Making People a part of the Process

People like to feel apart of the process. They like to believe that they are personally making a difference and their opinions are heard. The candidate that takes advantage of these basic human emotions will ultimately win an election.

Dimmy's World wrote in their Thursday, June 16 post, that one of the ways that Howard Dean used the Internet successfully to fundraise was to create a goal driven campaign. The campaign website showed a bat which symbolized how much money was raised at any given time and how far they continued to be from their goal. Once people donated they could instantly see how their contribution made a difference; they were immediately part of the process.

This feeling of wanting to make a difference extends to other areas of the Internet. People are constantly filling out online "non-scientific" polls on various websites to make sure their opinions are heard. I know this, because everyday at work I go to CNN.com to not only read about what is going on in the world that day, but I also always fill out the online poll. I want to make sure that my opinions are known on whatever the topic is that day.

Goal driven fundraising campaigns and online polling are two strategic elements that should be a part of every candidate's website. These elements enable to the campaign to reach people emotionally making their individual opinions heard, and their dollars count. Today, an election is won by the candidate who best reaches people and makes them feel like their actions are making a difference.