In the beginning of March, a panel convened at Kent State University, OH, after the primary, to discuss how technology is empowering individuals to participate in the 2008 election. As The Strategist reported, new media experts included Matt Dickman, VP of Digital Marketing at Fleishman-Hillard and author of Techno//Marketer.

The conversation revolved around the implications of Web 2.0 on the political process. While the potential to connect with citizens is much greater than it has ever been, much of it remains still unrealized. The same rings true for marketers. There is still a frank conversation we need to have about getting mixed up in thinking that the platforms and media is as far as it goes.

That is still not far enough.

The capability and capacity for two-way communications have still not gotten us to truly connect with constituents - our customers. Closer, yes, but the availability is not yet there to make it a conversation. For that to happen it needs to be:

Personal - one-to-one

How do you reach your customers at a personal level? Technology can help us see what is important to individuals. How can you talk to your customers about what is important to them? Let’s be honest, if you cannot tell that your customer just dropped $5k in your store - and what they bought - you have a lot of system work to do. Remember that people should drive systems, not the other way around. Put the rules in place to run the right queries. An extension of that in Web 2.0 language is to know what your customers are talking about. Digital is pretty permanent.

Spreadable - one-to-one-to-many

Most ideas spread not because of what you said, but because of what others, peers and members of the population, said in response to each other. Today, there’s a global transparency, an ability to see different perspectives from remote geographies, that we never thought possible in the past. With the abundance of information, no one person can hold in their brains all the facts, so your customers build off each other, through stories. Stories are inspired by great experiences, by affinity. What’s your story?

Spontaneous

Just like the flash mobs. They can gather in minutes to support an issue, and be strongly organized around that, to then disband and reform around another issue at the drop of a hat. What holds these spontaneous demonstrations together, the glue, is passion for a cause - the opportunity - and inspiration from peers - authorities who have “social” capital. Anything can happen, anything goes, and unless you are prepared to move fluidly with the crowd, you may be run over. Are you developing a sense of your core? Many organizations (and politicians) have been caught short with their messages and desire to control them. How fluid are you? How good you are on your feet depends on having your feet on, and ears to, the ground.
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With all this at play, why would political candidates spend time rebuffing each other, when they could invest that time talking with you? Can you think of a good reason why marketers would want to do the same? The best wins are those of heart and mind.

The best way to win both is involvement, engagement. Make it personal, spreadable, and spontaneous. More and more, people do choose to vote with their wallets.