We all love solid metrics that show the impact of our advocacy efforts, from campaign progress to conversion rates. It’s satisfying and necessary to be able to tell stakeholders 30,000 people took action on a particular issue. But are all those names really having the impact you need to move your issues forward?
That’s a BIG question.
We hear time and again from both clients and political sources that the best way to move an issue forward is for representatives to hear directly from their constituents. On a personal level. A hand-written letter or phone call goes a long way to swaying opinions.
That’s why we added click to call advocacy to our toolset in early 2019. You might be asking, “What’s click to call?” Great question! If you already know a little about this powerful tool for advocacy, read on as you may learn something new. If you’ve never heard of click to call advocacy, give this a read to learn how you can easily add this tool to your campaigns and boost effectiveness.
1. What is click to call advocacy?
Click to call is a different form action where rather than submitting personal information and a letter to someone specific online as an advocacy response, the supporter enters their phone number and location information and is connected to the target (often their local Representative) by phone automatically. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, click to call is “a service within an ad that enables a mobile user to initiate a mobile phone call by clicking a mobile ad.”
It’s a very simple and personal way for supporters to make outbound calls in order to connect with Representatives on issues and a very persuasive means of influencing those targets. Think about it this way: What’s more moving than a mother calling directly to make a plea for a Bill on children’s health by sharing her personal story about how an issue has affected her family and how the Bill could help her child?
The action is another page type in Engaging Networks and just as easy to set up and deploy with our free templates and drag and drop page builder as any other page.
2. When is the right time to use click to call?
Timely issues with specific outcomes work well for click to call. For example, it’s effective for supporters to open their calls with something like: “Hello Representative XX, I’d like to speak to you about the XX Bill going to vote this week on XX issue and share my opinion as one of your constituents.” You have urgency and specificity in your favor motivating your supporters and giving clarity to your desired outcome.
That said, you can certainly use it any time. Representatives always need to hear from their constituents about issues that are important to them. Whether the issue is as clear as a toxic water in a small town or about more complex concerns such as climate change.
Click to call advocacy is an essential tool for any campaign. Consider setting it up alongside other ways to take action. This gives your supporters a chance to interact in a way they feel comfortable. You can set it up in an email automation or series with the following subject lines:
- Email 1: Call your Representative (using click to call)
- Email 2, to anyone who didn’t call: Reminder to call your Representative before it’s too late
- Email 3, to anyone who still hasn’t called after a certain period of time: Sign our petition before the vote takes place
- Email 4, after a campaign is finished: Thanks everyone, here’s what happened
3. How do I know my supporters will stay on message and not say the wrong thing?
Short answer, you don’t. BUT, when their call is connected you can display talking points (written by you) right on the screen with a dialog box. This helps guide their conversation and keep them on message. While you can’t tell them what to say, you can give them some tips to make it easier and hope it all goes well.
4. How can I measure the success of my click to call advocacy campaign?
We get this question a lot and it’s a good one. Especially if you’re used to seeing progress meters with loads of respondents. The metrics will be more qualitative in nature but can reveal a tremendous amount of information. After the call is complete supporters can tell you how things went right on the screen to help you gauge success. Did they connect? If so, how did it go? If you want very specific details you can create a survey in Engaging Networks to ask additional questions.
5. How do I spin up a click to call advocacy campaign in Engaging Networks and how long does it take?
Building a click to call page in Engaging Networks is similar to building a regular advocacy action. You manage some settings, choose your targets, check your template, and go — it could all be done in under 15 minutes. You’ll need your template squared away, your talking points, messaging, and thank you email to plug in copy, but it’s all incredibly easy to build.
6. What are click to call best practices?
We’ve already touched on some earlier, but let’s dive deeper into best practices when it comes to click to call:
Don’t forget to ask for money
One of the most auspicious donation forms for boosting conversion rates of any charity is the post-action donation form. If someone is moved enough to take action, they are much more likely to donate in that moment. Imagine how very motivated these individuals are! Include either a link to a post-action donation page in the autoresponder email or include the ask as a text block on the post-call survey page.
Engage your most active advocates differently
These supporters didn’t just sign a petition, they stepped up to make an outbound call to a stranger – a politician most likely – about your cause. Not only do they deserve a specialized communication stream but you want to communicate with them differently. I’ve called these individuals ‘super advocates’ in the past and have found they step up to the table again and again when called. Set up a special email automation for them, or send them a very special thank you. Even better, a phone call of your own (if you have time!).
Don’t forget to get social
Click to call advocacy is great via email but imagine how you can grow your email AND phone list if you promote one of these actions on social or via paid advertising? It’s certainly worth a test if nothing else.
7. What are some benefits of using click to call advocacy?
We’re saving the best question for last. Summing up the numerous benefits of click to call is going to take a bit more than a simple paragraph or two. Benefits include (but aren’t limited to):
Accruing phone numbers
Everyone wants home and mobile phone numbers right now. You’re not just engaging your most active supporters, you’re also getting their personal phone number! Consider adding a basic form that offers a phone number link for opting in mobile devices to your page so you can text them for later actions.
Identifying and engaging your super advocates
Even if you had specified a segment who was taking action before, now you know who is really engaged in advocating for your cause.
Hitting your targets through multiple channels
While your target may still get a list of 30,000 signatures asking for a Bill to pass, they’ll also get a slew of phone calls from concerned constituents voicing their opinion. What better way to influence them than to show support for your cause from multiple angles?
Use Engaging Networks for click to call advocacy
If you’re not using click to call now, it’s easy to add this powerful tool in Engaging Networks — you should consider our click to call advocacy technology for your next campaign. If you’re a client and have any questions about this tool, reach out to Account Services or visit our Supportal. If you’re interested in learning more about Engaging Networks, give us a shout at [email protected].
