After getting a little rest following a very eventful few months, we gathered around the conference table in the Net Victories Montrose office this week to debrief about the 2011 Election Cycle.
And it was fun.
With each individual political race we reviewed, we grew more encouraged. We were thrilled to play a role in victorious campaigns, of course. But it wasn’t until we had time to reflect on these campaigns that we realized just how effectively each candidate used online communication to strengthen their operation.
Ellen Cohen (Houston City Council – District C)
Council Member-Elect Cohen (that has a nice ring to it) brought her field organization to the masses by rolling out an interactive component on her website to connect the campaign directly to their most dedicated volunteers. Volunteers chose their volunteer activity and preferred times, which saved the campaign time in not having to make phone calls and keep multiple schedules. The campaign was also able to update this tool regularly as volunteer priorities shifted—special events surrounding holidays, working the polls, or GOTV efforts.
Ed Gonzalez (Houston City Council – District H)
Council Member Gonzalez launched a text messaging platform which surveyed constituents to gauge opinion on particular issues of interest in District H. They were also provided with election information, including a way to look up their polling place. Text messaging was chosen to complement the council member’s existing communication tools—a signup was integrated on his website and promoted through social networking, as well as promoted ‘offline’ to reach those that may not be social network users or computer owners.
Melissa Noriega (Houston City Council – At Large, Pct. 3)
By spreading the word about the Noriega campaign using a socially-connected portal on Melissa’s site, a supporter became eligible to grab a cup of coffee with the council member. The call to ‘Espresso Self’ was wildly popular. The event not only grew Melissa’s online supporter base, some of the ideas and relationships developed at the meeting became an integral part of the campaign.
Net Victories is thankful to have teamed up with these campaigns to help implement their customized online campaign components. Because of their success, our post-campaign exhaustion passed quickly. We feel like we’ve ‘hit refresh’—and we’re already planning new ideas to help good candidates in 2012!