This blog post will share insight from a wee bit of data on local elections underscoring the importance of having an online presence in getting you and your product elected and, secondly, using online testing to make sure you’re saying something interesting with your traditional media spend.
No Internet Marketing = Less Chance of Victory
Being a good democratic citizen, I voted in the municipal election of our little town north of Toronto on Monday. Sadly, it wasn’t easy. We had to choose one of two candidates for mayor. That was easy. (No Rob Ford to consider here : ) But then I had to pick eight town councilors out of 28 candidates! I’m sure like many people I could come up with two, three or four but eight!? That was tough. And, naturally I wanted to make an informed voting decision. So before I headed off to the voters booth, I did what hordes of consumers do when they’re trying to make a more informed buying decisions these days, I turned to the internet. I wasn’t alone. Here’s the search volume for the term ‘municipal election’ in Ontario using Google Trends. 
My town didn’t make it easy to find a list of candidates but I persisted and found a list. Then checked which had websites, read about them, got to know them a bit and went off and made my-now-informed voting decision. Done! I checked out the results in the morning but then, because I’m a curious data-driven internet marketing consultant, I correlated the results with own my experience as a voter / consumer. That’s where it got interesting: There were 6 incumbents and 22 new candidates vying for those 8 spots. Of those 22 new candidates 15 had websites. Amazingly in this day & age. 7 – or almost one-third! – did not have a website or any other internet marketing. How was I – or you? – to make an informed buying decision without a website to learn about them and their views. From the flyers sent in the mail? Obviously that’s a good way to reach some folks but for me – and most consumers these days – sorry that literature went straight to the trash with the other junk mail. 5 of the 6 incumbent candidates were re-elected. 3 new candidates were also elected. All three of those new candidates had websites and other internet marketing including banners on local news sites. How did the seven who did not have sites do? They placed: 12th 14th 21rst 22nd 24th 25th and 28th…out of 28. Put another way, 5 of the bottom 8 did not have sites. The one incumbent that didn’t get re-elected? Wonderful older lady who’s been on council for eons but…no site. For a growing town like ours she may have assumed everyone knew her. A mistake it would seem as she lost by inches. Most of the candidate’s sites weren’t fancy: just a nice picture, some words about them and their key issues but to not have a robust or a least rudimentary marketing presence on the internet in these times is a marketing mistake too many still make.
Using Internet Marketing To Help You Say Something More Interesting
Is having a site the key success factor? No, there’s many factors. Name recognition of the incumbents, devoted support of newcomers and level of offline support to name just a few but having an online presence is key these days. (Check out our post on Getting The Right Internet Marketing Mix for tips on picking the right tool for the job if you need help.) But speaking of offline marketing…
…signage is likely the most expensive marketing item candidates have as they plaster their name – and occasionally faces – all over town. While the cost is high I’m a big fan of outdoor advertising as, unlike other traditional, interruptive media, it’s not as vulnerable to being clicked or skipped. So it’s a shame many candidates under-estimate the power of words and say nothing or the same thing as everyone else. Too many newcomers just said something like “Elect Joe Smith for Town Council”. Sure, you get awareness of your name but no understanding of why you’re different and what you offer and that! is what really matters. Two candidates, in fact, used the same tagline “Joe Smith…Your Voice” (um, no kidding, that’s why we elect people, no?). Even this sign might have done better:
Kidding but I did notice that of the ones in my photo the two who did say something more unique & interesting:
- John Abel: Actions Speak
- Sandra Humfryes: For the love of Aurora
finished 1rst and 2nd. And, from what I know of these two people, those words reflect a compelling and fundamental truth unique to each. Well done! The wise candidate would have spent time crafting their message. An even wiser move would have been to use the many ways of pre-testing those words online before paying for all that expensive signage. Whether you’re trying to get elected or simply trying to get your product elected to the shopping cart, I hope these insights help.
Bob Nunn is the co-founder of The Marketing Garage; an award-winning company of internet marketing and branding consultants based north of Toronto. To find out how a proven diagnostic approach can help you stop guessing and start knowing when it comes to your marketing visit www.TheMarketingGarage.ca
