coates presentation

Political New Media Strategies:Lessons from the UK election

By Samuel Coates

Key points

Take new media seriously in your organisation – it is not optional

Identify your audiences – and use the right online tools to reach them

Be flexible and fast

Being serious as an organisation

Our incentives to innovate: Being in opposition Rebranding Developing our own content

Our internal challenges: Responsibility for the website was divided Our online strategy was not focused

Integrated strategy

I.T.

ResearchPress

Donations

ActivistsWEBSITE

Know your audience

Voters

1. Undecided2. Confirmed

Activists

1. Inactive2. Current

Reframing the questions

Organisation asks:

• We want more volunteers• We want to campaign online• We want more website visitors• We want more money• We want volunteers to do more

New media strategist asks…

1. How do we reach people, and inspire them to get involved?

2. How do we reinvent the way we campaign for the online world?

3. How do we create more/better content?

4. How do we develop relationships so people want to give?

5. How do we reward and incentivise voluntary actions?

Using the right tools

EmailWebsiteFacebookTwitter

AdvertisingMobilisingFundraisingCrowdsourcing

Main website

Using the right tools

EmailWebsiteFacebookTwitter

AdvertisingMobilisingFundraisingCrowdsourcing

Twitter

Using the right tools

EmailWebsiteFacebookTwitter

AdvertisingMobilisingFundraisingCrowdsourcing

Mobilising activists

Using the right tools

EmailWebsiteFacebookTwitter

AdvertisingMobilisingFundraisingCrowdsourcing

Fundraising

Crowdsourcing

Policy development Make IT better Responses to Labour’s manifesto and

Budget Labour’s failed poster campaign

Be flexible and fast

Rapid rebuttal ads Buy relevant search terms on Google Pick up stories quickly – decide carefully

how to react Have the capacity to create single-

purpose campaigns Take sensible risks

TV debates/Lib Dems

Hung Parliament Party Wheel of Misfortunre Labservative Rage Against The Machine

Conclusion

Know your supporters – who they are, what they can do.

Make digital work for you – there is no set strategy. Pick and choose your own tools.

The most effective tools aren’t the most newsworthy – do some cool things, but focus on what gives you results