Here are the top articles of the week in political advertising:

1. 92% of Ads in Florida Were Negative
2. The Obama Campaign is Now Using Mobile Payments Device Square for Fundraising
3. In Nonstop Whirlwind of Campaigns, Twitter Is a Critical Tool
4. A Look At President Obama’s First Google+ Hangout

1. Find New Keywords: Simplifying Keyword Research
2. Pinterest Drives More Referral Traffic Than Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined
   
3. Web Traffic via Mobile Up 102%
4. Be Better at Twitter: The Definitive, Data-Driven Guide
5. Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch

While the lion’s share of political advertising dollars are spent on TV commercials, with each election cycle a larger and larger portion is spent online.  Online advertising is a powerful complement to TV for many reasons.  You can reach users who don’t watch live TV (one recent survey found that 30% of respondents did not watch live TV).  You can serve direct response ads that are immediately actionable within the platform—for example, asking a user to sign up for an email list or to learn more about the candidate on his website.  You can track their performance much more rigorously than any TV ads, and measurable viewer engagement allows you to optimize based on past performance.

But one of the most powerful advantages of online advertising is the ability to target with incredible precision.

“Online advertising cuts through because of its ability to target. It’s unparalleled in any other medium.  TV may be more effective for driving a big message, but per usage, the Internet is more powerful.  We are probably one presidential cycle from everyone believing that.”
- Zac Moffatt, Director of Digital for the Mitt Romney campaign

There are four primary methods for audience targeting online: geographic targeting, demographic targeting, interest-based targeting and behavioral targeting.  Geographic targeting is fairly self-explanatory.  You can target display ads to people in particular states, metropolitan areas or in a range of zip codes.  Websites like Pandora, Hulu, Facebook and Twitter also allow geographic targeting within their ad platforms.  Demographic targeting allows you to serve ads to very specific groups, for example, college educated women aged 25-34.  Targeting based on interest refers, simply, to showing ads on pages with relevant content that your desired audience is likely to be interested in.

Depending on the goals of your ad campaign, you could combine any of those three for increased specificity.  An example of that might be targeting fathers aged 35-44 in Texas who frequent gun enthusiast websites.  While this kind of precision may be a great hone to hone your messaging to a very specific group, you want to be careful not to limit your reach too much.

Behavioral targeting refers to the practice of targeting users based on past actions.  One particularly effective form of behavioral targeting is retargeting.  Retargeting is the practice of showing ads to users who have previously visited your website.  Email retargeting, which utilizes the same core technology as site retargeting, allows you to retarget users who open your emails and is a highly effective way to expand your email campaign.  CRM retargeting, a relatively new tool, allows you to show ads to users with nothing but an email or a mailing address and is the only way to bring a direct mail campaign online.

The major national players are already taking advantage of online ads’ targeting power.  Obama for America has been using retargeting as part of its 2012 election strategy since at least April.  OFA has also used powerfully timed geographic targeting, for example making a huge ad buy on New Hampshire’s largest newspaper the day of the primary.  Romney’s campaign has also employed retargeting as a part of its overall digital strategy.

Targeted and retargeted ads allow you to keep your candidate top of mind among his base, spurring further engagement like evangelizing, volunteering or even donating.  Even among relatively engaged political followers, following the campaign is probably not their first priority.  Retargeting is a great way to keep engagement levels high by keeping your candidate top of mind.

Online advertising’s ability to target is one of its key strengths.  If you aren’t taking advantage of the power to target, your online campaign is not reaching its potential.

Here are some tactics that can help you ramp up your blog marketing efforts…

Read the rest over at Inbed.me

Staying Connected

Instead of paying a fortune on international calling, why not use social media to let everyone know how you’re doing? It’ll also relieve you from having to make 100 separate calls. You can easily upload photos to Facebook and send one group message to your loved ones, or even send a quick Tweet to let your followers know what you’re up to and that you’re okay.

You Become a Tour Guide for the World

Have you ever dreamt of being the next Samantha Brown or Anthony Bourdain? Well, now is your chance. Use your social media accounts to post tips, reviews, videos, photos, and advice on a particular aspect of a destination. Who knows, maybe you’ll realize it’s something you’re good at and begin your very own travel blog or YouTube channel that you can eventually use to help fund future travels.

Keep Yourself Organized

It always seems to happen that when you go on vacation and take 1,000 photos, you always forget what you were looking at as soon as you get home. Utilizing social media sites like Facebook and Flickr allow you to upload your photos to labeled albums as you’re traveling so that you can create descriptions for them while you can still remember what they are.

Get Deals

Nowadays, travel companies use social media to promote contests, deals, and giveaways. Being connected through sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare will allow you to be the first to know about these opportunities and take part. Foursquare is exceptionally good for this, as by using the site you’ll be rewarded with things like discounts and free drinks at venues you may be frequenting on your trip.

Get Trusted Reviews

You can utilize your social media accounts while traveling to get tips and advice on your destination. Not sure where to eat in Barcelona or what sites to see in Buenos Aires? Send out a quick Tweet, make a status on Facebook, or head over to one of the social forums like TripAdvisor where you can get trusted information you wouldn’t be able to find in guidebooks.

A Fun Alternative to Keeping a Journal

Many people enjoy keeping detailed records of their trips through journaling. However, there are some drawbacks to the old paper and pen method of note-taking; cramped up hands, running ink, and a book that takes up extra space in your bag. Using social media, you can effortlessly remember all of your trip details through Facebook posts, Tweets, check-ins, or keeping a blog.

Marketing Your Business

Being away from home does not mean you need to neglect your business. In this technology-fueled world, social media has become the most efficient way to market your business. Luckily, you can do this while you’re on the road or at home thanks to the portability of the internet. Keep clients up to date on industry news and developments and share new website content via your social accounts.

Networking

Connecting with potential clients and business partners doesn’t have to stop while you’re on the road. Twitter and LinkedIn are two great social media sites for business networking that allow you to quickly search for and scan profiles of people and organizations you may want to work with. Being away from the office tends to allow for creative ideas to break through, and you’ll want to put these plans into action as soon as possible. Using social media, you can.

About the Author

Jessica Festa holds a BA/MA in Communication & Rhetoric from the State University of New York at Albany. She writes about travel at her site, Jessie on a Journey, and is in charge of social media and blogging for the social travel booking site, inBed.me.