If you don’t live under a rock, you text every day. Whether it’s for coordination, conversation, or convenience, texting is an incredible communication tool that we all use daily. But when it comes to political campaigning, why are we so bad at it?
If your friend texts you asking how much they owe you for a dinner you paid for, do you ignore their text? Do you often send six-paragraph texts, accompanied by an image, to family members? Of course you don’t. If you wouldn’t text this way in your personal life, why would you do it for your campaign?
We send too many confusing, unimaginative, or bland campaign texts. We’re using awkward shorthand, abbreviations, and acronyms no one knows. Nobody reads or wants to receive extremely long texts, either. While we continue to flood our donors with fundraising asks, we are forgetting to use texting to mobilize or persuade voters to take action. Most importantly, it is political malpractice to text tons of voters and not follow up when they reply or ask a question.
This summer, Stones’ Phones Partner Chris Hayler started replying to these texts, asking how much he can give or where to go vote, and has yet to receive a response from a single campaign. How do we ask for support or a donation and then not reply when a voter has a question? If the goal of political texting is to create conversation, generate support, or fundraise, then text campaigns need to do more to engage with voters.
Today, texting is seen as a tech tool rather than a conversation-starter. The result – an over-abundance of texting platforms and consultants who see this as a one-way outreach tool. This “race to the bottom” for control of the medium is a major component of the problem facing political texting.
Instead of following in the footsteps of tech companies, who cast a wide net and walk away, it’s time to use texting how it’s intended. Stones’ Phones understands the power of creating conversation. We know that every vote, every donation, and every response matters, and our thoughtfully crafted texts reflect that. If you’re ready to stop passively texting and start actually connecting with voters, reach out to us today.