Careful How you Segment, or Lose Your Maverick-Lovers |
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Lots of us do it.
Recruit supporters on the edge of an issue, then fold supporters in this "limited interest" segment into our main communication segment. Ignoring the real reason someone is interested in your issues will backfire if you're not careful.
For instance, if your issue is gay and lesbian rights, you might recruit a limited interest segment of people who care about "equality." Then, you might hit the segment with four Pride Week 2008 messages in a week. You'll lose some folks who aren't particularly connected to gay or lesbian community.
Or, if you're an environmental group that recruits people interested in preserving wildlife areas and national parks, then send them the "stop hunters from clubbing seals" email, you can count on some hunters putting down their clubs only long enough to hit "unsubscribe from this list."
In either case you've executed well on recruitment, but poorly on continuing the development of that relationship.
Well, this happened to me recently and I think it's a good anecdote that illustrates the point.
During the presidential primaries I responded to a "Support the Maverick" email campaign and gave John McCain $50. It was that week (I'm sure you remeber) when he was in a dead heat with Huckabee. And while I describe myself as either a Libertarian or Democratic Socialist (we can split hairs over this some other time) the following were true:
- I liked McCain's maverick style (everything he disagrees with the GOP, usually)
- I could not forgive myself if Huckabee were elected and I did nothing
- I was undecided for whom I would vote in the general election
Well, as a result of that $50 donation, I was lumped into the McCain campaign's general list. No one thought to put me in the "Maverick Only" segment. So, six months or so later, I have received two dozen pieces of direct mail, all of which have been targeted to regular, old, middle of the road Republicans. Never did I receive a piece of mail directed to the Maverick-Lovers.
I'll tell you more about the weirdest pieces some other time, but the best ones I got include a John McCain branded GOP membership card (actually I got two of those). John also sent me a dollar bill (completely legal tender) in the hopes that I would send it back to him with several hundred others from my account (sounds like a Nigerian 419 scam a little).
As you could imagine this made me nuts. I don't particularly like the Republican party, nor am I going to vote for McCain now. So much for a maverick...
So, please learn from the McCain campaign's mistakes.
Be careful, segment well, and don't lose track of why people are interested in your issues.
Oh yeah, that dollar McCain sent me? Sorry, John, I sent it to the Obama Biden campaign last week.
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