Cross-posted at MyDD
As you know, my Dad is Jack Carter, who's running for US Senate in Nevada. Usually, I give you some updates or stories about what's going on with my Dad's campaign. But today, I want to tell you a little bit about what I've been thinking about in terms of political marketing. Also - I need your help!
I've become very interested in using viral marketing and word-of-mouth techniques to generate buzz and support for my Dad in Nevada. Chris Bowers over at
MyDD recently pointed out
this article titled "Word of Mouth Politics 2.0: Now Powered by the Internet" from the New Politics Institute. It says that with the overload of information that we experience in today's culture, people are increasingly dependent on their friends and face-to-face recommendations for products and candidates. The article also has several suggestions for political candidates, and we're working on improving the Carter campaign to better promote word of mouth, grassroots organizing. In a small state like Nevada, these sorts of viral marketing-type techniques have the potential to be very effective. I'll keep you updated on the strategies that we're putting together.
One strategy that we're already implementing is the use of MySpace. As most of you know, MySpace is a peer-to-peer networking site that is huge and decentralized. According to this site, about 80% of the 80 million users are over 18 years old, making them potential voters. From my own searches, I've found:
- More than 3000 people over 18 within 5 miles of Las Vegas, NV
- More than 3000 people over 18 within 5 miles of Henderson
- More than 3000 people over 18 within 5 miles of Reno
- Nearly 2000 people over 18 within 10 miles of Elko
To state the obvious, that's a lot of people (even with the geographical restrictions and the search function's apparent ceiling). The trick is to get some buzz generated so that these people use their own extended social groups to spread the word and solidify support for Jack Carter. When I started working on this stuff, I didn't know anything about MySpace or how to use it. I'm now learning very quickly.
We made a Jack Carter profile: jackcarter2006. Our goal is to get as many "friends" in Nevada as possible. When people add you as a friend, you can send them bulletins and keep them in the loop. Dad really gave his profile a good head start in collecting friends when he mentioned it in a speech to the Young Democrats Convention last weekend. Apparently, candidates don't often talk about MySpace - it was big news: the AP picked it up and it was everywhere. The most common headline was "Jack Carter calls on MySpace Democrats" and here is the quote that made the article:
"If you and your MySpace friends get five people apiece ... Democrats will win in 2006," he said.
The day that the story ran, the Jack Carter profile went from 9 friends to about 160. So, now the hard part of building a large network begins. We've already sent out (and will continue to send out) bulletins asking our new friends to spread the word to their friends - to get five people, as he said in the article. (We're also using the bulletins to let people know about volunteer opportunities and other campaign updates.) To increase our numbers, I've used my own
profile (as Sarah Carter) to join groups, post topics, and send messages to individuals who seem like they'd be interested. I've focused on people who are most likely to be influential - those who have started political groups, those with a lot of friends, and those who appear to log on frequently.
You can help!
- You can give suggestions about ways to improve my Dad's MySpace profile or our outreach strategy. Since I am new to that community, I feel like I may be missing some opportunities.
- You can add Jack Carter as a friend, and get your friends to add him, too.
- You can talk about Jack Carter in group forums - both political and non-political. In the New Politics Institute report that I mentioned above, they say that overtly political marketing can only go so far. Use quotes from and information about my Dad to let people know that he's a good guy. For some groups, the fact that he's Jimmy Carter's son may be a good "in." For other groups, it may be interesting that he has explicitly reached out to the MySpace community. Try out other bits of information and let me know what works best.
- You can become a Jack Carter "evangelist." In your spare time, you can find potential Nevada voters and tell them about Jack Carter. This strategy will work best if you talk to people you have something in common with - after all, MySpace is a social networking site. Find Nevadans who you'd like to meet in real life.
I think we have the potential to create a really strong buzz in this community - especially since we're starting early. Your help would be greatly appreciated!