SAN FRANCISCO—Even the man who is credited with the success of the social media and digital marketing initiatives for the Obama For America 2012 campaign does not know which way social media heading, but he advised credit unions to be aware of its power.
Teddy Goff, co-founder of Precision Strategies and former digital director of the Obama For America 2012 campaign, oversaw an effort that generated more than $690 million in donations and more than one million voters registered.
During the California and Nevada CU Leagues' Annual Meeting & Convention here last week, he said there is no way to know which social media platform will be the most important in 2016-Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or perhaps something that has not yet been introduced to the public.
"But no matter which is the most dominant in the social space is the idea that there are more ways to influence, to make wishes heard, to reach people," he said. "Ordinary people will continue to have more power, more ways to connect with each other. How do you give people the experience they want will continue to be the big question."
Some of the biggest lessons learned during the 2012 presidential campaign, Goff told the audience, is that while people do not trust politicians or advertisements, they do trust their friends. The campaign was able to reach 98% of the U.S. Facebook audience through President Obama's 38 million Facebook fans, adding impact to personal messages when they passed along.
"As people have more power, more connections, more freedom to do what they want, corporations will have to treat people well to get them to share with their friends," he said. "This is not a marketing challenge, it is a fundamental business challenge because negatives are magnified. You cannot market your way out of a problem. People will not just go away if they are upset, they will tell all their friends why they should leave, too."
CUs can start a social media campaign by following the lead of the Obama campaign, Goff advised. He said the heart of the program was e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and a website, so not much in the way of start-up costs. "Credit unions will have to ask themselves what is the value provided, and then figure out how to communicate that on these channels," he said. "The message might be inspirational, or it might be funny."
Responsiveness is at a premium, he warned, because people now have an expectation that their feedback not only will be heard but acted upon. "These channels are for engagement and interaction," he said.
The most important advice from Goff: Have a creative mindset. "Know the digital channel is different and don't just use Facebook to post the same old press release," he said. "Always be relevant, because in digital no one has to watch something they do not want to."
