The automated phone industry has experienced significant changes in recent years, both technologically and with respect to the number of providers in the field. Just type the phrase “political calling” into your search engine and a plethora of results will emerge. Robo calls are undoubtedly one of the most efficient and cost effective methods to reach voters, but where do you start when planning your own automated or live calling campaign? Wading through the seemingly endless sea of providers and choosing the right strategy for your telephone campaign can seem daunting and even intimidating.
While there are many things to consider when launching an automated calling project, the content of your message and the way in which it is delivered are among the most important elements to ensuring success. By learning the skills required to create a quality message and determine effective project timing, you will set a good foundation for an effective political call campaign.
Creating a Quality Message
When a potential voter answers their telephone, they expect a phone conversation. In order to keep the call recipient interested in what you have to say, it is critical to engage them immediately with a well designed message. Take some time initially to plan your script and it will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your call campaign.
Content
The first thing to consider when developing your script is the message content. Automated calls can greatly enhance other forms of media you are using in your campaign, and aligning your auto call message to your one or two key issues is often a sound strategy. Sometimes a candidate will try to squeeze their entire platform into one message, which often leaves the call recipient confused or uninterested. Staying focused on a clear and concise message is usually a more effective plan.
Another mistake many candidates make is to jump right into their message agenda, explaining their position or asking the voter to take action. As stated earlier, a call recipient is expecting a phone conversation when they pick up the line; so to give the message a more personal feel, immediately introduce yourself and state the office for which you are running. This shows respect to the voter and gives them the information they need to know up front to determine if the call is relevant to them. No one likes to be bombarded when they answer their phone, and a little consideration can go a long way in the world of automated messaging. Even if the individual does hang up before the entire message is played, you will likely increase your name recognition by immediately introducing yourself in the beginning of the message.
Type
The type of robo call you choose to deliver will largely depend on the desired outcome of the call campaign. For example, name recognition, endorsement, get-out-the-vote, and issue based calls will generally feature similar content layout and serve as an informative, 1-way communication tool. If your goal is to communicate more directly with your constituents, then utilizing interactive response features can provide a powerful interface. By allowing the call recipient the ability to respond to your message by pressing a digit on their keypad, you open many opportunities to connect with the voting public. Fundraising, volunteer coordination, and public opinion polling are just a few of the ways candidates are taking advantage of interactive calls.
Length
Another important consideration when planning your robo call strategy, is the message length. Although you may be able to squeeze your content into a 15-second time frame, this usually is not optimal. Typically, a 15-second message length is too short to provide the voter with much valuable information. On the other end of the spectrum, some candidates choose to run messages with lengths of 60-seconds or more. This of course allows for plenty of time to explain your platform, but call recipients may not stay engaged for such a long period of time. The ideal message length will allow for sufficient time to convey the desired message, while being short enough to keep the respondent fully engaged in the call.
The call length that you choose will heavily depend on the message you have selected to deliver to the voting public. For most informative and get-out-the-vote messages, 30-seconds is usually an effective call length. If you have chosen to incorporate interactive response into your message strategy (polling, transfer to representative, etc.), then a longer message length is more acceptable. Because transfer calls and polls are more engaging, the user will likely be open to staying on the line for a longer period of time.
Timing and Frequency
As important as creating a solid message is, it will do you no good if the voter never hears it. Effectively timing your call project can greatly increase the chance that the voter will be at home when your call rings through, therefore enhancing the effectiveness of your call project.
Target Audience
When determining the time-frame for your auto calling project, one important factor to consider is your target audience. If your goal is to reach stay-at-home moms, then a call during the late morning may be best. However, if you want to contact the working public, planning your calls to run in the evening will likely provide you with better results. Take a few moments to really think of how your target audience live their lives and when they would be most open to receiving your call.
Although most candidates want to reach their voters live on the phone line, others prefer to use a different strategy- answering machine only calls. Because modern telephony technology has the ability to detect an answering machine versus a live call recipient, a candidate may choose to play their message only to answering machines. This option is often chosen when the caller wants their message to sound more personalized, like they actually made the call themselves. Most providers will allow you to record one message for live answers and another for answering machines, so you can tailor the tone of each message to the method in which it will be delivered. If your goal is to reach only answering machines, then choose to run your project at a time that you know your call recipients will likely not be at home.
Coordinate With Other Efforts
Many candidates have found that planning their call project around other media efforts can prove quite effective. For example, sending out a follow-up call to a direct mail piece can enhance name recognition and solidify your message in the voter’s mind. Even sending out calls notifying the voting public of a YouTube video gone viral, can increase your exposure and take your campaign one step further. The possibilities are endless, so really think about your overall strategy and incorporate your auto call project as another piece to the larger puzzle.
Multiple Call Projects
Planning the number of call projects you want to send out will depend on your budget, time-frame, and campaign goals. If you have sufficient time and money to work with, consider running multiple call projects throughout your campaign. When you plan your call projects in advance, you can increase your chance of success by tying each message together to form one cohesive outcome in the mind of the voter.
Here is an example of how one might use successive call projects:
- A candidate may choose to conduct an automated poll to determine what is most important in the minds of the voter.
- Weeks later another call may be sent out to introduce the candidate and discuss their platform on the important issues determined by the poll results. The caller can even be given the option to press a digit on their keypad if they want more information, a yard sign, to sign up as a volunteer, or be transferred to their representative to voice their opinion on pending legislation.
- The callers who showed interest in the campaign can be sent a final call urging them to vote, and even giving them the option to request a ride to the polls.
Other Considerations
If you are planning your robo call strategy at the last minute, then you may not have too many options with regards to the timing of your project. Even when you are facing a time crunch, try to avoid sending your call blasts on holidays or during major sporting events. Even if your caller is home, they may be irritated at receiving a message while they are spending time with family and friends or just too distracted to pay close attention to what you have to say.
Because robo calls are very efficient and can be executed in a very short period of time, they are the perfect choice to educate the public when negative media has emerged. Although you cannot know when an opponent may send out a media attack against you, there are ways to prepare a call project in advance for an immediate response. Keep your phone list handy and even a template for a script that you can send out to combat negative media attacks, and be one step ahead of your opponent.
No matter what time-frame you are working with, spend at least some time in the beginning to carefully plan your call strategy, message content, and call project time. A little preparation can save you headaches later on and greatly enhance the effectiveness of your campaign.
