http://spiral16.com It’s no secret that web and social media monitoring can be useful for any business looking to monitor their brand or competitors, but how does this game-changing form of communication relate to politics and government agencies? This presentation explores: * How crucial social media monitoring is for tracking political campaigns * How social media can be leveraged at all levels of government

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Presented by Tracy Panko, CEO – Spiral16

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The 2010 midterms marked a drastic shift in
campaign strategy as both sides of the aisle
have now embraced social media as a
message channel.
How does the ever-changing online space
impact campaigns going forward?
Bringing Affairs Of State Online

4. Bringing Affairs Of State Online
The Memorandum on Transparency and
Open Government was issued on January
21st, 2009, making it one of President
Obama’s first official acts.
What are the benefits facing agencies as
they open the channels of communications
to citizens?
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5. “ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL” DIGITAL
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Pew Internet & American Life Project (2010)
Between 2000 – 2010, the adoption of
online activity has climbed across every
age-group.
More and more users seek out their
initial information online rather than the
traditional friends and neighbors.
The breadth of opinion and political
orientation online means voters are more
likely to find communities that
correspond with and reinforce their
existing beliefs.
*Thomas “Tip” O’Neill (1985).

6. Social Media as a Message Channel
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Campaign spending is typically dominated by targeted messaging
and massive ad buys.
Social Media presents a low-cost, high touch-point medium
which campaigns can use to consistently reinforce their message
and talking points to a far wider audience.
After discovering the effectiveness of microblogs like Twitter for
money-bomb campaigns, the GOP wholeheartedly adopted the
platform for the 2010 campaigns as a means of connecting with
voters and ensuring message discipline

7. Social Media as Influencer
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Monitoring social media allows campaigns
to identify or build hubs of influence from
which they could coordinate official and
un-official activism.
Determining where information is being
accessed helps campaigns to understand
what influences the influencers and craft
their responses accordingly.
Understanding where online the
influential information resides (and how it
spreads) also allows campaigns to be
flexible in how they respond to rumors or
breaking scandals.

8. Measuring the Message
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While the ultimate success of a campaign is measured by
“50 +1” the various strategies and supporting tactics have
traditionally been difficult to measure.
Measuring social media allows campaigns to put metrics
behind spends as well as understand how well they have
(or have not) controlled the language of a campaign.

9. What’s Next for Digital Politics?
Advances in geo-targeting and author
identification will bring social media politicking
from the national and state level to local politics.
A combination of social CRM and comprehensive
monitoring will allow campaigns to make bigger
pushes towards early voting and higher voter
turnout.
As campaigns get comfortable living online,
candidates will be focusing on recruiting and
coordinating volunteer efforts as opposed to
broadcasting and message control.
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10. OPENING THE DOORS OF GOVERNMENT
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“The three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration form
the cornerstone of an open government. Transparency promotes
accountability by providing the public with information about what the
Government is doing. Participation allows members of the public to
contribute ideas and expertise so that their government can make policies
with the benefit of information that is widely dispersed in
society. Collaboration improves the effectiveness of Government by
encouraging partnerships and cooperation within the Federal Government,
across levels of government, and between the Government and private
institutions.”
- Open Government Directive
(December 8, 2009)
President Obama acknowledged a
fundamental gap in the connection
between citizens and their government
with his Open Government Initiative.
Just as businesses are rushing to
embrace social media, so goes the
federal government.
While outreach has so far been most
eagerly adopted by B2C brands and
similar concerns, understanding how the government is approaching social media can
show B2B businesses a clear path on adapting their own communication strategies to
a changing landscape.

11. “All Roads Lead to Rome”
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Government agency and department websites are typically the first destination for
citizens seeking information, but historically those same sites have been SEO averse and
difficult to navigate and discern the relevant information.
“Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam*” – Alain de Lille (1175)
The challenge facing those agencies is both
stepping outside the traditional homepage-as-
interface method as well as ensuring that the
flow of information is de-politicized or free of
influence from appointees.
So how are government agencies
bypassing traditional points of
contact to connect with citizens?

12. Reinforcing the Mission
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To combat misinformation and an
distrust around the 2010 census,
the US Census Bureau utilized
both traditional marketing and a
variety of social media platforms
to successfully educate the
populace about their core
mission.
Now the opportunity exists to tap
into that community to support
their ongoing initiatives for the
next 9 years.

13. Enabling Access
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The FCC’s official website has long
been considered one of “the worst
homepages ever” with over 14,000
pieces of information buried under a
byzantine maze of pages that are
undiscoverable by search engines.
Vital consumer and business concerns
alike are lost in a sea of links.
How can one of the most impactful
agencies in the government open the
doors to the information it contains?

14. Enabling Access
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By redesigning the entire site to be
consumer friendly, SEO standard
compliment, and by focusing on
accessibility not structure.
In addition to making information
easier to find and distinguishing
between business and citizen
concerns, the upcoming FCC site
focuses on engaging with visitors to
solicit feedback on real issues.
Offering up API access to oft-
requested data lessens resource
impact and encourages participation.

15. Building Brand Evangelists
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www.nasa.gov
NASA has embraced
Social Media as a
brand-building and
educational tool by:
Partnering with the
Steam© platform to
deliver free science-
themed games aimed
at building
enthusiasm over
space exploration.

16. Building Brand Evangelists
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www.nasa.gov
NASA has embraced Social Media
as a brand-building and
educational tool by:
Using Twitter to connect with
enthusiasts.
Rewarding lucky followers by
flying them to Cape Canaveral to
live tweet shuttle launches
Helping NASA enthusiasts
connect with one another

17. Fostering Community
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The US Navy’s Facebook page acts as a bridge
between
• Active Duty, Reservist, and Navy Civilians
• Family and friends of Navy personnel
• Veterans and former Navy employees
• Potential recruits
• Navy enthusiasts
Which in turn results in*
• 7-20K Facebook interactions
• 500-700 Twitter mentions
• 2,500-3,000 visits to the NavyLive blog
• 10-15K referrals to Navy.mil
*“Managing Audience Engagement to Gain and Retain Public Involvement” - CDR Scott McIlnay (2010)
Per week.

18. WHAT WE LEARN FROM SocMed CIVICS
• Understanding where your constituents already reside is the first step
in connecting communities to your brand and mission.
• “Openness” and “transparency” are more than buzzwords. They build
bridges between you and your potential markets.
• Even decidedly traditional markets and initiatives
can successfully utilize social media through a
combination of clear strategies supported by
measurable data.
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19. Thank you from
For more information, please visit spiral16.com or email contact@spiral16.com
Special thanks to the organizers of
Tracy Panko, CEO, Spiral16
@tracypanko