posted on November 04, 2008 19:06
By Joe Borgstrom, Director
Specialized Technical Assistance
& Revitalization Strategy Division
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Before I start this entry I want to state one thing: This is not about politics. I will not be commenting on the philosophical views of any party. What I will do is take a few minutes and point out some of the extraordinary things that I noticed the Obama campaign did that paid off with huge dividends in the election. Sure, there was a ton of money spent on advertising. Both parties did that. I submit to you that what he did better than Senator McCain was he had an army of young and energetic grassroots supporters that felt personally connected to him. The question comes down to “How did he do that?” Simply put, he spoke to them using their language: Technology.
I was struck last night watching coverage of the post-election celebration in Chicago on TV. The crowd of several hundred thousand was anxiously awaiting President-Elect Obama to make his first nationally televised speech since being declared the winner. Then, the venerable voice of Tom Brokaw cut in and said, “We just received this email that Senator Obama has just sent to his supporters:”
“I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.
We just made history.
And I don't want you to forget how we did it.
You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.
I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.
But I want to be very clear about one thing... All of this happened because of you.
Thank you, Barack”
Wait a minute. Did the newly elected leader of the free world just drop an email to his supporters just before walking on stage? Can you imagine getting an email like that just before such a historic moment from the man who was about to make it? Not only that, he took the time to acknowledge and thank them for their role in making that moment in history happen. Wow.
I started recalling the stories about when Senator Biden was selected as his running mate and how the national media quoted the text message he sent to his supporters before it was officially announced. He let his supporters on the inside. Furthermore, he kept them there all by using technology. I must have had a dozen friends who “donated” their status messages on Facebook to get the vote out for him. Even the people who were gathered at Grant Park were issued event tickets by…what else? Email from the campaign.
What does all this have to do with your downtown? Well, as I soaked all of this in, I was reminded of the presentation given by the good folks at Team HALO, Marianna Hayes and Andy Chapman, during the Michigan Downtown Conference this past September. They talked about using all of these tools for your downtown and the businesses in them. You can engage and create your own army of young and energetic volunteers and customers if you connect them to “the inside” and make them feel special. You can do it effectively and efficiently…not to mention cheaply, by using technology. They pointed out the example of the Rochester Brewing Company, who on a cold, snowy and slow Tuesday night, text messaged his database of customers with a 2 for 1 beer special. A half hour later the place was packed. You can use it for your volunteers as well. Why not send out a quick email or text that the banners the Design Committee designed have just arrived. Don’t forget to thank them while you’re at it. Everyone appreciates an unexpected “Thank you” once in a while. That all builds a valuable personal connection to your downtown/business/cause.
You can do this. Whether you are a small town Main Street Manager, an independent retailer, or a non-profit, it can and will work for you. Just get on the technology bandwagon and hang on tight!