s nothing more than a good old, traditional business card to show that you and your campaign are professional. Nowadays with online templates to guide you, most people are able to create inventive and unique business cards with just a few clicks of the mouse. Most business tycoons or politicians simply print out their card and hand it to potential leads or voters. The interaction with media starts and ends there.
Keep that interaction going by adding your keyword and shortcode to your business card. Add it into the initial design of your card; or if you have a government-sanctioned business card, quickly write down the keyword and short code on the front or back of the card to get the word out about your political sms messages.
Billboards and Banners
The most traditional form of advertising, outdoor advertising, is tried, true, and a perfect place to plaster your keyword. Just like tour busses or tour vehicles, people will see your advertisement in commute and keep it in mind. After passing your billboard enough times on the highway, they can't help but to text in.
Banners are also an excellent and quick way to use outdoor advertising, but without all of the money. Hang up disposable, plastic roll banners at the sites of each campaign event to ensure that your keyword is on display. The best part is that you can take these banners with you wherever you go. Even if you don't have anything else with the keyword and shortcode, at least you have banners everywhere at the venue.
Volunteer Uniforms
Your volunteers might be busy at work during your campaign events, so pushing a keyword and shortcode won’t be a top priority for them. This means you’ve got to think proactively. Create shirts with your catchy keyword and shortcode splayed on the front or back that will do the work for them.
Soon enough voters will begin to recognize your volunteers as people with the keyword on their shirts. They'll commit your SMS campaign to memory. If you allow it, an sms keyword can become an icon of your campaign, spearheaded effortlessly by volunteers.
Bios on Social Media
This one may seem obvious, but the social media bio is a special place which frequently gets overlooked. While you can surely post about your keyword and shortcode (which you should), putting the combo in your bio is a sure fire way to make sure you’re covering all of your bases. The first impression of your account and online presence will immediately revolve around your political sms messages, which ultimately leads to growing your contact list.
Always make sure to keep posting about your keyword and shortcode on a regular but not pestering basis. Relevance is the name of the game; if you’re not posting about it, people aren’t visiting your page, and most importantly, people aren’t texting in.
Campaign Merch
Putting the keyword-shortcode combo on volunteer shirts is a sure fire way to disseminate your keyword. You can also put it on merchandise that all citizens can buy from your website. Not only is it PR for your campaign, but it will encourage patrons of your campaign to text in as well. They will wear the shirts or hats around their social circle, and before you know it, you’ve gained multiple subscribers.
If plastering the keyword on campaign merchandise seems tacky to you, perhaps try putting an insert or flyer into the packaging of your merchandise. This way, you’ll be able to spread the word without compromising the design or intent of merchandise.
Tour Busses and Vehicles
While RoboCent doesn’t condone texting and driving, putting your keyword-shortcode combo on your tour bus or tour vehicle is an excellent and unexpected way to advertise. Passengers of a commute can easily see your message and text in on the spot; drivers can pull over and type in the catchy combo that they saw on the road.
Not to mention, your campaign bus will surely catch a few eyes when and where it’s parked. It’s almost like a mobile billboard. Every important marketing aspect of your campaign should have a place on the vinyl of the bus.
Voicemail
While we’re all wrapped up in the world of text message marketing, we sometimes forget how vital a simple phone call can be-- or even a voicemail. You won’t be able to take every phone call while on the campaign trail; you may not event want to. The least you can do when you’re not at the phone is mention your text campaign.
Leaving your keyword in your voicemail is the little bit of work you can do now, that you won’t have to do later. If someone can’t reach you or your campaign operators, they at least have some sort of link to your campaign through sms.
How do you usually sign off on an email? What do you include in your email receipt? Perhaps you leave a name, phone number, address, or even a catchphrase. To further drill in your text campaign, throw in your keyword and shortcode in the email receipt. By doing this, you’ll be able to create a multimedia experience, without sending an MMS.
You’ll be taking the user from email to text with minimal effort, and they’ll quickly see the benefits of the latter. It’s always the small details that can take your campaign the furthest-- a mention of your text campaign in an email will make a unique and memorable impression.
Social Media Advertisements
Through paid social media advertisements, you’ll be able to narrow down your target audience and signal boost to their newsfeeds the exact message you want to convey. Shelling out a little bit of cash for a social media advertisements can gain you a lot of votes in the future; if you incorporate your keyword and shortcode into your advertisement, you gain more subscribers.
Social media sites will do most of the work for you; give them the target audience, and they’ll laser out the news feeds that your advertisements belong in. You can also reach out to business or brand sponsors with social media accounts who can signal boost your keyword and short code to their followers.
Where there is social media, there are always allies, and more importantly, an audience of texters.
Canvassing
Canvassing is an age-old political due that all people in public policy pay. Bring your canvass campaign into the twenty-first century by including a keyword and text code into your canvassing package. Make sure that canvassers know to mention the keyword and code to all houses or offices they visit.
Your text campaign should be just as involved as every other aspect of your campaign as a whole, and should be included in canvassing. It's yet another way to extend the impact of canvassing; people can continue to ask questions and be involved in the campaign even after the canvasser has stepped off of the property.
Receipts at Campaign Benefits
Many businesses make use of this strategy; that's because it's yet another detail that can make a huge impact. Say you're having a benefit at a local restaurant; for one night ask the restaurant to include the keyword and short code of your campaign onto the check or receipt. Whether it's written in by an employee or part of the printed material, customers are essentially taking the keyword and shortcode home with them.
if you read our blog on collaborating with businesses, then you understand the importance of having this kind of support. A shoutout on a receipt is just one of the many things that a business would be happy to provide for you, if you ask.
Conclusion
Most importantly, make sure to have a keyword and short code that stand out! Just like your logo and campaign slogan should be iconic, your keyword should be too. Perhaps it could be an extension of your slogan or even a random but memorable word. Either way, make it count.
All in all, the things that might seem the least important about your campaign are actually the shining stars of your SMS messaging efforts. As said before, it's the little things that make the biggest impressions.