Go ‘Mobile-First’ to Reach Underserved Communities and Expand the Electorate

In today’s digital age, going “mobile-first” is a powerful strategy for reaching underserved communities and expanding the electorate. Research shows that young people, people of color, and low-income individuals are more likely to own a smartphone than have home internet access. By targeting these communities through mobile devices, political campaigns can engage with millions of potential new voters who were previously out of reach.

Mobile-first targeting allows campaigns to:

1. Find mobile device IDs of individuals on the voter file who lack an IP address (home internet)
2. Build audiences based on individuals seen at locations like campuses, rallies, churches, and businesses
3. Use “relational targeting” to reach new voters who frequent locations that indicate a propensity to support your values and causes

Relational targeting perfectly complements relational organizing, where voters reach out to their personal networks via social media and texting. VoteMAP’s mobile data includes device IDs that provide a 1:1 match of devices seen in certain locations to the apps installed on those devices. This means that if the devices found have Facebook or other social media apps installed, campaigns can serve them ads on those platforms, overcoming recent platform restrictions and bad data from voter files.

Device IDs also enable targeting voters across the entire web and within any mobile apps that display ads. They can be used to:

• Serve surveys
• Deliver rich media that allows mobile users to send emails, schedule a time to vote, and enter text campaigns with just one click
• Ensure a diverse audience receives ads in their preferred language automatically

By leveraging mobile-first targeting, political campaigns can help expand the electorate and reach more underserved communities. Old forms of targeting often leave out large numbers of low propensity voters, perpetuating the cycle of these individuals feeling ignored and left out of the political system.

If you want to effectively serve your political ads or improve engagement with hard-to-reach audiences, consider a mobile-first strategy. Our team has years of experience crafting effective and compliant social media campaigns for our clients, and we would be happy to help you maximize the reach and efficiency of your ad budget. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you engage with young people, people of color, and low-income individuals – all of whom are more likely to have a smartphone and share your values. Together, we can ensure everyone has a voice in our democracy.