Digital Strategy 101: Building Your Digital Campaign from the Ground Up
Session Type(s): Training
Training Tag(s): Basic Digital Organizing
Starts: Friday, Aug. 11 2:30 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Friday, Aug. 11 3:45 PM (Eastern)
Since the election, thousands of Americans have decided to run for office for the first time in communities across the country. An effective digital program can help you raise money, communicate with voters, and drive supporters to take action. But with endless platforms, tools, and tactics available, how do you decide what the right solutions are for your campaign? This training will cover the basics you need to know to run a smart, cost-effective digital campaign, including email, social media, and advertising. We’ll cut through the noise and help you understand how to build your digital campaign from the ground up.
This is an entry level training for candidates and organizers who may have no exposure to digital strategy or for those who may be unsure of how to adapt the strategies, tools, and tactics they may be familiar with for local efforts.
Trainer
Ben Dotson
Ben Dotson is the Vice President of Digital at EMILY’s List where he oversees digital fundraising, communications and organizing efforts for the organization, including the email, social media, text messaging and creative programs.
Most recently, Ben served as the Deputy Digital Director at EMILY’s List during the record-breaking 2016 election cycle. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Ben was a Senior Digital Strategist at the Smoot Tewes Group, where he managed aggressive email, social media, and advertising campaigns for a range of clients in the energy, environment, conservation, and electoral sectors. From 2011 to 2014, Ben served in the Obama administration at the US Department of Energy, where he managed the agency’s digital reform program, a cutting-edge effort to centralize and modernize the agency’s digital communications infrastructure and staff. Ben started his career in LGBT and youth organizing and worked on a number of state and local campaigns in Michigan.
Ben is a native of Tennessee. He is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Music and George Washington University with a Masters in Political Management. In his free time, he is an avid film buff and foodie, and tries to make progress on his growing stack of to-read books.
Other sessions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Digital Design in 2016 and Beyond