The Top 5 Trends in P2P Texting: 2020 Edition

There have been a lot of adjustments and trends when it comes to political campaigning in 2020. P2P texting has seen an all time high this year, as texting has become the main form of communication this year. Here we will take a look at some of the things that made P2P such a huge hit this year, and the impact it has had on campaign success.

Emoji’s Are Your Best Friend

This might seem simple or even a silly trend, but let us assure you it is anything but. If anything, it is the icing on top of the cake. Emoji have the power to make a conversation, and in 2020 we are seeing them everywhere. When sending out a political SMS for your campaign you can add in some Emojis to make the message more friendly. Use them when they fit! Emoji’s are everywhere. They are all over social media ads, and they are even popping up on billboards. Why? Because Emoji’s are symbols that our brain recognizes as representing something in the world.

Examples of how to incorporate an emoji:

“Make sure to vote before the deadline of [insert date]!” 🗳

“[Insert campaign name] wants to hear what you have to say! Take our survey to let us know what issues are important to you!” 🗣

Why else are emoji’s great? They are able to convey emotion in a way that words in a text message cannot. They can make a message that would normally be boring or too serious, more fun, and engaging. For example, just a simple greeting can seem more fun and friendly with an emoji next to it: “Hi Anne, this is [insert name] from [insert campaign name].” OR “Hi Anne, 😊 this is [insert name] from [insert campaign name].”

Keep Your Six Feet With P2P

What is 2020 known for? This will forever be the year of the Pandemic. The year of the Coronavirus. The year of quarantining, masks, and social distancing. The 2016 elections relied heavily on P2P, however, 2020 saw P2P texting on a whole new level. Millions and even billions of texts were sent between the Republican and Democratic parties. While yes, there were some rallies and events, the number of such events was extremely limited and lower than previous years. Voting was especially confusing this year for some voters. There were questions around mail in voting and how in person voting would pan out. These are the things that P2P texting can clear up!

With P2P in 2020, agents and volunteers were able to get out the vote, direct people to polling locations, and inform them of where they could do in-person voting. In fact, GOTV texting can raise voter turnout by 4–10%. P2P has been vital in 2020 in promoting voter turnout during uncertain times, and informing people about the various candidates that are running. P2P saved election campaigns that were unable to perform their normal door-to-door campaigning, or host their events, parades, or rallies.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Another popular item on this year's P2P agenda has been multimedia messages or picture messages. This one ties into the emoji section, as an image can always help convey a message better than words sometimes. However, in this case we are talking about physical pictures. Pictures in a P2P message can give the message more of an “ad” feel. 1 in 5 Americans do not even have access to television or do not pay for a regular TV subscription or service. How does this impact a campaign? Well, Americans who do not watch TV, will not see the paid for campaign commercials. This can impact voter turnout and the way a voter votes.

The question is, how has 2020 combated this? The answer is, P2P, plus adding pictures to the messages. These pictures could be an image of the candidate, or an image of something that represents that particular candidate or campaign. How does this help? This helps by putting a face or an image to a campaign. It can also help make a campaign more relatable. When a person goes to the polls to vote, having seen your message and image they can think , “this is the person that sent me a text with their face.” Which, in turn, can prove helpful and result in a vote for you.

Text message marketing for political campaigns is the way of the future, and it is even better if you add a picture that resonates with voters.

Reaching Millennials

What group of people are always on their phones? You guessed it. Millennials, and even Generation Z. P2P was huge in reaching these voters. Why? Well, for starters, a majority of these voters were first time voters. Being a first time voter in the age of the Pandemic can be stressful. Nothing is how it used to be, and P2P texting was/is the best way to keep Millennials up to date and informed on all election details.

Millennials and Generation Z are expected to comprise the largest chunk of the electorate. That is huge! This is why reaching these voters was a major goal of the 2020 elections. Not to mention, this year Millennials have been incredibly involved when it comes to voting. More involved than previous generations when they were younger.

In 2020 Millennials have been one of the most active groups during the election process. They have been very vocal about who they are supporting on social media platforms. You can use this to your advantage! Millennials have a fire inside of them, and they are interested in the political world and how they can be an active member in it. Utilize this to your advantage. By connecting with one Millennial, and gaining their support via P2P texting, that person has the potential of sharing it on their social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. This is free advertising for you and your campaign!

If your P2P texting campaign can get in with the Millennials or even Generation Z, then your campaign can have a lot of leverage in an election. This group of individuals can also make for a really great group of volunteers. Not only are they excited and eager to get involved, but as many are graduating or in college courses, volunteering can be a great thing for them to put on their resume.

The point is, that Millennials are not a group to overlook in 2020 and in the years to come. They will be the power generation that have the most say in future elections.

Personalize It

P2P allows you to connect with individuals on a much deeper and larger level. It helps campaigns build profiles on voters–who they support, what issues concern them, whether or not they want to be contacted, etc. This information can prove very helpful down the road in the campaign. It can help you secure future votes for future elections, or know who to ask and recruit as a volunteer.

It is estimated that between the 234 million Americans who are eligible to vote, 3 billion texts were sent out prior to the 2020 presidential election. That means that a single voter was receiving multiple text messages from the same campaigns, and various other campaigns, all vying for their vote. What made a campaign stand on top? The ability to be personable with voters, and connect with them in a special way via SMS. Whether that means using their name in the message, using an emoji, or a picture, these trends are how your campaign will get desired responses.

Personalization in P2P texting is a great way to market your political campaign, and it is 100% a smart marketing strategy which more and more companies have been leveraging in 2020. With Robocent we give you voter information and demographics so that you can strategically send and personalize messages based on the people or group of voters that you are trying to reach. Personalization takes politics to a whole new level. While politics is very serious and business-y, personalization can make it feel less so, and can make it fun for voters to interact with. It is kind of a way of saying “I care about you, and your opinion matters.” Which is all a voter ever wants to hear/feel, like their voice is being heard in matters concerning them.

The data on voters is out there. Once a voter registers to vote, their information goes into the system. It will definitely be worth it to you to utilize this information in a way that benefits your campaign and reaches out to voters. The important thing to remember when sending out P2P texts, is it all has to do with the right voter, the right message, at the right time.

Robocent is committed to your campaign success. Our P2P text marketing is the perfect way to get voters excited and ready to vote. The 2020 elections relied heavily on P2P, and future elections will as well. The future is P2P texting, and with it, your campaign will be unstoppable!