• by Fred Joseph , Op-Ed Contributor, February 5, 2016

It’s a multiscreen world out there. When it comes to politics, the mobile screen is often where voters will be accessing information about politicians.

Many believe that digital marketing during the 2012 election led to Obama’s upper hand and just about everything digital helped him to win the race. Given this, it’s clear that leveraging mobile media will help the next president to pave the way to the White House.

Mobile screens will be one of the most important marketing elements in the 2016 presidential race. To help political marketers capitalize on this medium, below are five mobile advertising tips that will help candidates connect and engage with voters.

1) Focus on hyperlocal to penetrate grassroots campaigns

The U.S. is large, even neighboring towns may have wildly different perspectives on big issues.

When visiting voters on their home turfs, presidential candidates should be using the power of mobile to communicate with constituents about the issues that are specific to them. Those messages should be reiterated in the ads that are delivered in those areas.

Mobile can also draw voters to specific events by informing them of upcoming rallies. During events, political mobile marketers should use geofencing technology to capture unique device IDs to later retarget those who attended the events with relevant messages.

2) Use mobile data to develop winning audience clusters

First-party data gathered from unique device IDs in campaign apps and premium inventory sources like multicultural groups provides a wealth of data that goes beyond the traditional audience clusters.

By integrating various clusters, marketers can combine and hyper-target specific interests like pro-choice voters, fiscal conservatives and same-sex marriage supporters. These clusters can also be refined throughout the campaign so that winning messages continue to resonate.   

3) Maximize micro-donations through mobile channels

Mobile has allowed marketers to capitalize on the impulse buy, presenting a huge opportunity for political mobile marketers.

Through Apple Pay and other m-commerce services, such as Stripe, it has never been easier to donate to politicians on mobile devices. Inserting calls-to-action in mobile ads that drive voters to support a candidate by donating is a must.

Especially for ads that inspire and elicit strong emotion, mobile marketers should aim to make donating an easy, seamless experience for voters.

4) Convince and engage with content

The mobile medium allows for unique ad experiences.

Specific mobile marketing scenarios can be produced through native mobile ad formats. Political marketers should be paying attention to all mobile ad capabilities and tailor their ads to the right format.

For example, swiping functionality allows for multiple messages to be presented in a single ad. Interactive ads, like 3D cubes, allow for engagement and a great visual way of presenting six sides of an issue or six viewpoints.

5) Get creative and make politics fun!

It’s important to remember to engage with voters by getting creative and having a little fun. For example, a negative campaign ad can be made into an entertaining game where users can chase an opponent around a maze.