In today’s political space, sending political peer-to-peer messages is one of the best tactics for campaigns to conduct voter outreach and persuasion. However, you don’t want to start texting voters without a plan.
Use these seven peer-to-peer messages to get the most out of your peer-to-peer texting efforts:
Do you plan on voting for [candidate] in the upcoming election?
Early in the campaign, identify which voters are your strongest supporters by asking them via peer-to-peer messages. This allows you to segment your voter list by those who are strong supporters, likely supporters, undecided voters, and uninterested voters. Then, you can create the most persuasive messaging for each category of voters based on their knowledge and interest in the campaign. The earlier you identify strong supporters in your district, the better: these voters are most likely to donate, volunteer, and power your campaign’s victory.
How do you feel about [issue topic]?
Reach out to voters to get their stance on the issues closest to the campaign. This is a great way to jumpstart conversations with voters and introduce them to your campaign. With these peer-to-peer messages, it’s important to ask open-ended questions to make the voters as comfortable as possible. Your campaign will be able to gain honest viewpoints of how voters in their district feel about an issue; the conversation can also make the other party more interested in hearing your candidate’s stance on the issue at hand.
Remember to remind volunteers to record how each conversation went, ideally with reports that sync to a database like NGP VAN — campaigns can compile this information to formulate specific campaign messaging and outreach initiatives.
Do you have a plan to vote in the election next month?
Not all registered voters have a plan to vote in local, state, or national elections. This is especially true for off-cycle elections or even Congressional midterms in between presidential election years. To ensure strong turnout, it’s important to help voters make a plan to cast their ballot, including:
- Options for mail-in or in-person voting
- The nearest polling locations and times they’re open
- Necessary documents, like identification cards, needed to vote
- Any state laws that allow voters to take time off of work to vote
Most importantly, all voters need to check that their registration is up-to-date. Send peer-to-peer messages with a link to an online voter registration tool to encourage voters to check their status!
Learn more about Custom Registration on Impactive here.
Can you commit to getting three other people in your life to vote?
Encouraging supporters to get their friends and family to vote is a foolproof way to increase voter turnout. This method, called vote tripling, is a form of relational organizing. Relational organizing is one of the most effective ways to increase voter turnout, increasing a voter’s likelihood to cast their ballot by 8.3%.
Vote tripling doesn’t require signing up for a dedicated shift or having conversations with strangers. That’s why it’s a great way to start a supporter down the path to becoming an active campaign volunteer.
Can you help us reach our monthly goal with a donation of $5?
Fundraising is a necessary part of campaigning, but it’s not always easy to ask someone to contribute financially. Don’t let that stop you from asking, though — more people are willing to contribute to a campaign than you may think. This is especially true when you ask for small donations, which can add up impressively. In the 2020 presidential election, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden raised about $25.06 million through small-dollar donations (of $200 or less)!
Since peer-to-peer messages offer an open communication line between supporters and the campaign, volunteer texters can also answer any questions that supporters may have about donating.
For more guidance on crafting fundraising texts, check out these six political fundraising do’s and don’ts!
Can you contribute two hours a week to text fellow supporters about [candidate]?
Once you’ve identified your supporters, peer-to-peer messages are a great way to persuade them to volunteer with the campaign. Peer-to-peer texting offers several benefits for new and returning volunteers looking to get involved with a campaign:
- There’s no need to gather in a physical space, offering more opportunities for working parents, individuals uncomfortable with meeting others in person, and those with physical disabilities.
- Volunteers can initiate dozens of meaningful conversations in less time.
- Campaigns can easily set up scripted responses, so volunteers have an easier time talking to voters.
To persuade supporters to volunteer authentically, encourage your texters to craft their own story of how they started volunteering. These testimonials can personalize conversations and provide better insight for supporters.
Would you like to stay updated on news from our campaign?
To ensure your campaign stays top-of-mind for supporters and voters, you can always ask if contacts would like to subscribe to your broadcast message subscriber list. Broadcast messaging connects campaigns to voters, just like peer-to-peer texting. However, broadcast messaging works more like an email subscription — voters receive a message sent to multiple people in one SMS blast. Advanced broadcast messaging platforms like Impactive will even allow you to respond to message replies, just like peer-to-peer conversations!
Use peer-to-peer messages to jumpstart the relationship with voters, then use broadcast messages to keep them updated on the latest updates from your campaign.
Learn more about Broadcast Texting on Impactive here.
With a nearly 100% open rate, SMS campaigns are the most effective way for political campaigns to reach out to voters. Use peer-to-peer messages alongside other campaigning tactics for maximum impact, and drum up support in no time!
