Candidates for political office in Delaware this year are learning the tried and true methods of campaigning may no longer be enough. The growing influence of social media means rethinking how they reach voters.
Just ask John Carney. Two years ago, the former lieutenant governor made a bid for governor, losing in the Democratic primary to current Governor Jack Markell. This year, Carney is running for the state’s lone seat in the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, online social networking in campaigns was just getting started here, he says. This year "there’s an incredible difference."
Today, he says, the use of social media—Twitter, Facebook, and other sites that attract and connect people online—is “vital” to a showing you have a professional, organized campaign that is interested in all voters.
“Some voters, particularly younger voters, that’s how they want to get their information, and if you’re dismissive of that, I think that’s a signal to them that you don’t care about them,” he added.
David Anderson, communications director for Republican Glen Urquhart’s congressional campaign, says campaigning through social media isn't absolutely essential yet, but you ignore it at your own peril.
“If you don’t have it, it’s like playing with a massive handicap," says Anderson. "If somebody else is using it, you will have to spend at least double the amount of money to reach the same effect.”
Money motivates political campaigns to be aggressive in their use of Facebook and Twitter today. Unlike expensive traditional methods of reaching voters, such as mailers or radio and television advertising, social networking involves little or no cost—except the time to participate online. That's a huge cost savings especially to candidates in northern Delaware, who need to buy advertising in the high-priced Philadelphia market to reach voters.
Carney says a “meaningful" campaign on the Philadelphia TV stations can cost from $300,000 to $600,000 a week.
“Think about those numbers. They’re just staggering," he said. Financial resources, therefore, weigh heavily on the outcome of elections and on "the whole political process.”
“Even campaigns for governor and Congress can’t utilize the TV media market [extensively]," notes Anderson.
Social networking can target an audience, while out-of-state advertising does not give Delaware candidates the full bang for their bucks. "If you want to reach your voters, instead of spending millions of dollars reaching people in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Maryland who can’t even vote for you, you have to find something different," Anderson explains. "Social media is a great way to find groups. It’s a great way to get your message out unfiltered on a regular basis."
Will campaigns use social media to help get out the vote? Opinions vary. Candidate for U.S. House John Carney (D) isn’t sure. Communications Director for Glen Urquhart Campaign, David Anderson says yes.
Social networking also helps circumvent a problem that vexes campaigns: trying to reach voters in an age when people increasingly hang up on campaign phone calls, do not answer their doors, and toss mailers in the trash.
Anderson says you still need to use those traditional methods, but admits “people are tuning out traditional advertising.... The social media attracts people where they pay attention.”
Katelynn Dunlop, social media director for the Urquhart campaign, aims to engage and increase Urquhart's audience by posting at least two fresh items a day for the 595 people who “like” Urquhart’s Facebook page and the 55 Urquhart followers on Twitter. Since August 1, the campaign has made 21 Facebook posts and 31 tweets.
At the Wyoming Peach Festival, the campaign gave viewers the opportunity to keep up with Urquhart online, in real time.
“We were taking pictures with our iPhones and sending them directly to our Facebook, so people were watching what was happening as it was happening,” said Dunlop. “We don’t want to put up old things or not post for a week or two. It’s a lot more fun to keep things live. It’s not a necessity, but people like to watch things as they are happening.”
Anderson believes social media has played a role in helping Urquhart, who is not backed by the Delaware Republican Party, gain traction in his primary battle with the party’s endorsed candidate, Michele Rollins.
“Mr. Urquhart had less than 1 percent name recognition a few months ago, [and] now he is even with everyone else,” Anderson notes. Use of social media "has allowed the people to get a hold of his message, and it's just transformed everything."
Carney’s campaign has 598 people who “like” its Facebook page, as well as 320 Twitter followers. Since August 1, the campaign made 19 Facebook posts and 15 tweets and retweets. The items included pictures from Carney’s visit to a shrimp feast in Bowers Beach and links to news articles and editorials, such as an opinion piece on the potential to create bioscience jobs in Delaware.
“We try to keep an active profile on Twitter and Facebook,” said Carney communications director Albert Shields. “We try to make sure people can check in 2, 3, 4 times a day and keep up with the campaign almost minute by minute."
The Rollins campaign is lagging behind in its use of social media. Its Facebook page has 418 “likes” and its Twitter feed has grabbed 66 followers, but those online viewers are not getting much from the campaign. Since August 1, the Rollins staff has posted just one Facebook comment (criticizing congressional Democrats' efforts at job creation) and a couple of tweets.
The Rollins campaign says it is in the process of hiring a company to handle its social media efforts.
None of the candidates in the congressional race spend time posting or tweeting personally, but Carney and Urquhart’s campaigns say they do make an effort to be responsive to feedback they get via social media.
Anderson notes that social networking sites are an effective place for candidates to test their messages.
“Before you spend $100,000 on an ad campaign, it’s nice to put a video on Facebook and see if people even like it before you put it on all the TV stations,” he said.
The campaigns also look to social media to keep tabs on what is being said about their candidate, good and bad.
“We don’t feel the need to respond to every comment made," said Shields. "But if there is something we think is not true about the campaign or misrepresents a position John has taken, we would respond to that. If something is said once or twice on Facebook or Twitter, we can respond right there instead of waiting for it to turn into a larger story elsewhere.”
Politicians and their staffs realize they need to keep up with the changes technology brings—whether on Facebook, Twitter, or an outlet that has yet to emerge.
“Our whole society is different now. We have to adjust if we are going to reach people with an important message,” said Anderson. "We have to go where the people are. The people are at their computers. They have them at their side with their phones, they have them everywhere they go."
Carney says he is skeptical of the idea that social media will replace retail politics in a state like Delaware, where many voters expect to meet their elected officials in person. But he notes that the online interaction provides a good strategic complement to pressing the flesh.
“It takes retail politicking to an entirely new level,” said Carney.