When Senator Larry Crowder’s campaign manager, his son Patrick, came to Fort Collins to meet with Marketing 360® in the Spring of 2016, he was blunt.

“Political campaigns like running for state senate are stuck in the ’40s.  It’s all print, radio, and TV ads.  Totally old-school.”  His campaign felt political consultants lacked innovation and didn’t know voters or how to reach them.  So they decided to talk to our Fort Collins-based marketing company about his re-election campaign.

Patrick was certain that digital marketing and social media – particularly Facebook – would be more effective.  We agreed.

The plan was to create demographic-based lists on Facebook and run targeted ads based on Senator Crowder’s campaign platform.  Marketing 360® did the initial ground work of creating lists around gun-ownership rights, pro-life views, environmental issues, and political party affiliation, particularly targeting moderates.  Then, using Facebook’s targeted advertising, we created campaign material to strategically run to each of those groups.

As is typical with Facebook, we got a lot of exposure for our budget.  For what a few TV and radio spots would have cost, we ran ads and retargeting campaigns the showed to his voter targets repeatedly throughout the campaign.

The results?  This is what the campaign sent back to us:

• 4 yrs ago we won by 1600 votes……this time 15,000
• We outperformed the GOP Field across the district.
• 4 yrs ago we lost Alamosa County by 700 votes……this year we won by 1000!  A 1700 vote swing in a county of 7000.

A decisive victory.

Politicians, non-profits, churches, schools…there are many organizations that now use digital marketing software and strategies to grow awareness and support their cause.  Online marketing is not just a tactic used by for-profit businesses.  It’s for anyone who wants to reach an audience, support a cause, or just stir things up.

More organizations today are turning to the tactics of digital marketing to reach their audience with an authentic, meaningful message.  Not only politics, but even the news is often less credible, relevant – or even true – than content marketing.

However you’re trying to reach people, the old school is becoming ancient.  If you want to win with people living digital lives, you have to meet them where they live.

Just ask Senator Larry Crowder of Colorado.

*Results are based on past client performance. Individual account performance may vary. Results are not guaranteed.