Roots Report

What does Google Wallet mean for donations? Hopefully, not much.

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:18:00 GMT

Earlier today at an event in NYC, Google announced their new mobile transaction platform, Google Wallet. And while the impact will likely be felt almost immediately in the retail industry, for political fundraising, what will be the impact of this latest innovation? Hopefully, not much.

As Forbes describes:

"The service, called Google Wallet, will store credit cards in electronic form on Android phones. Users will be able to pay for purchases by wirelessly “tapping” their handsets against special readers in participating stores. Users can also receive targeted offers, such as coupons for products they have bought in the past or have indicated they like, directly on their phones while in stores. Loyalty rewards will be automatically tallied within Wallet and receipts will be electronic, as well, popping up on the phone instead of printing out on paper."

There's no doubt that mobile commerce is an emerging trend that will shape the mechanics of transactions, but from our perspective, it should not shape the outcomes.

Imagine a big political fundraiser. The room is packed and the energy is high. The candidate hits the high notes and everyone cheers. The room is electric. At this point, the campaign's chairman takes to the podium and invites the attendees to contribute to the campaign.

And that's the way it should work. Whether that chairman asks that audience to write a check or swipe their Nexus S 4G from Sprint, the objective is to create a moment in time when the right people in the right place interact with the right message and are compelled to act. Will technology make this process easier? We certainly hope so.

Should the technology be more important than the objective? Hopefully not.

Technology comes and goes, faster and faster every day. It's our job to keep up with it, and to make sure that whatever the latest trend or technology may be, it is used in a way that has strategic purpose and achieves an objective.

Karl Rove Gets It

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:18:00 GMT

Today we want to point you to an excellent piece by former senior White House advisor Karl Rove that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Rove uses his WSJ column to make the case emphatically that campaigns need to become more focused on using the Internet strategically.

"...in the year ahead, smart campaigns will devote a good deal less money to running 30- second TV ads and a good deal more to using the Internet to organize, persuade, motivate and raise funds.

"The trend toward Internet-centric campaigns is being driven by changes in where people get election information. According to the Pew Research Center, in the last presidential race 26% said they received most of their election news from the Internet, while 28% cited newspapers. In 2012, the Web will likely eclipse newspapers and close in on TV as the principal source of election news."

This is an important perspective we've been preaching for years. The natural extension of Rove's article is, of course, what resources are available to campaigns to realize a political model that leverages the Internet effectively?

That's why we go to work every day, and for six years have been working to provide websites, effective online fundraising, social media engagement, and online advertising for political campaigns and issue advocacy organizations. Our broad mission is to make sure every citizen has a voice, and Rove's article reinforces that we are on the right track.

Read the full column here.

New format for Facebook Pages

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:18:00 GMT

Facebook Pages got a new overhaul yet again, this time much less dramatic than the last. The new features available to page admins today will make the pages much more like Facebook profiles. We wasted no time getting RootsHQ's Facebook page updated to take advantage of the new photo preview feature:

The last time Facebook flipped the switch on new changes to their Pages feature -- which allows candidates, non-profits, associations and businesses to create an "organization" presence on Facebook -- the change was traumatic for Facebook developers. Last year, Facebook changed the width of pages, essentially breaking every custom tab designed to take advantage of a wider Facebook page canvas.

The new features made available today include:

Notifications when fans interact with your page or posts

A place to showcase photos along the top of your page

A news feed for your page

The ability to Like and post on other pages as your page

If you are an administrator for your organization's Facebook page, you can go to your page now and preview what the changes would look like. You can choose to go ahead and upgrade your page to the new format immediately, or wait until Facebook pushes the "upgrade" to all pages on March 10.

SEO for political campaign websites

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:19:00 GMT

Since political campaigns often come and go in a matter of months, we rarely have the time (or, quite frankly, the budget) to really focus on good SEO. But with over half of political activists using search engines to research candidates, issues, and breaking news, SEO can help position your campaign's website in their Google crosshairs.

When it comes to SEO, it really is about what we learned in kindergarten. Play fair. Don't cheat. Contribute to the discussion. Google will punish you if it finds you trying to game the system. So here's a few thoughts for putting together a simple but effective SEO strategy for campaign websites:

1. Build links

Google looks at over 200 factors when building their ranking of who comes out on top for a search term. Of those, the #1 most important factor is almost completely out of your control -- which sites link to yours. If you want your website on top in a hurry, build links from credible sources.

Key word here: "credible." This doesn't mean creating fake sites just to link to your site. Be creative. Share links on Facebook and Twitter. Comment on related articles on news websites and blogs, and include a link to your site. Encourage bloggers who support your candidate to include a link on their site. As Google sees more (credible) sites linking to yours, it will blast your campaign website to the top -- quickly.

2. Research keywords

Sure you want to people to be able to search for your candidate and have the official campaign website appear at the top of the results. But what else can you do from there? Research hot button issues in the campaign, or ballot initiatives that may be in the spotlight as well. Once you have a good list of those keywords, tape it above your desk and try to include them frequently in your press releases and blog posts. The more you add keywords to your campaign website, the higher you increase what is called your "keyword density." And this, like credible links to your site, will tell Google what your site is about and increase your ranking for those keywords.

Imagine the benefit of having someone search for an important issue in an election, and having your candidate's website appear near the top of the search results? Just like good PR, that's publicity money can't buy.

3. Advertise

Speaking of publicity you can't buy, there is a lot more you can do to build your campaign website's search engine ranking than what we have time to go into here. But even with all of that good SEO work, a good political or campaign search engine marketing strategy is incomplete without a decent online advertising budget. If you want to make new media really contribute to your campaign, put advertising dollars behind it.

For me, I like advertising on Facebook and Google before anything else. These two ad systems allow us to reach a lot of potential supporters, to target them specifically, and to do so in an amazingly cost effective way. Recently we ran a Facebook campaign for a Senate race and bought ads at $0.12 CPM. Twelve cents!!! There's also unsubstantiated rumors that advertising on Google can help your search engine rank. I'm not saying that's true, but hey, it sure can't hurt.

The best part about advertising online is that you only pay when someone takes action. This is called cost-per-click (CPC) advertising. So you could have a million free impressions and only pay when someone clicks the ad. It's a great way to demonstrate clear ROI for your eCampaign investment.

What other things can campaigns do to make their websites more search engine friendly? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

A special offer from RootsHQ

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:19:00 GMT

2011 could be the year that changes everything. So we want to help you kick it off right. Through the end of the year, we are giving away one month free when you pre-pay for the year on any RootsHQ hosting or maintenance package.

So pay now for January through November, and December will be free. It's our way of saying thank you to our most loyal clients! Just contact your account manager if you'd like to take advantage of this offer, or for new customers contact us online, and we'll get you squared away.

Understanding Facebook's New Email...I Mean Messaging System

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:58:00 GMT

What was first called the "email killer", now we have an explanation of why Facebook's new messaging system will not kill email but integrate all forms of messaging including email. Watch the video below to get a full understanding.

Daily Report, November 5, 2010

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:08:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! TGIF! We have the social media tools that look to be the most useful in 2011. Next, see how Goodwill revamped their social media strategy to bring a profit. Finally, do you feel that you have issues to talk about? Do you feel a need to discuss these issues with the public? Well learn how to create your own internet talk show.

What to use in 2011: It seems there are always new tools to help enhance social media platforms. These tools may be most useful to you in 2011.

Goodwill has a good strategy: Goodwill has completely changed their social media strategy and it is worth taking notice.

Do you want your own talk show? It's possible: Your organization uses social media and grassroots efforts to bring the message to the masses, but how great would it be to have an internet talk show to further discussions. See how to make it happen.

Daily Report, November 3, 2010

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:17:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Well today is a brand new day in every sense of the word. Now that the elections are over, it's interesting to see the impact social media really had on the outcome of many races. Facebook is claiming users helped predict more than 70% of key races. Also, a pro business group took over YouTube's homepage on election day to push certain candidates. Finally, the GOTV efforts this year got a big push from social media. See how social networks helped encourage voters.

Facebook predictions were on target: Facebook users helped predict more than 70% of key races this election cycle. It looks like a campaign's amount of Facebook fans meant more than anyone thought.

Pro business group buys YouTube homepage for Election Day: Looking at the outcome of the election, that seems to be money well spent.

Helping to encourage voters one website at a time: This election cycle took online grassroots efforts to GOTV to a whole new level. From Google to Facebook, social media networks did their part to encourage you to vote.

Thank You

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:19:00 GMT

On behalf of the team here at RootsHQ, I want to say thank you to the candidates, consultants, activists and campaigns who let us be a part of their teams in 2010. Overall, 20 RootsHQ clients won last night. Every one of our Congressional challengers picked up their seat, and several statewides held seats or took them. This isn't to mention the various caucuses and advocacy organizations who brought us along to be a part of their efforts as well.

On top of these wins, we're most excited about the state and local candidates with whom we were privileged to work. With little or no budget for new media, but recognizing its tremendous potential, they needed a quick, effective, and affordable solution to leverage technology to raise money, communicate their message, and turnout voters. I firmly believe that what we provided -- by letting them combine the management of their website, contributions, and email marketing into one system -- really made a difference.

There will be lots of analysis about the 2010 elections over the next several days. It was a historic event. And while new media will continue to grow and develop into a mature campaign capacity, I hope that we at RootsHQ continue to make innovation easier and more effective in future elections and advocacy efforts.

Daily Report, November 2, 2010

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:47:00 GMT

Well it's here! Election Day is upon us! So what websites will you be checking for the election results tonight? We have a few websites that will keep you up to date as the results start pouring in. For those of you working on the campaign trail, what will you be doing to pass the time until the polls close? That is, after you have made your calls and held your signs. To keep you from biting all of your nails off, we have a few of our favorite mobile games to take your mind off of the inevitable.Finally, make sure you VOTE!

Websites to tune into tonight: For the most current election results we recommend checking out CNN.com, RSLC.com, and fivethirtyeight.com. Do you have other websites that you prefer for election results? Let us know!

A few distractions: The day is here and there is only so much more you can do. So what will you do with all of your time until the polls close? You can download some of our favorite mobile games! WARNING: Some of these games are very addicting, so set an alarm and make sure you turn the game off when the results start coming in.

Angry Birds

Words with Friends

Monkey Bash

Daily Report, November 1, 2010

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:08:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to November! We have some new information about Facebook user activity that will help you map out your social media strategy when it will be most effective. Also, we can teach you how to be a "Twitter Ninja". Finally, find out why social media ROR could be better than ROI.

Find out when Facebook users USE Facebook: Knowing when Facebook users are most active can help you create a social media strategy that will reach your fans better. If you know when your fans are are online you can schedule your updates to reach their newsfeeds and almost guarantee they will be seen.

Become a Twitter Ninja: There is more to being successful with Twitter than just posting once or twice a day. Find out how you can really engage with followers and broaden your influence.

ROR trumps ROI: Everyone wants to have a great return on investment when it comes to social media, but what return are you really looking for? A very important return is the return on relationships you build through social media.

Daily Report, October 29, 2010

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:21:00 GMT

Happy Halloween Roots Report followers!! Today's Daily Report is meant to make you smile! This is going to be a busy weekend for most of you with Halloween on Sunday and Election Day on Tuesday. So sit back, take a break and enjoy a good laugh!

Attack ads from 1800: It seems that all you hear lately is how dirty the latest political ads have been as we get closer and closer to election day. Well today's politicians have nothing on these guys. Enjoy!

Which one are you?: You may follow thousands of people on Twitter but we're pretty sure they all fit into one of these categories. Take a look at the 12 people you are bound to meet on Twitter and have fun categorizing your friends!

The press having a laugh at social media: A FOX news station in Dallas, Texas created a hilarious parody about our culture's dependency on social media. Check it out!

Daily Report, October 28, 2010

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:52:00 GMT

Good morning Daily Report followers! Let's start off with why some politicians have verified accounts on Twitter and why others don't. Does Twitter prefer one side of the aisle to the other? Next, we have good news for your organization's writers. SEO is out and "SMO" is in. Finally, we leave you today with the top 5 location-based services and yes there are more out there than just Foursquare.

The truth behind Twitter's verified accounts: You may have noticed that not all of the politician's Twitter pages you visit are verified. Why is that? The truth isn't as scandalous as you may have hoped.

It's all about "SMO": Search engine optimization has really changed the way bloggers blog. It's been all about keywords instead of creative writing. With the joining of social media networks to search engines comes the birth of social-media optimization.

Top 5 location-based services: You may hear about Foursquare more than any other location-based network, but there are more options out there. Here are the top 5 according to Mashable.

Daily Report, October 27, 2010

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:49:00 GMT

Good morning everyone! We have good news for Foursquare users! The official "I Voted" badge will be available on Election Day when you check in at your polling place. Also, does anyone remember MySpace? Well they are trying to get back in the social network game. Finally, have you fallen victim to the social media slump? We can help.

"I Voted": Foursquare created the "I Voted" badge not to just help you rack up your collection, but to increase voter transparency and much more. Will you check when you go to vote November 2?

Who still uses MySpace?: Not a lot of people and that's the problem. MySpace is going through a redesign that will hopefully encourage users to come back and use it in addition to Facebook and Twitter and not instead of.

Social media slump: So you set up your Facebook Fan page, you created your Twitter account and you even have a lot of followers. But, all of a sudden you hit a social plateau. We can help you get moving again.

Daily Report, October 26, 2010

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:55:00 GMT

Good morning everyone! One of the best ways to get people to get out and vote is to help them know where to go. Google now has a widget that you can embed right into your website to help visitors locate their closest polling place. Next, has your campaign participated in a Twitter Chat? It may be a great way to sway undecided voters. Finally, everyone is talking about mobile ads, but it seems the political world has yet to fully grasp the concept.

Google's newest election tool: If you don't have your districts polling places listed on your website, simply embed this new election tool from Google.

Twitter Chat: You have just one week left until Election Day. A great way to reach out to voters would be through a Twitter Chat. We have all you need to know to get one started.

Mobile ads not a priority this election cycle: There have been a few campaigns to use mobile ads, but political strategists say 2010 will be the year of mobile in politics.

Daily Report, October 25, 2010

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:16:00 GMT

Good Monday morning to everyone! Election Day is just 8 days away and we wanted to offer some web resources to help you decide who your vote will go to. Also, we have a very interesting article about how politicians are targeting voters. Finally, does your brand loyalty give away your political preference. See which brands are favored by Republicans and Democrats.

It's decision time: Sometimes it may seem overwhelming when it comes to casting your deciding vote on Election Day. You have seen hundreds of political ads and listened to countless debates, yet you still can't decide. We have 17 web resources that will help you understand your politicians and hopefully make are more educated vote come November 2.

How did you get my email?: When it comes to spreading a candidate's message, politicians are using sophisticated online tools to make sure you hear what they have to say.

Do you prefer Red or Blue brands?: A recent survey shows which brands are preferred on both sides of the aisle. Also, see which brands perform well for both parties.

Daily Report, October 22, 2010

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:09:00 GMT

TGIF everyone! We have always said Foursquare is going places, but even we didn't realize it could go this far! Speaking of Foursquare, we have a great example of one candidate using the location-based network for their grassroots campaign. And we leave you this Friday with the Facebook rankings of this election season. Have a good weekend!

Checking in at the moon: Foursquare took one small step for social media and one giant leap for location based services. A NASA astronaut checked into Foursquare from space!

Foursquare for grassroots politics: We expressed yesterday that Foursquare will have a much larger presence in the next election cycle, but see how one politician is using it now.

2010 Facebook Rankings: Check out how the 2010 political candidates rank by their Facebook Fan count.

Daily Report, October 21, 2010

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:31:00 GMT

Good morning everyone! I know I am a little biased, but today's Daily Report is a must read. Our articles today may help you make the necessary adjustments you need right before Election Day and help you get a jump start on 2012. Yesterday we talked about upcoming social media trends for 2011. Today we are talking about what social media trend will be very beneficial in 2012. Next, you may be satisfied with your Facebook Page, but Facebook landing tabs are a cost effective way to give your Facebook Page a customized look to stand out above the rest. Finally, it's important to know how your information is being shared on the Internet. A new study shows how your supporters are spreading your message.

Understand the benefits of Foursquare for politics: Maybe some of you are already using Foursquare on the campaign trail, but I'm sure some of you aren't. This article makes a great case for why you need to use Foursquare in your campaign if not this year, then in 2012.

Facebook Landing Tabs: For the most part, everyone's Facebook Page looks almost identical to the next. You can make your Facebook Page stand out with Facebook landing tabs. Here's how.

How are supporters sharing your message?: A new study breaks down the way consumers share information online. The study shows that majority of people are sharing information via email, but don't count social media out yet.

Daily Report, October 20, 2010

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:26:00 GMT

Good afternoon! Today we have a little bit of everything for you. Election Day is right around the corner, and you are putting up your political ads hoping to gain last minute votes. We have the trick to get your political ads the airtime they deserve. Next, find out who is having a hard time keeping up with the latest in online political advertising. Finally, we have seen how social media has shaped this year's election cycle, but what social media trends do you see happening for 2011?

What your latest political ad needs to go viral: It seems like this year we are seeing political ads from all over the country talked about on the news and on Twitter and Facebook. Why? Because the political ads had what they needed to go viral. Find out what you can do to get your next ad to go viral.

The FEC can't keep up: Mobile ads, Google Ads, Facebook Ads and many more new ways of advertising online have the FEC in a bind on how they should be regulated.

Social media predictions: Social media trends in 2010 helped shape the political world as we know it. We have some predictions for social media trends in 2011.

Daily Report, October 19, 2010

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:34:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Today we are talking about billions. Our first billion (well actually 2 billion) goes to the amount of Internet users by the end of this year! Our next billion goes to the business of mobile. With Internet users surpassing the 2 billion mark and the business of mobile reaching $1 billion, I'd say it's official that your online reputation should be your number one priority. Finally, the Facebook-Bing deal may cause you to rethink your advertising strategy.

The Internet will have over 2 billion users this year: The Internet is literally every where. With 30% of the world's population using the Internet, it's more important than ever for your online reputation to be maintained.

Mobile is now a $1 billion business: Mobile ads, on the other hand, aren't quite there yet. Mobile ads aren't expected to reach the $1 billion mark until next year.

The "social-and-search marriage": Check out how the new Facebook-Bing deal may effect advertising as we know it.

Daily Report, October 18, 2010

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:57:00 GMT

Good Monday afternoon to everyone. To get the week started off we want to pass on a few items of interest. First we have a video explaining the new in-page Google Analytics. This will make it much easier for you to understand your website and the activities of your visitors. Next, we have a free report from eMarketer on how to achieve ROI from social media. Finally, internet TV is relatively new but what opportunities will it bring in the future for advertising?

In-Page Analytics:

Free report from eMarketer: This report will cover how to organize your measurements and metrics, what not to overlook in your ROI measurements and much more.

Internet TV: With claims that in just a few months millions of people will be using internet TV we need to fully understand this new platform and what it offers.

Daily Report, October 15 2010

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:46:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone!! I wanted to pass along a clever political ad just to put emphasis on the fact that it is not too late to get creative and get supporters! Also, we have some tips to get more "likes" in your Facebook page. And we will leave you this Friday with a survey explaining the success of TV ads vs. web ads. Enjoy and have a great weekend!!

It pays to think outside of the advertising box: Enjoy this clever political ad from Joe Miller.

Get more people to "like" you: Here are a few tips to try when you are struggling to get more followers to your Facebook page.

TV ads vs. web ads, which is better: According to this survey both have their perks. Check out the break down.

Daily Report, October 14, 2010

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:44:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Your campaign may not have the budget of California's Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Meg Whitman, but her online campaign strategies are to be admired. Also, regardless of what you may have heard, email use isn't going anywhere. It is still a great way to communicate with supporters. Finally, we want to know what social media tools do you find most useful to your campaign?

Her spending is impressive but so is her online strategy: Meg Whitman has a serious understanding of online advertising and she isn't afraid to show it. Her latest Pandora ads prove it. Would you consider such an aggressive online ad campaign?

Email is here to stay: There have been reports saying that email use is down, but some are disagreeing. See why you shouldn't discard your email marketing just yet.

Which social media tool do you prefer?: Texas Gubernatorial Candidates are talking about which social media tool they find most beneficial to their campaign. So we are curious, which social media tool helped shape your campaign the most?

Daily Report, October 13, 2010

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:52:00 GMT

Alright everyone, we are halfway though the work week! We can do this! As always, we are here to make getting over the hump a little easier. Today, let's talk about Twitter followers vs. Facebook Fans and the value they have to you and your organization. Also, Twitter will soon expand their advertising platform to small businesses. While this doesn't benefit politicos yet, it will be beneficial to issue advocacy groups. Finally, after you understand the value of your social media following, take a look at the loyalty your Facebook Page fans have to your brand.

Fans vs. Followers: Who do you consider more valuable to your message, your Twitter followers or your Facebook Page fans? Take a look at this recent survey to see which may have more value. Our opinion is they are all valuable. It's up to your social media strategy to make the connections and keep them informed, and RootsHQ can help.

Letting the little guys in: So far, Twitter's advertising platform as really only been beneficial to larger brands. Soon that will all change as Twitter begins prepping an ad product for small businesses.

They like you, they really like you: When someone 'likes' your Facebook page, what does that really mean? A new survey says that these 'likes' translate into brand loyalty.

Daily Report, October 11, 2010

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:36:00 GMT

Happy Columbus Day everyone! Good news for those of you considering using mobile advertising. A new study says that majority of consumers see value in mobile advertising. Also, we discussed the changes with Facebook Groups the other day, but get all of the details from Mark Zuckerberg. Finally, find out why the first 10 seconds of your online video are the most important.

Consumers are warming up to mobile ads: In order to get people to click on your ad, you may have to offer something in return. Find out which mobile ads consumers are most receptive to.

Facebook is "giving you more control": Check out the official Facebook blog post from Mark Zuckerberg to get all of the details on what's new with Facebook.

Keep online videos short and to the point: You can lose almost 20% of your online video viewers within the first 10 seconds. Check out how long you have before most of your viewers will click away.

Daily Report, October 8, 2010

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:15:00 GMT

It's Friday everyone!!! We've been having some fun with our Friday Daily Reports, so I hope you are enjoying our humorous take on our industry as much as we are. Today will be no different. First we have a great lesson about using social media from the one, the only, Yoda. Moving on to more advice from a fictional character, we bring you a guide to social media from the Mad Man, Don Draper. (As a Mad Men fan, I especially enjoyed this one.) As always, we will leave you with Facebook Page do's and dont's from a non-fictional character. Enjoy!

Do or do not, there is no try with social media: Yoda may not have intended on using these words to guide us through social media, but they fit perfectly. Check out the article.

Wise words from Don Draper: Yes, it's true Don Draper does not actually exist. Even though the character is fictional, the quotes from this Mad Man can help guide you in your social media strategy.

Real advice from a real person: No funny lines or movie clips to entice you to read this but it is worth your time. With all of the additions you can add to your Facebook Page, it's a good idea to know what to do and what not to do.

Daily Report, October 7, 2010

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:16:00 GMT

Good morning everyone! If you are having trouble organizing all of your social media profiles you may be in need of a social media dashboard. We have 4 dashboard options to keep you socially organized. We have been talking about Skype a lot lately, but do you really understand the benefits that using Skype can have for your organization? Finally, Facebook has announced the most updated form of Facebook Groups. See how this new feature can help you form a grassroots campaign.

Staying socially organized: These social media dashboard options are a inexpensive way to stay organized and monitor your social media networks effectively.

How you can get the most out of Skype: Skype can be a great way to connect with other campaign staff while traveling out on the campaign trail. Check out the other benefits your campaign will receive when using Skype.

These aren't your average Facebook Groups: Mark Zuckerburg has created the new Facebook Groups to better connect users. What he may not have realized is that this gives campaigns and issue advocacy groups one more way to form a grassroots campaign. Check out the article to see how.

Daily Report, October 6, 2010

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:19:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! We are almost over the hump, but to help you the rest of the way we have a few articles of interest. Yesterday we discussed online reputation management and it's importance. Today we are reiterating that subject with a new poll that says 80% of businesses consider reputational risk a top concern. Next, you probably have a staff that helps write your press releases, emails and content, but they may not be the most skilled writers. We have a great reference guide to writing better press releases that you may want to pass around. Finally, NBC News' 'Meet the Press' is using Facebook to gather questions for senate debates.

Your company's reputation is not an afterthought: It is obvious from this poll that company's know their reputation management is important, but are they doing everything they can to protect it? Having a basic PR strategy is not always enough. Making sure your online reputation is managed properly and protected is more important then ever and RootsHQ can help with all of your online needs.

Journalism 101: Everyone can use a writing refresher. Here is a great reminder of the basics of writing a great press release. When it comes to getting your message picked up by the press, your writing style is crucial.

Ask your senator a question via Facebook: 'Meet the Press' is using Facebook to gather questions from voters to use in their Senate Debate Series. This is just one more way social media and politics are blending together.

Daily Report, October 5, 2010

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:49:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Whether you have RootsHQ in charge of your online reputation management or you are a do-it-yourself campaign, we have the basics you need to know to manage it successfully. Also, we have good news for our issue advocacy and non-profit folks. New research shows millennials are more likely to respond to the marketing of a cause when it is educational, offers products that support the cause and more. Finally, get the latest on Google TV. Would you ever consider using it?

Are you managing your online reputation?: It is so easy to set up a website, activate a Twitter and Facebook account and just forget about it. But, you shouldn't neglect your online reputation. Here is a guide to successful reputation management. If you are over whelmed or need assistance with your online reputation management don't hesitate to contact us!

Millennials want to support your cause, just show them how: New research tracks the response of millennials to cause-based online marketing.

Google TV: The perks that Google TV offers are pretty amazing. If you don't know a lot about it we have an article that will explain which media companies support it and what that means to you.

Daily Report, October 4, 2010

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:41:00 GMT

Welcome back to the work week everyone! First, we have the latest upgrade from Facebook and what it means for you. Next, we have some helpful hints for those who are just now getting started with Twitter. Finally, we leave you this Monday with a video about sprucing up your Facebook page with helpful applications.

Facebook upgrades photos: The upgrades to Facebook photos will allow you to post hi-res photos with the quality good enough for printing. Check out the article to see the other features of this new upgrade.

New to Twitter? We can help: We found a great list of do's and don'ts for using Twitter. Whether you are just starting out as a Twitter user or you need to refresh your approach, these are sure to help.

Choosing the right Facebook applications: New applications are added to Facebook daily. It's important to know which applications will work best for your page. Check out the video and accompanying article to help boost your Facebook page.

Daily Report, October 1, 2010

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:25:00 GMT

Welcome to October everyone! Let's start this Friday with a little laugh. How about getting public speaking tips from the one and only Ari Gold? Don't worry, it's safe for work and PG. Next, I have Twitter practices that you should avoid at all costs. I will leave you this Friday with an example of political mobile advertising. With all of our articles on mobile apps and mobile advertising, I felt an actual example would help get the point across. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Loyd!: Even if you aren't an Entourage fan, I'm sure you have heard of Ari Gold and his lack of a filter. Here is a humorous guide to public speaking.

Put this away for safe keeping: There are good ways to use Twitter and there are bad ways to use Twitter. These are the 9 worst ways to use Twitter. Take note.

Political mobile ads in action: Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota recently targeted local fair goers with her political ads via their mobile phones. Check out the article here.

Daily Report, September 30, 2010

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:47:00 GMT

I hope everyone out there is having as beautiful of a day as we are here at RootsHQ! Let's begin by talking about the rumor of a Facebook and Skpe merger and what that could mean for you. Moving right along, you may or may not have dabbled in developing a mobile app for your organization or campaign, but find out which mobile device the majority of app developers are choosing. Finally, I will leave you with some sad yet optimistic online advertising news.

Would it be the FaceSkype or the Skypebook?: Rumors are swirling of this potential social media merging and we want to know what exactly that would mean for you. One crazy idea for campaigns is for candidates to Skype directly with their Facebook supporters!

iPhone is the favorite among app developers: You are probably thinking that this doesn't pertain to you because you are not actually an app developer, but when it comes to choosing which platform to create your custom campaign app, you may want to know what the experts are choosing.

Twitter's not open to political advertising...yet: We have been discussing online advertising through Twitter and the new products they will be offering. Sadly, these products will not be available for political advertisers, but they could be in the future. Read on to find out.

Daily Report, September 29, 2010

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:17:00 GMT

Welcome to Wednesday everyone! You have made it half way through the work week. Political fundraising outside of a campaign's district is nothing new. What is new and worth noting is how the internet has contributed to national fundraising. Also, we have an article that compares email marketing to a six-month-old baby. Check it out, and after you read the article you may just agree. Finally, local advertising is growing and we have the numbers to prove it.

Once again, it's all about small donors: The online tools that helped Obama raise so much money through small donors is now being used and altered for this year's elections. Check out the article here.

Treat your email marketing like you would a baby?: Actually, the similarities are pretty funny. Read the article and see how they compare.

Advertising on the local level is growing: Local online ad spending is set to hit $13.7 billion this year and grow to $16.1 billion in 2011. Take a look at the numbers.

Daily Report, September 28, 2010

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:50:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Yesterday we discussed the future of advertising on Twitter and today we have some updated news. Twitter's COO announced information today on their newest advertising product, Promoted Accounts. Do you manage your organizations blog? If so, we have some common mistakes that bloggers make that you don't have to. Finally, when targeting your supporters with ads, it's important to understand what mindset your supporter should have to fully take in your message.

New advertising announcement from Twitter: Promoted Accounts will be available "very shortly" according to Twitter COO Dick Costolo. This new feature will make your Twitter profile more prominent in the new "Who to Follow" feature.

Blogger mistakes to avoid: Many people have personal blogs where it may be less important what you say or how you say it. But, when you are managing the blog for an organization or issue advocacy groups there are a few things you should pay attention to.

Understand why supporters may not 'get' your message: A new study shows that whether a supporter pays attention to your advertisement or not depends on their state of mind. Read more to see why this is so important.

Daily Report, September 27, 2010

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:12:00 GMT

Happy Monday everyone! We have a list of 22 online tools that will help your organization better manage it's social media activity. Browse through them and see which one will suite your organization's needs. Also, Twitter may not be the best advertising platform for your campaign right now, but in the future you may be able to target your ads based on the content of Tweets. Finally, do you consider your organization to be influential on Twitter? A new website can now rank the most influential people on Twitter and it's not just those who have $1 million followers.

Managing your organization's social media marketing: Maybe you have a plan to manage your social media that just isn't working or you need to get one in place. Check out these options to see if there is an online tool that can help.

Advertising on Twitter, it has potential: Twitter will soon start testing out advertising based on the content of Tweets. This could be a way for campaigns to target supporters with their ads. Check out who is currently using Twitter for advertising and what they really think of it's current advertising platform.

A large following is not always everything: A new website can rank the influence of Tweeters and filter out if the Tweets are positive or negative. It will be interesting to see just who is the most influential on Twitter.

Daily Report, September 23, 2010

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:21:00 GMT

Hello everyone and welcome! Does your campaign Tweet with the hashtag #TCOT? Well if you are a Top Conservative On Twitter then you should be. This digital grassroots tactic is now being called "hashtag politics". We here at RootsHQ encourage online advertising but most importantly you need a way to measure your impact. Nielsen Co. is working on a new web-ad metric that could assist in your audience measurement. Speaking of tracking your impact on the web, Twitter announced that they are working on a free real-time analytics solution to track your tweets.

Digital grassroots activism: Check out this new world of "hashtag politics" and see who is above the curve.

Nielsen starts with Facebook: Even though it is still in the early phases of testing, Nielsen will first start by partnering with Facebook to test their new measuring system. Many campaigns use Facebook ads so this should be an interesting topic to follow.

Twitter making it easier to track your Tweets: Bad news for companies developing their own Twitter analytics tools but good news for those that aren't! So far the service will be free but a more advanced option may be in the future.

Daily Report, September 22, 2010

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:50:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! We are taking it easy on you this Hump Day. We have a video, a map and one article for you today. We have decreased your efforts but there is no shortage of knowledge here today. So sit back and check out today's Daily Report. We'll begin with the video since it is Hump Day and there is less work involved in watching versus reading. Hear from New York Times Technology Columnist David Pogue as he discusses where mobile is going. Next, we have an article that discusses the success of your TV spots in web video. And finally, we wanted to show you a map from Google that tracks the 2010 election ratings. This is all a part of Google's effort to "make it easier to track the daily changes in the political landscape".

The evolution and revolution of mobile:

Are your TV ads working on the web?: One study says yes, but it all depends on the audience you are targeting. Read on for the full findings.

Google continuing their push in digital politics: Google partnered with some big names in politics to bring you a Google map that doesn't give you directions, but shows the political climate.

Daily Report, September 21, 2010

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:16:00 GMT

Welcome back to Roots Report! It's obvious now that digital politics are among us, but are campaigns really grasping the concept of using the web to gain voters? Even with politicos Tweeting and creating Facebook Pages, one article shows that only 1% of political media dollars is spent on digital. And, a social network for non-profits is on the horizon. We have the video of Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes discussing his new project, Jumo. Finally, with the popularity of mobile apps growing it's important to know who is actually using them.

Campaigns still digital-shy: What will it take for political campaigns to give digital the chance it deserves? Even with the amount of money spent on digital media reaching $44.5 million, it's still a very small piece of the spending pie.

Jumo - A social network for non-profits: Watch the video courtesy of Mashable. It's lengthy but very informative.

Watch live streaming video from mashable at livestream.com

The world of mobile apps: Mobile apps are everywhere but is America ready for them?

Daily Report, September 20, 2010

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:14:00 GMT

Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to the work week. Today we are discussing mobile advertising, texting in online donations and a possible Facebook phone. Have we peaked your interest yet? Read on the get all of the scoop.

Have you advertised with iAd?: Apple's advertising platform, iAd launched back in April, but have you tried it yet? If you are curious what other advertisers think, read the article to find out if this is something your campaign should try.

Going mobile with donations: We discussed on our Team Blog last week the importance of small donors and how they helped Barack Obama raise so much money. The ability to text in your campaign donations would only boost your small donors. Check out the possibilities.

Forget the iPhone, I want a Facebook phone: Rumors have been swirling around about the possibility of Facebook creating a phone. The development is top secret but you can find out some details here. Would you purchase a Facebook phone?

Daily Report, September 17, 2010

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:44:00 GMT

Welcome to Friday! I want to share with you a clever Slide Share presentation I found a few months ago. It's a humorous take on social media ROI. Also, we have 5 great trends that your organization or issue advocacy groups should now about using social media for social good. And finally, you may notice that almost every website has a blog. Some websites use their blog to discuss issues, post articles, or to create discussion. We have three things your blog needs that you may not be doing.

Basics of Social Media ROI:

Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi

View more presentations from Olivier Blanchard.

Use social media for social good: See what social good experts say they will use to great change in the future with social media.

Get the most from your blog: With more and more websites adopting blogs for marketing purposes, it's important to make sure you are doing it the right way.

Things to Remember When Fundraising Online

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:28:00 GMT

Reaching consumers and contributors online has become an integral part of most industries, fundraising definitely included. Online giving as a percentage of funds raised is soaring, and the continued refinement of online tools has spurred growth in online fundraising. With more and more integration available to make contribution opportunities available to your visitors, there are still few things to remember that can benefit organizations of any size.

Focus on Small Contributors

Its well know that Barack Obama's presidential campaign raised $500 million online. What's more important to note is the average contribution was $80, and most contributors gave twice. Recognize that $25-$150 is the target level for online giving, and you will be able to better focus your message.

Don't Force It

People don't generally like the hard sell, and the 'x' to ignore your message is just too close. Make opportunities to give online plentiful, and give people a compelling reason to take action. A strategy to do this simply is to integrate contribution links into every email template, and on appropriate website pages. Social networks can be a great avenue to make people aware of giving opportunities, but respect their attention. Too pushy and you risk alienating them from all of your messaging.

Turn a One-Time Contributor Into a 10-Time Contributor

Many small contributors would like to give more, but they can only afford, say, $25...this month. By incorporating recurring contribution options, you could turn a $25 contributor into a $250 contributor. This can have residual benefits affecting everything from sourcing new contributors to basic cash flow planning. Remember that you need to allow people to cease their recurrence if they need to. Also, if you offer rewards for tiers of contributing, include this person in the rewards as they move up the ladder.

Contribution vs. Donation

To online givers, your organization is a movement they want to contribute to, rather than simply a charity they're cutting a check to. Involve your contributors, and keep them in the loop on news and developments. Also, offer on opportunity or contributors to share their views. The Obama campaign did this and the result was growth in reoccurring contributors, as well as voters who protected their investment on election day. Remember that this boils down to a give-and-take. By giving someone something as simple as information, they will be more likely to take the action you would like.

Integrate Your Message

Many organizations are becoming used to promoting online opportunities with other channels like TV and direct mail. By using these mediums to drive people online, you can continue interactions that lead to visitors becoming contributors. Remember to integrate PURLs into direct mail, and easy to remember URLs in to TV commercials.

Tools and Support

For a fundrasing campaign to be its most successful, you need more than a PayPal account and a prayer. Build an infrastructure that integrates front end engagement, payment processing, and CRM organization. RootsHQ includes all of this in our hosted packages. Tell us a little about your organization and needs, and we can build a fundraising plan for you.

Daily Report, September 16, 2010

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:46:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Most people would contest that there is a direct correlation between the amount of Facebook fans a candidate has to the amount of votes they receive, but Tuesday night's primaries may have proved just that. Also, we have discussed in a previous post the importance of securing your domain names to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, some law makers aren't paying close enough attention. FInally, are you aware of the "My Government on Demand" channel?

A lot of Facebook fans = a lot of votes: The winners of Tuesday night's primaries had many more Facebook fans than their losing opponents. Check out the numbers.

Is your name leading people to you on the internet?: Visit BenQuale.com and you will find nothing in support of him. See what other politicos' names are under the wrong control.

Access the government with your TV remote: Check out the video about the new on demand channel and how you can post videos too.

Daily Report, September 15, 2010

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:51:00 GMT

Good afternoon to everyone! I hope those of you who now have access to the New Twitter are enjoying it as much as we are here at RootsHQ. Speaking of the New Twitter, we have Mashable's notes from the live reveal of Twitter.com. Also, we hear all of the time that it would be "so awesome" to embed video into emails. Today we will address the challenges of putting video into emails and how things might change in the future. FInally, a recent study shows that advertising on Facebook actually works and we have the article to prove it!

Live from Twitter's big reveal: Here is a breakdown of how it was all revealed over at Twitter last night including technical difficulties.

So, you're saying you can't put video into emails?: Yes, that's what we are saying, but maybe not for long. There is no doubt that video within an email will make your email marketing campaign even more successful, but there are challenges in the way that need to be addressed.

A new study on Facebook Ads: A new study shows that Facebook users, who read page updates, are more likely to see the targeted ads you place in front of them.

The New Twitter and what it means for you

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:46:00 GMT

Twitter said it best, "Life doesn't always fit into 140 characters or less". The new Twitter.com will allow your "overflow" to be seen. Our Daily Reports often feature articles addressing the importance of using multimedia tools such as YouTube and live-stream videos for your campaign or organization. The new Twitter will allow for instantaneous viewing of your multimedia posts. Some of our RootsHQ clients have expressed their preference to update their Facebook Page versus their Twitter account because they believe more information is accessible on Facebook. This is no longer the case.

The new Twitter will now allow you to embed video and pictures thanks to multimedia partnerships with DailyBooth, deviantART, Etsy, Flickr, Justin.TV, Kickstarter, Kiva, Photozou, Plixi, Twitgoo, TwitPic, TwitVid, USTREAM, Vimeo, yfrog, and YouTube. You will no longer have to follow a link away from Twitter to view posted videos or pictures. You can also view related conversations about a topic just by clicking on a Tweet. Below is a screen shot of what the new Twitter layout will look like for those still using the older version.

Twitter product manager Josh Elman said Twitter will actually be more like Google than Facebook. Twitter will be a place for quick information rather than a place where people interact and engage for long periods of time. This is important to note because with the new Twitter your followers do not have to leave the application to view your posted content. Your message will reach your followers faster than ever before.

So what does all of this mean for you and your organization? Why should you care that a new version of Twitter exists? This new version of Twitter enhances your interaction with supporters. The ability to view multimedia messages instantly allows for your videos or pictures to be passed on and viewed even faster than before. The ability to view related conversations from a Tweet will allow those who are curious about your message to view more about you. What is most important is your ability to address your followers faster and in more detail than ever before.

Daily Report, September 14, 2010

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:13:00 GMT

Welcome to Tuesday everyone! Well it's official, social media has made it's way into political ads. Literally. One politician makes sure you know he's using social media by saying it in his newest ad. Also, we talked about the impact that Google's Priority Inbox may have on your email marketing campaign, and some people are taking an additional step to help supporters understand it too. Finally, we leave you with an interview with former AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui, now Google VP-product management, discussing the integration of AdMob and Google.

He'll do whatever it takes: Senator Chuck Grassley includes his love for Twitter in his latest campaign ad.

Help your supporters keep your message a priority: Priority Inbox is good for so many reasons, but it can also hinder your email marketing push if your supporters don't consider them priority. It's important to be important.

Google and mobile, two peas in a pod: Back and May, Google acquired AdMob. Together they hold 21% of the mobile ad market share. Check out the article to see how the integration is going.

Daily Report, September 13, 2010

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:02:00 GMT

Welcome back to the work week everyone. To start things off we will revisit location based services and the power of mobile. Also, we discussed in an earlier post how live streaming video can be very beneficial to your cause. YouTube just announce they will test a new live steaming platform.

Mobile and location-based services take your message to the next level: Everyone has a message they want to effectively get to their audience. Whether you are a campaign manager or the head of an advocacy organization you need to know what is influencing your audience.

Best practices for location-based social media: Contrary to what you may have heard, location-based social media works for more than just business owners. Here are 3 ways to implement this type of social media.

New live streaming platform could be even closer: Live stream video is growing in popularity and now one of the most popular online video providers is giving it a shot. YouTube will have a two day trial for it's live stream platform.

Daily Report, September 10, 2010

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:21:00 GMT

Thank goodness it's Friday! Even though this was a short week for most, I'm sure a lot of you spent most your time playing catch up. Today we are taking things easy and giving you a few articles to laugh and learn from. Have a great weekend everyone!

How we will view media in the future:

Why grown-ups secretly love Facebook: Enjoy the slide show and giggle inside.

Ok time to learn something: Follow the money in social media advertising.

Daily Report, September 9, 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:32:00 GMT

Hey there everyone! We have another video for you today discussing Google Instant, but for mobile. Also, we have previously discussed those politicos in DC using social media, but a new survey shows when it comes to Twitter, the GOP is ahead of the game. Finally, with Google Instant could come more clicks for your Google Ads.

Google Instant for mobile coming soon: Mashable got a sneak peak at the not-yet-released version of Google Instant.

Tweeting Republicans engage with their audience more than Democrats: With 8 out of the 10 most popular Twitter accounts on Capitol Hill belonging to Republicans, it seems Republicans are finally catching up and passing the Democrats in the "Twittersphere".

Increasing your Google Ad clicks: Google Instant may do more than just increase your search ability, it seems that it's setup could increase your Google Ad clicks and ad impressions.

Daily Report, September 8, 2010

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:26:00 GMT

It's Hump Day so you are probably thinking about your weekend plans to get you through the remainder of the week, but take a second and check out today's articles. Google has announced it's latest software product. Check out the video to see what benefits it has for you. Also, the content of your campaign website helps voters understand the issues that matter most to you. Check out the differences in the issues of Republicans and Democrats based on what is listed on their websites. Finally, a Twitter battle occurred last week between the White House and a conservative author. See how the two went back and forth 140 characters at a time.

Google, you can't stop it: Google announced Google Instant. Check out the video to see how it works.

Does your website's issues page fully represent you?: When content is created for a campaign's website it should give all the information about that candidate that a voter is interested in, mainly the issues they feel strongest about. Check out this article comparing Democrat and Republican issues based off of their campaign websites. Where does your campaign fall?

War of the words 140 characters at a time: The White House's economic policies were up for debate last week between White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and conservative author Stephen Hayes. Check out the tweets between the two men in the first White House Twitter battle.

Daily Report, September 7, 2010

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:40:00 GMT

Welcome back to the work week. I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend! Usually when we talk about video we are discussing recorded and edited video placed on YouTube. Today we are talking about live online video and it's rise in popularity. Also, we want to bring a search engine to your attention that will help you sift through Twitter and Facebook updates to find what you are looking for. Finally, Outlook users can now get real-time social network updates while checking their email.

Live online video watching is on the rise: Carly Fiorina, the Republican Senate nominee in California, took to live online video using Ustream to share some thoughts with voters earlier last week. Americans are spending more and more time watching these types of live videos, so it may be something your campaign should consider trying.

Search Facebook and Twitter in real-time: If you haven't tried Kurrently yet you might want to. Search whatever key terms or combination of terms you want and see your results in real-time. You can use it to search a specific issue or a candidates name.

Attention Outlook users: Since July, users of Microsoft Outlook can download Outlook Social Connector to see real-time social network activity with the ones you email with.

Daily Report, September 3, 2010

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:16:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone! Before you get your Labor Day weekend started, take a minute to check out today's links. A video from The Washington Post takes reporters inside the Washington D.C. office of Facebook. We provided ways to re-energize your Twitter strategy in a previous post, but today see how Twitter is going mobile. Finally, take a look at the jump is social media use by it's oldest users.

Facebook in DC: Facebook wants you to understand how important it is for political use. Check out this video and hear straight from employees of the Facebook office in DC on the growth of Facebook in politics.

It keeps growing and growing: Twitter may not have the 500 million users that Facebook has, but it is growing. And the mobile use of Twitter is rising as well.

Social media, it's not just for the young ones: A new survey shows that the use of social media by those 65 and older is growing. This brings a whole new demographic of people you can connect with.

Daily Report, September 2, 2010

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:09:00 GMT

I hope everyone's week is winding down nicely. Google introduced Priority Inbox for Gmail users earlier this week. But what does this mean for political emails? Will they have priority or not? We write a blog and more than likely you or someone on your staff writes a blog for your campaign or organization. We want to help make sure that search engines are finding those blog posts when people search your key terms. We have four tips to help make this happen. Finally, we have discussed using video in previous posts, but once you post your video, how do you get people to view it?

Are your campaign emails someone's priority?: It's important to first, understand how Priority Inbox works. Here is a video to help you.

Priority Inbox may cause you to rethink your email marketing strategy so that you don't get missed.

Make your blog SEO friendly: There are ways to make your blog easier to access for people. Here are 4 tips to help people reach your blog when searching a topic.

You've posted your YouTube video, now what?: You can send out an email blast, you can push it through Twitter and Facebook, but there are other ways to drive traffic to your videos.

Daily Report, September 1, 2010

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:28:00 GMT

Good afternoon and welcome to September everyone! Roots Report wants to hear from you. We want to know what topics you are interested in and what you enjoy reading about. We created the Roots Report to bring you information about the topics you are most interested in and to fill you in on the latest happenings of digital politics. Please leave us your comments here or contact us on Twitter.

Today, find out if you need to rethink your Twitter strategy. Also, the more people on your team that use social media the easier it is to track chatter about your organization. Finally, we brought up the importance of mobile use yesterday but have you ever considered creating a custom mobile application?

Before you tweet you may need to rethink: Are you having trouble building your brand on Twitter? Maybe you follow 3 times as many people that follow you back or maybe you aren't tweeting enough. Check out these indicators that you may need to adjust your approach to Twitter.

Join social media....everybody's doing it: Are your staffers using social media? Whether you need them to join to help reach out to voters or to help push an organization's message, you may want to realize that not everyone is comfortable with social media...yet.

250,000 apps and growing: Apple's App Store hit a big milestone this week when they reached 250,000 apps. Have you ever considered creating a custom app for your campaign or organization?

Daily Report, August 31, 2010

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:34:00 GMT

Good afternoon! Google has answered all of your email organization prayers with the launch of Priority Inbox. If your campaign is struggling with improving your presence on Facebook, take a look at these Facebook Fan Pages and what makes them successful. Finally, we give you even more reasons to take mobile seriously courtesy of a report from Burson-Marsteller and Proof Integrated Communications.

“Once you go priority, you never go back.”: Gmail's new feature, Priority Inbox, will change your email organization as you know it. When the campaign starts heating up, your inbox becomes flooded and sometimes unmanageable. But Google may just have the answer to your email problems.

Think outside the status box: With everyone creating a Facebook Page, your campaign needs to have something to set it apart from the rest. Take a look at these pages and see ways you can improve your Facebook image.

"Be mobile or be dust": We discuss on this blog over and over again about the importance of mobile and how it will only get bigger in the future. Read the report to see even more reasons to engage the mobile user.

Daily Report, August 30, 2010

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:09:00 GMT

Happy Monday to everyone. Glenn Beck's rally in Washington D.C. had Google's Realtime instant search engine on fire this weekend and kept the number one spot on Google Trends for most of Saturday morning. As the popularity of social media grows, a new survey shows that more and more users over the age of 50 are signing up. Foursquare took only a month and a half to grow from 2 million to 3 million users and counting.

Google's Realtime has successful test run: Glenn Beck's rally featuring Sarah Palin kept the social media world busy on Saturday. It peaked it's highest when a Facebook video was featured of the rally.

Social media users are very diverse in age: As more and more campaigns are using social media and the web to reach voters a new survey shows that their older constituents are now tuning into social media.

Foursquare had most sign-ups than ever after Facebook Places announcement: Even with the all the new start-ups of location based services, Foursquare continues to grow larger. Foursquare has now hit the 3 million user mark and keeps growing.

Daily Report, August, 27, 2010

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:45:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone! Google is the main topic for today's Daily Report. We discussed Google's Campaign Tool Kit in a previous blog, but today we are talking about their newest product launch and the best time to use Google Mobile Ads. And finally, can politicos train their brains to think outside the box of TV, radio, mail and phones?

Google phone home: Google's newest product launch gives Gmail users the option of voice calls. So while using your email, you can now pick between your lifelines of polling your Gchat list or phone-a-friend. Your 50/50 option is still in the works.

Target voters while they wait in line to vote: Google Mobile Ads have existed since 2007, but use of mobile phones has increased since that time and mobile ads are getting more useful. What better way to connect with voters than to target them with a Google Ad as they check their phones while waiting to place their vote?

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?: With less and less people considering home phone lines and televisions as necessities in life, campaigns may need to adopt new strategies for targeting voters.

Five Options for Advertising Online

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:53:00 GMT

With more and more people experiencing the internet in different ways, the options for advertising online have expanded as well. Here are five ways to advertise online, from the basic to a one that is growing fast (watch out for #5).

1) Google Adwords - What many people consider the standard, and most accessable, online advertising channel. Google pioneered the pay-per-click (PPC) model, and has worked to stay in the lead. The search giant has integrated it's Analytics and AdWords tools to provide better feedback on performance. Also new from Google is a re-marketing ability that allows you to find your visitors on any site that runs the Google ad network. AdWords remains scalable to budgets large and small.

2) Facebook - In need of a revenue source, Facebook's once basic ad platform has grown into a useful advertising channel. Virtually unrivaled in ad targeting potential, Facebook makes a user's profile information available advertisers to define ad targets. If you're trying to reach 23-27 year olds interested in indie-rock and Ayn Rand in Toledo, OH, then Facebook is the platform for you. Even if you don't need to target that narrowly, Facebook still delivers great results in the PPC area. Costs remain lower than Google for the time being.

3) Paid Placement - The most traditional tactic online is to purchase ad space from sites you've identified geographically, or by topic. More time consuming, not as target-able, and less flexible than other options, this tactic could be useful in small regional ad runs. Cost can be an issue here as well, with most advertisers not able to scale down prices for ad runs.

4) Ad Networks - Closely related to the paid placement option above, ad networks offer an advantage over that option: Size. Many ad networks run nationwide operations, and are able to target by topic and region effectively. While many networks have developed excellent displays and video players, the cost and flexibility issues remain. Overall, this is most useful to larger budget advertisers.

5) In App Advertising - The most interesting option in online advertising right now is the in app ad. Think the small bar at the bottom of your favorite free iPhone app. This tactic has become more familiar to users, and is most prevalent in the mobile experience. This spring, Apple unveiled its iAd platform that will serve interactive ads to iPhone users. Wired ran a commentary recently that featured the growth of people only using the internet via apps. This pattern will continue with things like the iPad becoming integrated into users' lives, and in app advertising will explode along side that growth.

Daily Report, August 26, 2010

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:14:00 GMT

Good morning! Today's articles will focus mainly of how campaigns can use their supporters to gain well, more supporters. Does your campaign publicize meetings with individual supporters? There is more to a social media post than just talking about issues, talk about conversations with supporters. We have discussed in a previous post how easy it is to use a Flip Video camera to capture grassroots videos out on the campaign trail. Using video of commentary from your supporters instead of just candidate speeches could drive more support for the campaign.

Don't forget to Tweet about supporters: Of all the ways to blunder your campaign's social media plan, one is to neglect capitalizing on interactions with supporters. Make sure everyone on your campaign is awake and looking out for those "social moments".

Is your campaign using supporter videos?: Your campaign has produced television ads, posted videos of speeches, and spent a lot of money producing them. But using something that is cost effective, engaging and raw could be what garners more supporters for your campaign.

What the Left and Right political advocacy groups can learn from each other: When it comes to using social media, everyone has their own idea of how it's done right. See how political advocacy groups on both sides of the aisle are using social media and what online tactics they can learn from each other.

Daily Report, August 24, 2010

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:18:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! Now that Facebook Places has officially launched everyone is wondering what opportunities will there be for advertisers. But, it's important to understand why location services are useful for targeting consumers. It seems like you are hearing about Facebook every where these days, even on this blog for example. Check out the way everyday devices can now connect you to Facebook. Finally, read about the biggest thing in political advertising right now and how you can apply it to your campaign.

Mobile advertising opportunities on Facebook: With the launch of Facebook Places there is now a new opportunity for advertisers to market to Facebook users on the go when they use their mobile phones. Read the article to see what this new opportunity could mean for you.

Can your camera connect you to Facebook?: Kodak just released a new camera featuring a "share" button which allows you to share your pictures on Facebook and other social networks. See what other devices are out there connecting you to Facebook in new, innovative ways and how they can be beneficial to you.

In-stream ads are all the rage this campaign season: You are using YouTube to post your campaign videos and television ads so why not use it to advertise?

Daily Report, August 20, 2010

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:24:00 GMT

Happy Friday! Today we have a great little video about measuring the digital IQ of our senators. Also, check out the full report attached. And with all this talk lately about political advertising, lets not forget the trends in mobile advertising.

Digital IQ of the U.S. Senate:

Read the full report to see which senator has the highest digital IQ

Mobile advertising trends: Mashable.com has pointed out 5 mobile advertising trends to keep your eye on.

Daily Report, August 19, 2010

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:47:00 GMT

From political online advertising to political interaction on Facebook, today's Daily Report touches on a little of everything. It seems these days everyone wants a piece of the political advertising pie and that includes AOL. Also, some politicians will do whatever it takes to interact with the people. One congressional candidate from Oklahoma takes part in small group gatherings and also interaction of his Facebook Page. And, not to go on and on about Facebook Places, but here is the breakdown of how it works.

What can AOL offer the political advertising world?: AOL wants in on what Google and Facebook have done so well, political advertising. But what can AOL offer that isn't already out there?

He's not giving Facebook all the glory...just a little: These days there is no way of denying how beneficial social media can be to a campaign. One politician is all about meeting the people, even if it's through Facebook.

Facebook Places: Now that Facebook has joined the location-based service craze you may want to know how it all works. Here is a guide to finding your way around Places.

Daily Report, August 18, 2010

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:53:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone. I hope everyone is making it over this Hump Day. Today's articles will bring a few things to your attention that you may or may not have known existed. When it comes to the world of digital politics things are always being added or changed on a daily basis. We are here to help you stay informed. Enjoy!

This makes being a Watchdog a lot easier: Here is a great article about the man who took our government digital. Ever since the launch of the Federal Digital System in February 2009, the government has been able to take federal documents and make them digitally available to the public. One firm that uses these online documents says this is providing an "absolutely essential and an extremely valuable service for Americans."

Check out Congress' use of social media: Do you know what social media profiles your local congressman has? Now you can find out the social media practices of each member of Congress thanks to this spreadsheet.See which members of Congress use Facebook, Twitter and even some still use MySpace.

Facebook Places may launch tonight: As we mentioned in a previous post, Facebook will soon unveil there location based service, Facebook Places. Find out some of it's possible features and if it will be beneficial to your campaign.

Daily Report, August 17, 2010

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:31:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! I'm sure that most everyone has either a personal Facebook Profile or works on their campaign Facebook Page, but I have some helpful setup guidelines for you just in case. Do you have someone around you interested in learning about Photoshop or are you curious about how it works? There is a simple beginner tutorial from Mashable.com available. And finally, we have talked about online ads before, but take note of how much money will be spent on social media ads this year!

Your guide to building a Facebook Page: Even if you already have a Facebook Profile or Page take some time to review these guidelines to see if there are any changes you may want to make. You can skip to step four to get to the Page guidelines.

Photoshop for dummies (not really): These 12 Photoshop tutorials will not make you an expert, but they will help you understand the basics of Photoshop. This may come in handy when trying to understand what it is your designer is using.

Does $1.7 billion sound like a lot?: It is considering it is going to one of the newest forms of online advertising. And social media advertising isn't going anywhere in 2011, eMarketer estimates that the spending will rise to $2 billion. With the rise of social media popularity, you may want to consider using this up and coming form of advertising for your campaign.

Daily Report, August 13, 2010

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:56:00 GMT

TGIF everyone! Today's posts are all about social media. There are a few questions that campaigns should ask themselves before beginning the journey into social media. Also, Twitter launched the official tweet button this week, just in case you haven't heard. And before you start considering slowing down your email campaigns for a bigger push into social media, read how mobile users spend most of their time.

"What you put on the internet can't be undone": Social media is still a fairly new campaign tool, and to some it may seem fairly easy to manage and control. But here are a few questions that you may want to ask yourself before you tweet to the world.

Tweet Button is a new way to share information: This week Twitter will launch the Tweet Button that will allow you to share articles and will count how many times it is shared. This could end up being a vital way of tracking your campaign's Twitter impressions when sharing articles.

Mobile users ARE checking their email: It's important to use email marketing in a campaign and new research shows that you are reaching people even if they aren't at a computer. One survey shows that mobile users used their phones to check email more than checking social media sites.

Daily Report, August 11, 2010

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:29:00 GMT

Happy Hump Day to all! An interesting new online service is available that can connect with your email subscribers through Facebook. Also, those addicted to Twitter on a daily basis are more likely to engage on the internet than just occasional users. And, Facebook is finally joining the location-based application craze!

Now you can "friend" your email lists: It is important for a campaign to engage with it's constituents on all levels and now a new online service is making this a bit easier. Match Factory can use your email lists to match as many Facebook accounts as possible. Now you can see a profile for those email addresses and further engage!

Those who tweet are more likely to participate all around: Well those that tweet often, and by often I mean daily. Heavy Twitter users are 3 times more likely to post reviews than an average internet user.

Facebook will do more than just "check-in": In previous posts we have discussed location based services and what they can do for a campaign. Read more about Facebook Places and what may set them apart from the rest.

Daily Report, August 10, 2010

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:02:00 GMT

Good afternoon to everyone! We have been posting a lot of articles lately about online advertising for campaigns and online budgets. The reason for this is because your online advertising strategy could be crucial to the election outcome. Today we are posting another link to an article about online ads but this one uses tips from the online strategy from the campaign of Senator Scott Brown. Also, we have a few tips for creating campaign YouTube videos and details about the new GOP.com.

Right out of the online playbook: Everyone remembers when Scott Brown caused quite the upset when he took the senate seat formally held by Ted Kennedy. But how did he do it? His online strategy played a key role in his senate seat win. This article gives an inside look at his online budget and strategy. Even if your campaign isn't working with the same budget, the tips are worth the read.

Online videos need to get to the point: There are a few things you may want to change before creating your next online video for your campaign's YouTube channel. There are two questions that should be answered in the first 30 seconds or your audience may be lost.

The new online Republican Party: Take a look at the new GOP.com released by the RNC and see how it all came to be.

Daily Report, August 9, 2010

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:19:00 GMT

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week! The internet is a great opportunity for a campaign to communicate, but is your campaign really engaging? There are a few bad habits that some online politicos have developed. Don't let your campaign follow in their footsteps. For a campaign, any PR is not always good PR. It's important to know how to handle the good with the bad when it comes to PR for your campaign. Here is a fun fact, 10.5% of all advertising in the U.S. is on the Internet, yet in 2008 the Internet made up just 1.6% of overall campaign budgets.

Three trends not to follow in digital politics: When the campaign race gets heated it's important to maintain good online practices. Your online outreach is meant to be a communication platform and not just to push money through the door. Make sure to check and see if your campaign is practicing any of these online mistakes.

With online politics bad PR is sure to follow: Here are a few basic public relations tips for dealing with bad PR that should be applied to your campaign. The bad comes with the good, but how you handle the bad is what matters.

It's officially crunch time for campaigns: There's no better time than the present to get your campaign involved in online advertising. If you are hesitant, here are some startling statistics to show you what your campaign could be missing out on.

HOW TO archive your campaign email

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:19:00 GMT

All campaigns must come to an end, or at least that used to be the case. But by and large, if you work on campaigns, you will at some point need to switch from your @candidateforcongress.com email account back to your personal email. If you'd like to archive your campaign email for posterity, and you use Gmail, here's a quick guide to make the transition as smooth as possible.

1. If your campaign used Google Apps for email, go into the settings for your account and make sure POP access is enabled.
2. In the Gmail account, click Settings at the top of any Gmail page, and open the Accounts and Import tab.
3. In the Check mail using POP3 section, click Add POP3 email account.
4. Enter the full email address of the account you'd like to access, then click Next Step.
5. Gmail will populate sample settings, but just in case the correct server name for any Google Apps account is "pop.gmail.com" and the port is 995. Enter your Password.
6. Click Add Account.
7. Once your account has been added successfully, you'll have the option of setting it as a custom From address. Click No since your campaign account will likely be closed soon.

Hope this helps make the always difficult transition off of a campaign a little easier. As far as finding a next job, Roll Call has always maintained a good list, but as with most things political, the best opportunities will come from the people you have met on the trail.

The Power of Social Media in Politics

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:55:00 GMT

We all know that social media has a powerful influence; we have entire websites dedicated to it. Honestly, how many times have you checked your Facebook today? How often have you tweeted? How frequently do you take little breaks from work to check out the latest Youtube video?

Most of us also know what social media can do for a political campaign, yet I don’t think I’ve seen anything like what’s currently happening in the Republican gubernatorial primary in Tennessee.

Have you heard of Basil Marceaux? My first digital encounter with Basil Marceaux came from a video link shared on Facebook. From the comments I could see that not too many people took him seriously and most were shocked that he was actually a candidate for governor.

Two weeks have passed since my initial viewing. Since then I’ve seen his political ads linked on Facebook and retweeted on Twitter. I’ve seen him mentioned on E’s The Soup and Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. He was even interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Try and Google search the words Marceaux and governor. Want to take a guess at the number of hits? 1,290,000. The next closest is Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey with 1,050,000, followed by U.S. Representative Zach Wamp with 884,000 and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam with 776,000.

Basil Marceaux has gone viral. It wasn’t because of a flashy website, smart television ads, or touring all across the state to meet voters. It was because of the wide spread use of social media. Will he win the Republican primary today? I doubt it. Yet, you can bet Marceaux has as much, if not more, name recognition than every candidate running for governor here in Tennessee. And that, ladies and gentleman, is the power of social media.

Daily Report, August 4, 2010

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:04:00 GMT

Good afternoon! You have a campaign website by now and you have your Facebook fans, but is your website useful to those social media followers? Also, a location social network comes out with a campaign tool kit that is designed for specific use on the campaign trail. And finally, Wisconsin gubernatorial campaigns are focusing on YouTube to get in touch with younger voters.

Do your 'fans' have a need to visit your website?: When a visitor to your campaign website arrives there via Facebook or Twitter they are looking for a welcoming environment that is similar to those social networks. Here are a few tips on how you can modify your existing site to make these visitors feel welcome.

Gowalla now offers a tool kit just for campaigns: This new feature for campaigns offers candidate specific badges when someone checks in to an event or location. Campaign supporters can also use this feature to promote events as well. Issue advocacy groups will also find this useful in promoting their cause.

Add YouTube to your campaign's online advertising budget: The gubernatorial campaigns of Wisconsin are getting into online advertising by using ads on YouTube. They can target their political ads based on IP Addresses, specific videos or categories. Each campaign is hoping to connect with the young voter population.

Daily Report, August 3, 2010

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:33:00 GMT

Good afternoon to everyone! Today's links span a broad range of topics so enjoy the brain workout. First, get your mind set on checking into Foursquare without using your hands. Next, switch over to the world of women and what they want, on the internet at least. Now focus on something a little more heavy, the affects that online advertising have on a voter's perception of a candidate.

Hands free Foursquare: We may have spoken too soon, but the idea is in the making. Right now such hands-free location based apps are held back by software and hardware limitations, but the idea is pretty awesome.

What women are doing online: This article breaks down the online activity of women and what they are interested in on the web. These statistics may come in handy when trying to reach your female audience via your campaign website or social media networks.

Are your online political advertising efforts really working? Check out this case study by Google, Centro and Global Strategy Group and see the affects your online political advertising has on voters when used with television ads.

Daily Report, August 2, 2010

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:43:00 GMT

Happy Monday to everyone and welcome to August! Today's links cover the top politicians using social media, Twitter offering a new way of suggesting people to follow and a newspaper offering free blogs to politicians.

One newspaper embraces political blogging for all: The Baltimore Sun has decided to mesh old media with new media by offering free blogs to every candidate running for office in Maryland by way of the WordPress Mu.

An easier way to find people to follow on Twitter: "Suggestions for You" is a way to find people to follow on Twitter that may have the same interests as you based on their followers. This personalized way of finding people to follow based on who they already follow and who you follow will help in building like-minded political followers for your campaign's Twitter profile.

A list of who is and who isn't using social media correctly: Social media has fully infiltrated our political system. It influences how politicians brand themselves and how they communicate with constituents. See a list of who is doing it right and who is doing it wrong in D.C.

Daily Report, July 30, 2010

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:50:00 GMT

TGIF everyone! Here are a few afternoon links to start your weekend off right.

When it comes to social media Republicans reign: An article from PolitiFact.com states that when it comes to which political party dominates social media the Republicans take the crown. Read on to see the breakdown of why this is true.

Give online supporters the exclusive: It's important to keep your online supporters happy and there are easy ways to do this. Give them a few posts that have exclusive material such as viewing your ad before it airs or having a short Q&A. This article says campaigns should take a hint from Ford's online strategy of unveiling the newest Explorer to Facebook fans before anyone else.

Being socially political: Here's an op-ed about how today connecting with your constituents can easily be done by just answering a question on Facebook. There is a whole generation out there that communicates through social media and if you haven't joined the social media takeover, you may want to jump aboard.

Daily Report, July 29, 2010

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:59:00 GMT

Does the brand of your smart phone give away your political preference? Consulting firm Tulchin Research sure thinks so. Are you measuring and monitoring your social media networks? Mashable.com has an article to understand the importance and difference of both. In the fast paced lifestyle that is the campaign trail, here are 11 free services that save time and schedule your social media updates.

iPhone = Democrat and Blackberry = Republican: California's gubernatorial race is a hot topic this campaign season. We covered this race before in a previous post discussing the impact of a social media heavy campaign strategy, but now we are seeing how a voter's decision for governor could be determined by the type of smart phone they use. The findings of the survey say that iPhone users are more likely to support Jerry Brown for governor and those using Blackberrys would support Meg Whitman.

Know the impact your social media strategy has on your campaign: Social media sounds easy enough, click a few buttons, add a picture and voila! But there is a lot more to it when it comes to having an impact and understanding what that impact means. It's a lot more than entering 140 characters and expecting an action in return.

Creating a social media schedule: On the campaign trail, time for excessive tweeting and status updating is limited. But keeping your social network followers up to date with what's going on is very important. Here are 11 free services that allow you to plan and schedule your social media updates to fill in the spaces when time is limited.

Daily Report, July 28, 2010

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:39:00 GMT

Good afternoon to everyone. I wanted to share a few stories to get you over Hump Day and head into the weekend. Some of you may have seen this story when it aired last week on ABC News, but if not check out the video link below on how social media is changing politics as we know it. Also, if you are interested, you can now sign up for a White House email newsletter. And the campaign season is not over yet! I included a link to Google's campaign toolkit so you can double check and see what you are missing.

"Social Networking is Revolutionizing Politics": Did you know that 76% of Congress uses social media and 50% use Facebook? Check out this story from Bill Weir of ABC News to get a quick rundown of how the digital world is shaping our political world.

The White House embraces digital "literature": The White House started sending a weekly email newsletter starting this month. If you haven't received yours yet, you can expect the newsletter to contain the latest economy and jobs related posts from the White House blog and information about what is to come.

Google's campaign toolkit: Even though the campaign season is well underway, you can use this as a checklist or as a future reference. It's a great list of ways that Google can assist in your online campaign.

Daily Report, July 27, 2010

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:39:00 GMT

Good Tuesday afternoon to everyone! Here are a few articles that may be of interest to you and your organization. A recent study shows that people who consider newspapers as an important source of information is on the decline. This means it's more important than ever for your online presence to be informative and targeted at the correct online audience. A great article from eMarketer explains the difference in your email, Twitter and Facebook followers and what type of information they prefer.

More people rely on the internet than newspapers for important information: With the abundance of free information available online more and more people are canceling their newspaper subscription and getting all their information from the web. What this means for organizations and campaigns is that you need to have a clear communications plan online and offline to reach your readers of print and online publications.

Are you correctly targeting your followers? Before you can answer that question, you need to know the difference in your email subscribers, Facebook page fans and your Twitter followers. Each type of follower wants information about you and from your organization but they want it in different ways. See where the difference is and how they overlap.

Tools that make relying on social media easier: As social media grows so does the amount of people that rely on it to give them constant updates of news, marketing research, and everything in between. Read about two free online tools that can help you see all your social media networks in one place.

Daily Report, July 26, 2010

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:56:00 GMT

Happy Monday to everyone! Here's an idea to get you brain going this morning. Could your local political community become a digital community?

Combining community activism with the digital world: New York City is hoping to create an online community that will encourage the community to use technology to organize and become involved in local policy. "A government-sponsored social networking platform" is what Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Open Plans hope to create.

Flip video for your campaign: Pictures say a thousand words but video can tell a story. With Flip Video it is easy to record video from a rally, a press conference, or even interviews and add them to your YouTube channel or website homepage. Adopt these examples of nonprofits using Flip to your campaign.

They like you. They really really like you: The "Like" button for Facebook is the simplest way for your website visitors to share your website with their Facebook followers. If you have not installed the "Like" button to your website their is a new application called Facebook Like that allows a user to place a "Like" bar at the top of any visited webpage.

Daily Report, July 22, 2010

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:47:00 GMT

AOL adds to the political advertising niche: There are many different ways to advertise your campaign online. We have covered some other options in previous posts. AOL's political advertising hub includes a 'how-to' guide for political marketers to target specific political demographics online just in time for mid-term elections.

Skype will stay free: There is a lot of traveling on the campaign trail and not everyone is together at once. Campaigns can take advantage of the simplicity of using Skype to connect for meetings on the go. Also, calls to other Skype users are free. This is an easy way for campaigns to take care of business and save money at the same time!

10 ways to enhance your Facebook page: The campaign's Facebook page could probably use freshening up after the primaries. Here are 10 simple ways to make your page sharper and more useful for your fans!

Are you ready for what's next?

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:47:00 GMT

If you sat in a public place for a few minutes today, you could probably count dozens of people using a cell phone. Talking, texting, emailing and Tweeting, these people are part of the fast growing percentage of Americans going online from a mobile device.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has produced a fantastic report on mobile access in 2010. A few points to note:

40% of adults, more than 90 million Americans*, are using the internet, email or instant messaging from a mobile device
59% of adults, more than 134 million Americans*, now access the internet wirelessly or from a cell phone. While 'wirelessly' can sound a bit vauge, find some context in this new thing called the iPad.
While adults 18-29 are the most prevalent mobile users, the fastest growth year to year is among those 39-40.

Why does this matter?

Clearly, mobile is growing beyond teens and young adults into demographics more likely to both take financial action and vote.

Political and awareness campaigns must prepare for the influx of online traffic they will get from mobile devices. As with many online tools, the niche is becoming the norm. Mobile versions of websites used to be nice-to-haves, but are quickly becoming can't-do-withouts. Email marketing must adapt to be effective and user-friendly for mobile only users. Strong evidence of the future of mobile is in the commerce platforms, namely Apple's iAd, that are being developed to take advantage of mobile growth and will make mobile marketing more accessible to the masses.

Be prepared to take part in the mobile world if you want to connect your message with the people that need to hear it.

*U.S. Census Bureau

Daily Report, July 21, 2010

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:56:00 GMT

Good afternoon! Wednesday means it's almost Friday. Here are a few topics to get you over Hump Day.

The government now offers mobile help during a natural disaster: The government has adopted the mobile applications trend to assist those during and after a disaster. You can now access FEMA's website from your phone and register for government assistance in less than 20 minutes.

Foursquare reaches 100 million check-ins: And it just keeps on growing. Register your campaign with Foursquare and take advantage of all it's benefits. Read our previous post about Foursquare here.

Is your campaign using Mobile Ads: Google's click-to-call mobile ads do 6-8% better than other search ads according Mike Steib, director of emerging platforms at Google. There are many options for mobile ads out there so find the one that will be most beneficial to your campaign.

A new iPhone calendar app syncs your Google Calendar and Twitter.

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:49:00 GMT

TwitCal is the newest way to stay organized across your personal and social calendars. Campaigns can easily apply this new app for better communication when it comes to campaign event planning. TwitCal users can link to other staff members to better manage campaign events. By syncing the entire campaign staff, everyone is updated when a new event is posted to a calendar or to Twitter.

TwitCal is a great way for those in the political world to grasp onto a piece of technology that can make their lives easier through mobile organization. TwitCal is available through Apple's App Store starting today. TwitCal will continue to improve upon the app with more features and will launch a version for the Android this fall.

Daily Report, July 20, 2010

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:43:00 GMT

Good afternoon everyone! It's always good to stay up to speed on good social media practices and what's changing in the social media world. Here are a few links that can help.

New changes for Facebook...Again: Facebook has yet to publicly announce the new changes, but when you go to your profile or fan page and create an event the changes are obvious. The new design matches well with the other changes that were made throughout the site. Read more details about the new Facebook event page here.

Why you may not be getting followers on Twitter: There are many reasons out there why people may or may not decide to follow you back on Twitter. Here is an article that gives a good top 10 reasons why your follower list isn't growing. Use it as a reference to check your own Twitter practices.

Daily Report, July 19, 2010

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:44:00 GMT

Good Monday afternoon to everyone! It seems like every day something in the internet world is changing, and that's because it is. Popularity grows in social media platforms and the way we explore the web changes with each new mobile device. Prepare and adapt to the growing web changes of today or get left behind.

Make your tweets count: The use of hashtags started when just one user thought it would be a great way to connect conversations. It has since grown to be an effective way to search and track conversations and topics using a simple # sign. At first adopted for use mainly by the "geeky" base of Twitter users, it went mainstream and “out of the geekosphere” when Republicans used the hashtag #dontgo during session to vote on an energy bill.

Hashtags are now a great way for campaigns to promote issues, fundraising deadlines and campaign slogans.With over 2 billion tweets each month, creative uses for hashtags will make it easier to track and separate your campaign's tweets from the rest.

It's not about what you knew yesterday, it's about what you know today: With almost 20 years of the web being a part of our daily lives, the way we access the internet is continually changing. In order for a campaign to be successful in online communications, it needs to recognize these changes and adapt. These changes go farther than just social media, the way we actually consume the internet is changing and in order to stay ahead of the game campaigns need to acknowledge these trends and then decide their strategy.

Daily Report, July 17, 2010

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:20:00 GMT

Good afternoon. Hope everyone is having a great weekend, even with election day just 108 days away. Here's a few links you can put to use in the meantime... And since I just put my daughter down for her nap, each link will come with a moral of the story...

Digital Campaigns from people who know: ClickZ.com, which describes itself as "the largest resource of interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research, and reference in the world, online or off-" is out with a handy 26-page collection of bi-partisan essays called "Digital Campaigns 101 - Political". They produce these 101 guides for various industry verticals, and their guide for hacks is very, very good. For instance, it features a Q&A with Rob Willington of Scott Brown and Swiftcurrent fame. They'll want your email address to download it, so go ahead and make your way to download it here.

Moral of this story: Digital politics can and should be a prominent and successful set of strategic and tactical elements that can provide the winning edge to a) communicate message, b) turning out voters, and c) raising money.

Facebook via mobile: Facebook announced this week that it has surpassed 150 million users who access the social network via a mobile device. So in other words, only eight nations in the world are larger than the population pouring their personal information into Facebook via their mobile. More from All Facebook.

Moral of this story: Having a website isn't enough.

About that Old Spice thing: As a bonus link today, we send you to Mashable where they have quite a round-up of the sensational Old Spice online campaign that took place this week. In case you missed it, the folks from Old Spice cut over 100 ads in one day responding directly to questions pulled from various online channels, including Yahoo, Facebook, and Twitter. They even responded to a question from George Stephanopoulos, the video of which is below.

Moral of this story: It's amazing how well people respond when you just have a conversation with them. And, don't drop your towel.

Daily Report, July 16, 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:05:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone. Before your brain turns off for the weekend here are a few good weekend conversation starters.

Campaigns and non-profits alike can benefit from Foursquare: The social media tool Foursquare is really taking off. Campaigns and non-profits can take advantage of this tool to engage followers and promote a message. It's a simple and easy way to incorporate technology into a communications plan. Read the article from Mashable.com here. Also, Roots Report previously covered an article on Foursquare. Find it here.

The times they are a-changin' especially in the way we communicate: Adage.com has a great piece about knowing who your audience is and how to effectively get your message to them. In these times, the digital way is the new way to go. You can read more about the survey Convio conducted to determine preferred communication habits here.

Daily Report, July 15, 2010

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:49:00 GMT

It's all in the name. The domain name that is.

When beginning a communications plan for a political campaign, or any campaign for that matter, branding is a top priority. There needs to be a seamless message across all social media networks and official campaign website. The most recognizable part should, of course, be the name.

Your domain name should be the first item you secure on your communications plan checklist. Believe it or not, others will try and take your ideal domain name for themselves just to keep you from having it. This could throw a huge wrench in that seamless message plan. Who ever owns the domain name can do with it what they will, so make sure you are the one in charge of your name and not your future opponent.

Daily Report, July 14, 2010

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:46:00 GMT

Campaigns should use social media to think outside the box when it comes to fundraising events. Creating social media profiles for a candidate running for office has become the norm in the political world. But once those profiles are created, it's important to use them to not only promote a platform, but to promote fundraising events.

This is when campaign managers and staff members can get creative! Promote fundraising events on every social media network the campaign uses. Create hashtags on Twitter and promote them before the event takes place so attendees can use it to tweet their location at the event. Post pictures of the event live on Twitter. Use Facebook to invite people to the event.

Using social media to promote events is a great way to reach an abundance of people on many different channels and it is much more interactive than just using direct mail or email newsletters alone.The tools are out there so use them to your advantage!

HOW TO improve your writing

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:20:00 GMT

One of the most under-appreciated yet valuable skills to have as a political professional is simply the ability to write.

Too often we'll see press releases or other content come across with little attention to the actual writing. And while the realities of political deadlines mean the perfect is hardly ever the enemy of the good, there are some easy ways to improve the content you create. And, in keeping with the theme of this blog, better content will directly impact your ability to a) communicate message, b) turnout voters, and c) raise money.

So here are a few tips to improve the press releases, blog posts, emails, and other content your campaign creates:

1. Learn to write like a journalist. Journalists are trained to write in a particular style called the "inverted pyramid" style. Writing in the inverted pyramid style means that you write the first paragraph with the most important information about your story. The second paragraph has the second most important information, then so on and so forth. Since traditional print editors would often need to cut articles to make them fit in a particular column, inverted pyramid writing was particularly important so if the bottom three paragraphs were chopped off, the reader would still get the most important elements of the story. It is still important today because few online readers have the patience to read long articles. Give them the most important information up front, then let your story go from there. More information about the inverted pyramid writing style can be found here, here and here.

2. Buy the AP Stylebook. The AP Stylebook is still the go to reference for any professional or prosumer journalist or blogger. It contains the "official" way to spell, capitalize, and otherwise style your writing so that it matches what readers expect from an article. It is the subtle style of your writing that will communicate whether or not your candidate or cause is serious and worth of the reader's support. The AP Stylebook will help you create that sort of content. You can buy it on Amazon.com or directly from the AP.

3. Plan ahead. Granted, it's not the most frequent thing we do on campaigns. Every minute of every day has 10 things that need to be done. But... if you can find that 30 minutes at night to plan ahead and start drafting your press release for the next day, your earned media efforts will thank you for it. Got a debate the next night? You know what's going to happen. Take 5 minutes to come up with a really, really good headline for the post-debate release.

4. Read top blogs. You only have so many hours in the day, and knocking on doors is a lot more effective than reading blogs. Agreed. But with efficient ways to read blogs out there, such as Google Reader, you can scan through several blogs every day easily. In fact, there's a great app for the iPhone that connects with Google Reader called Reeder. So use that car time between events to browse some of the best writers out there (just... not if you're driving). Keep in mind that a lot of these guys do this for a living, but there is a style and a cadence to good writing that your readers will pick up on. Use that cadence to communicate with your key audiences and get them excited about your candidate or cause.

Here's a few suggestions to get you started:

Copyblogger
Chris Brogan (Brogan's blog is a great example of how to write for the web. Short paragraphs. Bulleted lists. It's great.)
TechCrunch (More gadget/tech oriented, but they have captured millions of viewers with both the quality and timeliness of their content.)
Robert Scoble

5. Attend a Ragan workshop. Ragan Communications is the company that PR professionals across the country trust for professional education and resources. Their workshops are expensive, but if you are serious about writing content that moves the ball down the field, Ragan.com is the place to go. In fact, Ragan has a great section on their site just with tips for writing for the web.

Creating great content is important to an effective online presence, so it's something we're going to focus on more over the next few weeks.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Daily Report, July 13, 2010

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:07:00 GMT

Should your local government embrace iPad politics?

Well the town of Williamsburg, Virginia sure thinks so. According to techPresident, the city council is spinning the move from paper-based agenda books to Apple iPads as a money saving opportunity. It's also an opportunity for a town like Williamsburg to step out of the shadow of it's past and into the future of technology and politics joining forces.

Sure, there are a few kinks to work out with such a drastic change, but this is one more example of how the latest technological communications tools can be an asset to the political world.

Read full article here.

Could campaigns buy Twitter followers?

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:20:00 GMT

The rumor mill is churning today with the story that Twitter may begin offering a "promoted twitter" premium service, whereby accounts could be promoted for an advertising type fee. If the metrics were right, this would be a tremendous boost to building audiences for campaigns. Imagine if every time someone on Twitter posted about a topic or person related to your campaign or cause, a box recommending your Twitter account would appear to that user? This sort of contextual advertising would be a benefit using Twitter effectively as a means of building direct communications with key audiences.

One hurdle to implementing such a plan would clearly be integrating these promoted accounts with the API. Since a full 75% of Twitter traffic comes through third-party apps -- not the Twitter.com website itself -- a truly effective implementation of promoted accounts would need to place those promotions in the API so apps could use them.

Of course, how users would react would be a challenge. While some might appreciate the opportunity to learn about new accounts related to their interests, others would clearly object to the invasion of privacy that Google went through when it rolled out contextual advertising for Gmail.

What do you think? Would you pay to promote your candidate or cause on Twitter?

E-campaign: Old school vs. New school

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:46:00 GMT

By Ally Parsons

What really determines the success of a campaign, the number of Twitter followers or the number of doors knocked on?

As the social media world booms and technology expands beyond belief, many campaigns are stuck with this question. When deciding how campaign money will be spent a decision must be made about how much to put into technology and how much to put into traditional grassroots organizing.

This November will bring a great example of new school vs. old school in the e-campaign world. In the 2010 California gubernatorial election we will see what campaign money can really buy when put towards social media and technology with the technology-driven campaign of Republican candidate Meg Whitman.

According to an article from MercuryNews.com Whitman spent seven times more than her Democratic rival, Jerry Brown, on website development and information technology for her campaign. Those on the left side of this race to determine the next California governor say that all the money Whitman is putting into her e-campaign is to make up for a lack of voters. But the tactics Whitman is using are really on the forefront of technology backed campaign strategy.

The winning candidate of this election could determine the future of running an e-campaign. Is the key to a successful campaign all about the technology or about the human element, or can there be a happy medium? November will decide.

Democrats desperate attempt at using social media to connect Hill GOP to BP

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:13:00 GMT

techPresident is reporting that The Democratic National Committee just launched a new microsite titled BP Republicans. The mid-term microsite has email, Facebook, and Twitter integration and features such Republican figures as Reps. Joe Barton (TX), Michelle Bachmann (MN), and Steve King (IA); and Senate candidates Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sharron Angle of Nevada.

The Democrats are hoping to get supporters to push a cozy relationship between BP and the GOP in order to disaffiliate themselves with any political connection to the oil giant or the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Read the full article here or follow techPresident on twitter.

Daily Report, July 12, 2010

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:45:00 GMT

Tablets aplenty: Gizmodo is reporting that Microsoft is aggressively pushing production of their own tablets like Apple's iPad. This means more consumers will be using touch-screen portable devices. What this means for campaigns is that by the time 2012 rolls around, your campaign/cause will need to look at ways to effectively use tablets.

Check out the full article here.

Applies to politics too

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:21:00 GMT

With great resources out there like Mashable and TechCrunch, I'm constantly seeing how digital technology trends impact businesses. My hope here is look at those same trends and how they impact politics. So while I may overuse the phrase "this idea applies to politics too" at least it's for a good cause...

In this case, the good cause is getting politicos to think different when it comes to social media and advertising. Mashable recently took a look at this particular topic, and the parallels are striking (advance notice: "parallels are striking" will also likely be an overused phrase. So brace yourself.)

While TV ushered in a new era in advertising, the business aspect evolved and reshaped itself along relatively predictable lines. All of that changed with the Internet, social media, and the rise of mobile devices. This quote from Jim Farley, the CMO of Ford, sums up the sentiment in most C-suites today: "We want to take that stupid little box we were forced into as advertisers, blow it up, and change the way we interact with the customer, and we want it to be around the experience."

The article goes on to describe five ways advertisers (we would substitute "advertisers" with "hacks") can adjust to the wild new world of social media:

Lighten Up. Stop lamenting the end of advertising as we know it. Celebrate the emergence of advertising as the consumer wants it and as it was meant to be — the art of one-on-one persuasion.

Listen Up. Take Chris Brogan’s advice. Grow bigger ears and become an expert at listening to what people feel. Value response and engagement skills as much as creative abilities.

Loosen Up. Get comfortable with giving up control to gain confidence and traction with clients and consumers. Client relationships ought to be rooted in trust, transparency and creative programs that are built on a strong positioning and responsibly deliver what is promised.

Ladder It Up. Embrace “collabetition.” Resist the urge to say “we can do it all” and openly collaborate with like-minded competitors to add value to an idea or program.

Live It Up. Everyone at an agency has to immerse themselves in the “social circles” in which consumers live and move everyday. Observation and understanding have been trumped by participation and engagement.

Check out the full article here, or follow Mashable's social media feed on Twitter.

Update your campaign website using Postereous

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:21:00 GMT

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Daily Report, July 10, 2010

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:21:00 GMT

Good Saturday morning. It's perfect weather for precinct walking in Tennessee today, but rainy in Washington. Here's what we found interesting at the intersection of technology + politics:

GOTV via Twitter: Several campaigns are actively organizing get out the vote activities via Twitter, posting locations, times, and results. Robin Smith (@robints) in TN03 is especially pushing technology as part of her campaign. How are other campaigns using Twitter to maximize their GOTV programs?

RightOnline coming up: AFP's annual mega convention for the Right's online community is coming up in Las Vegas July 23-24. You can find out more about the activites at www.rightonline.com. Or cut right to the good stuff and follow AFP's Erik Telford (@JoeTaxpayer) on Twitter.

Why you should watch Foursquare

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:21:00 GMT

Foursquare -- and the general trend of geo-location services -- present a huge opportunity for campaigns. See where your volunteers are. Share where your candidate is. Let volunteers see where voters are. Find polling places. Foursquare doesn't do all of these things, but it is quickly becoming so widely adopted that if it won't soon, someone else will.

TechCrunch reports that Foursquare has now passed 2 million users:

It appears that Foursquare has just crossed the 2 million users mark this morning. The location based social network has been growing fast, adding 100,000 users per week. Only three months ago, Foursquare passed one million users after taking a year to accumulate one million members.

TechCrunch also notes that other services have equal, or larger, audiences already:

It’s important to note that other competitors have already crossed this mark. MyTown, another location-based network hit that number in May, Brightkite hit 2 million users in February. And, Loopt just passed 4 million users.

Welcome!

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:22:00 GMT

Welcome to Roots Report, where we hope to keep you informed about new developments in the world of politics and technology. Increasingly, technology -- from database mining to social networking -- is playing a more important role in the lives of political professionals and voters alike. We feel that it is important to give professionals current insights on what is happening in this arena so they can make informed decisions about how to leverage technology most effectively.

In my eyes, technology is important in a political or issue advocacy context only if it does one of these things:

Communicates message
Increases fundraising
Turns out voters

There are thousands of gadgets, widgets, apps and sites out there. Probably more. But how many of them will truly add value to your campaign or advocacy effort? So that's what we're going to look at here. What is the best technology available, and what is the best way to use it.