• by Shawn Kemp , Op-Ed Contributor, August 4, 2015

It’s getting harder to break through the noise. With 16 Republicans vying for a spot on the final party ticket, what would traditionally be a time of quietly stuffing the war chest to create fear among rival candidates has become open season.

Needing to establish themselves and create draw to even make it on stage for the Aug. 6 debate, these candidates (and their SuperPACs) are spending millions on early marketing. In fact, Time magazine reported that SuperPACs spent at least $3 million in June alone promoting candidates.

This early volume of noise coupled with media obsession over Donald Trump’s recent comments and Hillary Clinton’s email make it incredibly difficult for the Bobby Jindals of the world to get their message out there. Yet, as some candidates are finding, social media provides a way to have a conversation without fighting to shout into the crowd. 

Know Thy Audience
Their strategies are focused less on “spray and pray” and more on knowing their audience and making direct appeals to them. Social media is exceptionally good at targeting and being able to reach specific audiences with a specific message. Interested in reaching Iowa seniors with a message about Social Security? Check. 

There is no secret sauce here, but rather a consistent drumbeat of targeted key messages delivered in a genuine way to the audience in a conversation … not with a bullhorn. To do so successfully, politicians must know their audience, and respond in real-time to them, as well as to breaking news and events. Mike Huckabee leads the pack on Facebook due to his targeted messages to Christian Conservatives. His profile image, for example, boldly proclaims “Protect Religious Liberty.” 

Create a Self-Feeding Cycle
Organizations like Hillary Clinton’s have already amassed a heavy field of volunteers, whom they leverage to amplify their social message. Doing so paired with strong calls to action, e.g., sign this petition or receive our email, create a positive loop where the campaign is able to capture additional information for future communication while using that social action to get the message into the Newsfeeds of supporters’ friends. 

This is a key point. In order to continue the conversation and encourage a deeper relationship – which could lead to fundraising, volunteering, or other word-of-mouth benefits – it’s important to give people something to do other than just share. Gathering additional information allows campaigns to improve and fine-tune their understanding of their audience while growing a deeper relationship with supporters, creating a reinforcing cycle that helps them stand apart from the crowd.

Know Thy Competition
Successful campaigns are not only finding ways to appeal directly to their key audience groups on social, but are studying what works well for their competitors and adopting key strategies for themselves. For example, Bernie Sanders is excelling at YouTube because he is creating common moments for people through broadcast of his events.

Capitalizing on people’s desire to watch and talk about a favorite TV episode or movie, the Bernie Sanders campaign has figured out how to get people to watch and talk about a 60-minute stump speech while people skim past a 60-second Jeb Bush ad on their DVR.

In addition to the millions to be spent on the Presidential election, spending for Senate and other races is on the climb as well. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, America’s premier business lobby, has already spent more than $3 million on Senate campaign ads in July. With all the noise getting noisier, social media presents a unique opportunity to become a clear, targeted signal that can create a snowball effect gathering supporters, and as we discussed last month, influencing industry influencers.