• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 8, 2008

Lest there be any doubt the Barack Obama campaign recognized the power of email marketing early on, the head of its online fundraising efforts said initiatives began months before the Iowa caucuses.

Stephen Geer, director of email and online fundraising, said the goal was to build an email list in all 50 states. And field teams used various tactics, including collecting addresses at events (large rallies where Obama appeared were obvious successes), via online advertising and with incentives such as an offer for a free bumper sticker in exchange for contact information.

Geer himself joined the campaign in May 2007.

After collecting addresses, follow-up emails steered people to MyBarackObama.com, where they could find information on how to host events of their own. The campaign's email mantra involved “respect and empowering folks."

On Election Day, the campaign used its massive list for a get-out-the-vote effort. Emails provided people with the names of five people who supported Obama in their neighborhood and asked them to call each one to make sure they were going to the polls, or if they needed a ride.

"The list we built played an unprecedented role in the election," Geer said.