Reverbal Communications
  • Home
  • About
    • Portfolio
    • Upcoming Events
    • Press and Media
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
    • Social Media Speaker
    • Social Media Training
    • Political Consultant
    • Social Media For Events
    • Writing and Editing
  • Content
    • Podcast – Step Up Your Social
    • Free Digital Tools – The Newsletter
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu
Blog
Email, Politics

How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script

Google “political email” and you’ll find endless stories about how terrible it’s become. Campaigns — on both sides of the aisle — are buying and swapping lists and then spamming folks relentlessly, endlessly begging for dollars.

Many of these campaigns aren’t even bothering to onboard new emails — warming them up with intros and soft asks before making their pitch — they’re simply buying emails, dropping them into their systems and hitting send.

I’ve heard so many stories of folks getting emails from candidates they’ve never heard of, in states they’ve never lived, asking them for money for races they are not following. Needless to say, people are frustrated.

While this has been a problem for several cycles, we’re starting to see the long-term consequences of this system really emerge.

I’ve spoken with numerous people who still support candidates, but simply refuse to give them money, because they are afraid that doing so will lead to a deluge of spam clogging up their inbox.

And, despite the fact that a big part of my job is writing fundraising emails, fair enough!

I get it. Heck, my inbox is constantly overflowing with unsolicited junk.


Jeff Jackson is a Congressman-elect from North Carolina. He’s a rising star in the democratic party — if you don’t already know his name. You should.

Recently, he rolled out something simple… but revolutionary as far as campaign email goes. He started his own Substack.

If you don’t know Substack, it’s a platform that lets you write emails. That’s pretty much it. Writers can offer a free and/or a paid tier. A whole lot of reporters and big names have left established media institutions to start their own Substacks. I personally subscribe to at least a dozen (if not more) and am even launching my own called Free Digital Tools (where I’ll share – you guessed it – Free Digital Tools!).

In Jackson’s about section he explains why he started this project:

“I’ve done roughly 150 town halls in the last two years of campaigning, and it’s become clear from the experience that connecting directly with people is one of the most important parts of elected service.

Now that we’ve won, I want to keep it going – but I also want to expand it.

Part of that is going to be giving people something we don’t see often: a first-person, weekly account of serving in Congress.

I won’t have an abundance of time to do a lot of writing – so I’ll make it quick – but then again, you don’t have much time to read. So maybe it’ll be a match.

There’s no premium/paid version. Totally free.

Why does connecting directly with people matter? Because transparency is good in and of itself and you should expect more than you get from people in my position.”

You can read more (and subscribe) at jeffjacksonnc.substack.com.

As of this writing, he’s rolled out two issues. The first was just a promo announcing what to expect. The second is titled “Here’s what happen right after you get elected to Congress.”

It’s simple. But honest, personal and interesting.

It’s about him and his family going through something that so few people will ever go through, and helping us experience it through his eyes.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ever heard of her?) was already wildly popular when she won her Congressional seat. But she helped show the world what to expect from her by livestreaming and sharing her onboarding experience via social media in real-time. It was a total flip of the script. She was taking something secretive and restricted and soaking it in sunshine.

AOC tweeting about what it's like to enter congress.

AOC livetweeting about her Congressional onboarding

She showed her followers, and the world, that she would not be silenced or awed by pomp or tradition and forced a real conversation about Congressional onboarding.

Whether Jackson continues on the path AOC laid out, or finds a different way forward, time will tell.

But what’s clear is that Jackson, like AOC, understands that “digital” is about more than simply asking for money. It’s about building a community and gaining the trust of those you hope to lead.

My prediction is that we’ll see many more such Substacks pop up in the coming months.

Just like we’ll see more Slack and Facebook Groups emerge from campaigns who understand that an audience doesn’t exist only to bankroll it, but also to sustain it.

John Fetterman didn’t invent the idea of closed digital spaces for audiences, but he and his team certainly invested heavily in creating, growing and moderating them. His team rolled out a Facebook Group, a Slack Channel and a Twitter Group DM and despite having access to tens of thousands of people, they never once (so far as I saw) asked for money on those platforms.

Because that’s not what those communities were for. Rather they were there to educate their audience on how to be advocates for the campaign while also creating a direct line so that the campaign could learn directly from its audience!

They regularly asked for volunteers for organizing shifts, but they also responded to issues being raised by supporters in real-time.

And while they never asked for money directly, I’m betting they saw a very real return on their investment. Because someone who feels a part of something is far more likely to donate the next time they get an email or text message asking them to, than someone who doesn’t know who you are or even what office you are running for.

The Democratic party needs more people like John Fetterman, AOC and Jeff Jackson, who inherently understand the value of community and are willing to invest what it takes to build and foster it. What it needs less of: spammy emails that no one wants clogging up our collective inboxes.


Looking to take your digital program to the next level?

Let’s talk!

December 26, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-12-26 14:48:512023-01-09 10:22:29How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script
Email, Gmail, Organization

Take Control of your Gmail Account with this Simple Hack

My inbox used to cause me a ton of stress.

It’s the place I talk to clients, colleagues and team members. But it’s also the place I hear from political campaigns, brands, non-profits, journalists and so much more.

For many years, all of those emails would come into one single place and it was always so hard to know what I needed to work on now, and what could be put aside for later.

But, as it turns out, Gmail has tools to help.

These two simple tricks — that combined only take me moments to set up — helped me take my inbox back from the chaos. And they can do the same for you.

These hacks work with Gmail AND G Suite (aka Workplace). So if you use Gmail professionally, you’re still covered!

Creating a gmail filter

So I’m a HUGE newsletter nerd. My inbox is full of emails from journalists and organizations. And I love them. BUT they were cluttering up my inbox & it was keeping me from getting things done.

So now, whenever I sign up for a new one, I immediately do the following: I open the first issue & click those 3 vertical dots at the top.

How to create a filter in gmail

Then I simply click “Filter messages like these”

create filters in gmail

Then I click “Create filter”

email filters in gmail

Now I select “Mark as read” and then I click “Create filter”

making a filter for emails in gmail

Now whenever I get an email from that sender, Gmail automatically marks it as read.

Step 1 complete!
​
​Now on to step 2.

See unread emails first

Go to your email settings.

How to find Gmail settings

​Switch from “Default” to “Unread first”

How to switch gmail settings to see unread emails first

This will split your inbox into two sections.

At the top, you’ll see your unread messages.

Below, you’ll see all those newsletters and other things you want to get to… eventually.

They’re not archived or filed away, completely out of sight, never to be seen again.

They’re still right there in your inbox. But now they’re comfortably out of the way, allowing you to triage your to-do list accordingly.

How to split gmail inbox into read and unread

You can easily move emails from one section to the other at any time by simply marking them read or unread.

That’s it. You’re all done! Told you it was simple and easy.
​
​This simple Gmail hack has made me so much more productive… and less stressed.

Hope it helps you too!


If you like free tools, tricks and hacks, consider subscribing to my newsletter where I share two free digital tools every two weeks. You can learn more and subscribe at freetools.digital. I also have a corresponding TikTok account. Connect with me!

And if you’re looking for more content, check out my podcast Step Up Your Social. All episodes are short (~10 minutes or less) and provide quick, actionable tips to help you take your digital marketing to the next level. Listen today at stepupyoursocial.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

I also work directly with brands of all shapes and sizes, helping them find, hone and tell their stories online. Ready to take your digital marketing program to the next level? Let’s chat!

August 17, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-08-17 05:00:002022-12-05 14:20:07Take Control of your Gmail Account with this Simple Hack
Audience Outreach, Email, Step Up Your Social

Don’t Let Bureaucrats Write Your Most Important Emails

So many brands works so hard on their social media posts and newsletters, but overlook crucial comms opportunities by outsourcing important messaging to bureaucrats.
​
When someone places an order with you, or donates to your organization, or even just signs up for your newsletter, are they welcomed into the family and made to feel as special as they are? Or simply sent a brief “thanks”?Too many brands overlook such key moments in their audience journey. In today’s episode of Step Up Your Social, we’ll look at one massive failure, and a whole bunch of successes.
​
Hopefully this episode will inspire you to revisit your own customer or donor journey and edit accordingly!​Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream podcasts. And scroll down for a full episode transcript.

​​​Find other episodes of Step Up Your Social here.​

Full Episode Transcript

A friend of mine recently had his outstanding student loans forgiven as part of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives all outstanding student loans for people who have spent 10 years working in public service.

He knew he was getting close, but the program is complicated and he didn’t know exactly when he would cross the ten-year threshold.

Then one morning, the email arrived.

The subject line read “You’re amazing” and when he opened it, it screamed “Congratulations” in 36 point font next to a picture of fireworks.

“Our country couldn’t work without you and the work you do” it continued.

There was a GIF of Jim and Pam from The Office giving each other an air high five.

The email went on: “The United States government thanks you for your dedication to our civil society and we are excited to inform you that all of your remaining student loans have officially been forgiven.”

Then there was a picture of President Joe Biden eating an ice cream cone and a note that read “whether you like ice cream, travel, or just an extra hour in bed, we hope you find a way to celebrate this tremendous achievement. Congratulations. And thank you for your service.”

Of course that is not at all how the email read.

Rather the email’s subject line informed him: “Action Required: View the message in your Paperless Inbox and take action.”

The email itself was a templated form with a green button inviting him to “go to paperless inbox.”

Once there, he found a PDF formatted to look like a letter informing him that his loans had been forgiven.

It did use the word “congratulations,” but everything that followed would have looked more in place from his accountant at tax time than the federal government informing him that his life just got a whole lot better.

Now granted — this is an official correspondence from the US Government.

But here’s the thing — the US government is a brand, just like any other. And, as is all too obvious for anyone who follows even the slightest bit of news, it’s got a massive branding problem.

What an amazing opportunity the government has to recognize the once in a lifetime gravity of this message and take advantage of it to buy itself some massive — and much earned — good will.

The federal government is rewarding people for their hard work and consistent payments with a massive gift. Rather than letting an amazing copywriter draft this life-changing note, they let a loan servicing company do it, where it was promptly outsourced to a bureaucrat.

What a missed opportunity.

——
So you, the listener, are most certainly not responsible for drafting comms for the federal government. So why are we talking about this on an episode of Step Up Your Social?

Simple. So many brands make the same mistake (if on a much smaller scale).

They worry so much about every tweet and Facebook post and newsletter, but then let bureaucrats write emails that matter so much.

Here’s a test for you — pause this episode and go subscribe to your own newsletter with a new email address. What happens when you do?

Do you knock your own socks off with your welcome, or do you get a simple “thank you for subscribing” and then get added into the standard queue waiting to hear from your brand again… eventually?! There’s probably a decent shot you didn’t even get a confirmation at all, right?

The Hustle is a phenomenal daily email that shares business and technology news right to your inbox.

Their content is amazing and they work hard ensuring their readers enjoy every issue. They definitely understand that a welcome email is a huge part of setting expectations and welcoming users into their community.

Years ago they went viral, not for their reporting or their formatting, but for their confirmation welcome email.

The welcome email informed them that the moment they subscribed, a buzzer went off in their office and now everyone was celebrating with hand shakes, hugs and even shots of tequila.

Silly? Yes. Memorable? Hell yes!

You can find the full email here.

——

And it’s not just welcome emails that get overlooked.

I’m a paying Canva user. I pay annually.

The typical company would send a note letting me know that my credit card was about to get billed. But Canva is no typical company.

Rather than informing me I owed them money, they wished me a happy anniversary and congratulated me on another great year using their amazing product.

My wife and I have two little kids. We recently bought them each a pair of Keen sandals. A few weeks after buying them, we got an email from Keen asking if “those shoes dirty yet?” chock-full of helpful cleaning tips to keep our kids shoes looking clean and ready to go.

——

I’ll close this episode with one more example. When CD Baby first launched in the late ’90s, they were shipping physical CDs to people. Weird, I know.

Every order resulted in an automated email, which simply read “Your order has shipped today. Please let us know if it doesn’t arrive. Thank you for your business.”

But one day, Derek Sivers, the founder of CD Baby, realized that he could do better. So he replaced that bureaucratic drivel with the following:

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD an d polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved “Bon Voyage!” to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Friday, June 6th.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as “Customer of the Year.” We’re all exhausted but can’t wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!

Quite a re-write!

Sivers claims that simple email created “thousands of new customers.”
And I believe him! I know I for sure would be way likelier to tell my friends about it, then a note simply informing me that my CD has shipped.

——

So here’s your assignment: go through your own customer or donor journey and ask yourself – do your most important communications sound like they were written by a bureaucrat or by someone who actually loves your brand as much as you do.
​
Edit accordingly!

July 29, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-07-29 19:25:242022-12-28 14:24:48Don’t Let Bureaucrats Write Your Most Important Emails
Why aren't my political Facebook ads running?
Digital Ads, Facebook, Politics

Why Aren’t My Political Facebook Ads Running?

Political Facebook ads keep getting more and more difficult.

Once upon a time, the only thing you need to run political ads on Facebook was a business page and a credit card. The 2016 Presidential election changed all that.

Facebook has added numerous new policies to prevent misuse. Some seem well thought out… others are just absurd. But as I always say, Facebook doesn’t live in our world, we live in theirs.
So every new change or tweak they roll out, no matter how ridiculous, we must simply adapt.

To run political ads of Facebook, you — the advertiser — need to be verified. You can start that process at facebook.com/id.

Your Facebook page needs a political disclaimer.

Your organization needs to be approved.

You can find all these steps, and get started, by going to your Facebook Page and navigating to settings => Issue, Electoral or Political Ads.
​

Political Facebook Ads Disclaimer - What you need to run political ads on Facebook

But getting everything approved isn’t exactly simple.

Here’s a fun fact: you are now required to have a website in order to run political ads on Facebook. Which is all well and good if you’re a Senate campaign, but might make less sense if you’re running for city council of a small town.

Some folks look to run ads aren’t even connected to a formal organization, but simply want to take a stand on an issue in their community. Unfortunately, the phrase “political ads” is actually quite misleading.

Facebook deems ads “political,” not just if they are from or in support of a formal political campaign, but also if they delve into a huge litany of topics including climate, LGBTQ+ issues, women’s rights… many nonprofits that don’t have anything to do with politics find themselves required to list their ads as political.

Another big issue I see campaigns make when applying for disclaimers: you must have an email address that matches your website. Meaning if your website is JoshForWisconsin.com you MUST have an email ending in @joshforwisconsin.com.

These are some serious hoops they are making down ballot candidates and tiny nonprofits jump through in order to run ads.

Check out this short thread on the issue if you’re so inclined.

But, that’s what it takes to run political ads on Facebook.

But here’s the thing, even if you do everything flawlessly, there is a decent chance you are going to set up ads, get them approved, and then watch with horror as your ad buy remains at $0.

This brutal phenomenon has been happening a lot of late.

So without further ado, here is my list of things you can troubleshoot to try and get your political Facebook ads to actually start spending once they have been approved.

Or to put it another way…

5 Reasons Your Political Facebook Ads Might Not Be Spending

First things first, all ads should be built in the ads manager (facebook.com/ads/manager). Even if you’re just “boosting posts” do it in the ads manager. You’ll have far better control and insight into your ads program when you do so.

Now that you’re in the ads manager (which is different than the ads center!), look in the top right corner at the dropdown menu and check your reporting timeframe.

How to see Facebook ad results for a certain time period

Reporting timeframe for Facebook ads

Is it set to maximum? If not, it should be.

While this probably isn’t the issue, it’s by far the easiest to fix. So it makes sense to start here.

If you started your Facebook Political Ad campaign this month, but you’re looking at reporting for “last month,” it will show you haven’t spent any money, even if that’s not the case. Flip on over to maximum and see what happens.

If it shows ad spend, you’re good to go!


If not, you should check your Facebook Political Ads Disclaimer. If you don’t have a disclaimer, your political Facebook ads will definitely get rejected.

But there’s this annoying glitch where Facebook will disable your ads disclaimer, but for some reason they will still approve your political ads — they just won’t actually let you spend any money.

Go check your disclaimer.

If you get there and it says your disclaimer is disabled, you’ll need to reauthorize it. In my experience, that’s usually as simple as getting emailed a code. But, as always, YMMV.

Once it’s re-authorized, that usually solves the problem outright. If it doesn’t (meaning if after a day or two, you still aren’t spending), DON’T duplicate the campaign. But rather rebuild it from scratch. For some reason duplicating seems to drag the issue along with it. Rebuilding from scratch, in my experience, does not. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Another issue that might be at play — check and see how many disclaimers you have.

I’ve inherited accounts and realized they had more than one disclaimer set up. It’s very hard to select which disclaimer you want to use with your ad when building out your campaign — and if you wind up with a disabled one, the ads won’t spend. I find it’s better to simply delete any that you don’t need. If you have an out-of-date disclaimer, delete it, and as above, if that doesn’t work quickly, try rebuilding your ads from scratch.

There is a very good chance that this will solve your problem and your Facebook Political Ads will start spending promptly.


If you are using a custom audience (like a mailing list, or voterfile data…) it’s possible that your audience is too small to target with ads. That could be the reason your Facebook Political Ads aren’t spending. So it’s time to check your audience size.

Once upon a time, when you uploaded a custom audience into Facebook, Facebook would tell you how many people from your audience were matched. Those days are no more. (Usually. Every now and then, they will tell you. Why? ¯_(ツ)_/¯)

If your match rate is less than ~1000, your ads may get approved but they will likely not run.

Now if you’re saying to yourself, but I fed 1200 people into Facebook — I’m good… you’re probably not! Facebook’s match rate for custom audiences is never going to be 100%. Which is fair enough — not everyone on your mailing list is on Facebook. And some of them gave you their work email but use their personal email for Facebook. I’ve seen lists match at 85%. And others at 30%. It really depends on the list you are starting with.

As a rule of thumb, I assume I’m going to get between a 50%-70% match rate with Facebook custom audiences. Annoyingly, you won’t know your match rate until you start running ads. Then you can track your reach and, once you’ve spent a bit, you should have a decent sense of your list size.

But again, if you’re not spending, it might be because your audience is simply too small.

If this is the issue, you need to find a way to expand your audience size. You might not be able to target your mailing list or voterfile data. You might have to use Facebook saved audiences, where you build out an audience based on information like age, gender, location, etc.

Try targeting a larger audience and see if it starts spending. If it does, you’ve identified your issue. Great job!


​Since we’re talking about Facebook saved audiences, it’s worth mentioning that Facebook changed the data we have access to significantly in early 2022.

You used to be able to target fans of AOC, Rachel Maddow and John Oliver. You could target “liberals” and “conservatives.” You could target people interested in LGBTQ+ or climate change or people who liked Human Rights Campaign or Sierra Club.

Facebook has scrubbed all of that data from their audience builder. Why? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

It’s a truly bizarre and awful move from Facebook, but again, this is their world — we just live in it. So check your targeting.

If you are trying to run ads to audiences you built before this change, there’s a possibility that they let you build the ad, and even approved it, but that they won’t actually let it run.

Go in and edit your campaign’s audience. It will show if you are currently using any data you are no longer allowed to use.

Update accordingly and this might solve your problem.


Facebook recently updated their policy on daily ad spend. They’ve always had a daily ad spend limit — especially for new accounts — but of late, I’ve found that every new account has a default daily ad spend limit of just $50. So now you need to check your daily ad spend limit.

This won’t be an issue for why you can’t spend at all — but if you’re spending keeps capping at $50 a day, despite a much larger budget, this is almost definitely why.

The good news: Facebook will help you increase your daily ad spend. Simply go to GPA Help and ask them to.

The bad news: It might take a bit. And if you’re desperately trying to GOTV in the final days of your campaign, help might not arrive in time.


To recap, here are 5 things to check if your Political Facebook Ads are approved but won’t start spending:

  • Check your reporting timeframe
  • Check your disclaimer(s)
  • Check your audience size
  • Check your targeting
  • Check your daily ad spend limit

That’s my list. If you have any other solutions to try please share them with me. We’re all in this together!

If none of the above helped, hit me up. I help progressive candidates, campaigns and organizations troubleshoot such issues all the time and I’d love to help you get your ad program up and running.

Learn more about how my team and I help progressive campaigns with digital ads and a whole lot more at joshklemons.com/politics, or drop us an email today and let’s chat.

You can also regularly find me on Twitter complaining about Facebook Ads. If you’re into that kind of thing, let’s connect!

July 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
https://joshklemons.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/why-my-facebook-political-ads-are-not-running-1.png 400 495 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-07-28 20:30:462022-12-26 12:31:34Why Aren’t My Political Facebook Ads Running?
Politics

A Meme Masterclass From the Fetterman campaign

Fetterman for U.S. Senate campaign GIF

John Fetterman has won his Democratic primary and is now setting his sights on Dr. Oz.

John Fetterman recently clinched the Democratic party nomination in his race to be Pennsylvania’s next US Senator.

Fetterman, the current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, will be running against a recent addition to Pennsylvania politics… and Pennsylvania itself for that matter, Dr. Oz, who won his primary election by just 951 votes.

For the entirety of his campaign, the tattooed, shorts-rocking candidate from Braddock, PA has been leading the way nationally in Democratic fundraising and really created a masterclass in digital campaigning that any would-be candidate for office should take note of.

In fact, if you want some notes, check out ours here. We did a digital deep dive of Fetterman and Oz’s digital campaigns a while back!

While much of Fetterman’s campaign messaging had been focused on convincing people that he’s the best Democratic candidate for this moment, he’s now shifted his focus to convincing Pennsylvania voters why Dr. Oz is the wrong candidate for them.

Luckily, for him (and democracy!),  Dr. Oz has given him a lot to work with.

This includes scrubbing his campaign site of any mention of Donald Trump – only after winning the Republican primary with help from Trump’s endorsement, being an overall quack doctor, and worst of all – not even being from Pennsylvania. (And we don’t mean in the he-wasn’t-born-there way some folks talk about political candidates… we mean in the he-doesn’t-live-there-now-and-has-never-lived-there kind of way.)

Have to admit, as someone who grew up in “Huntingdon” and had to explain that it wasn’t “Huntingdon Valley,” this bugs me.

There is no “Huntington Valley, Pa.”

There is only “Huntingdon Valley, Pa.” pic.twitter.com/QAYf40W6pU

— Sy Snyder (@PoliticsPA) June 13, 2022

In fact, Dr. Oz is so clearly not from Pennsylvania that he misspelled his “hometown” on his campaign paperwork.

While there are lots of issues with Dr. Oz as a candidate, the Fetterman campaign has really been hammering this one over the last few weeks.

But the thing is, there are only so many ways to point out someone isn’t from your state. Or are there?  The Fetterman team have been finding funny and pointed ways to do just that and they have been hilarious every step of the way.

While plenty of candidates shy away from memes, Team Fetterman has leaned right in. And we think they’ve done a pretty damn good job of using them to move the needle.

We’re such big fans of Fetterman’s memes that we wanted to round some of them up and share them with you. So, without further ado, here are some of our favorite memes from Fetterman’s feed.

A Little Help From Steve Buscemi

https://t.co/P9xbx5g5Yy pic.twitter.com/QjULxmAupp

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 14, 2022

The doctor’s past is always there waiting to catch up to him…

I’m just saying pic.twitter.com/vLhMAPU6hv

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 11, 2022

Sure you are…

Like I said pic.twitter.com/J3YdBneoz1

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 20, 2022

Clowning around

https://t.co/yLStJOQNY7 pic.twitter.com/50qoRi1YVM

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 22, 2022

We’re McLovin this one!

Giggle. ? pic.twitter.com/DbcxSCiC8P

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 23, 2022

Getting ratioed hurts, but at least Oz earned himself a participation trophy

https://t.co/FXzKkeFqMp pic.twitter.com/UMspIZcYX4

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) June 13, 2022

These are just some of the fire memes that the Fetterman camp has used to point out Dr. Oz’s Pennsylvania-less roots, and we think that they do a pretty good job for a couple of reasons:

First, they’re just downright funny. While Fetterman is a serious politician, he and his campaign want to make sure their audience knows he’s just a normal person – assuming you hadn’t already gathered that from his cargo shorts, tattoos, and professional wrestler vibes.

Second, Fetterman’s campaign knows their platforms and they know how to wrack up those engagements. They know their campaign is connecting with not only Pennsylvanians, but also a national, young and engaged audience of Democratic party supporters excited to like, share… and donate!.

By speaking in terms that are both human and engaging to people on social, Fetterman has gained a ton of followers and helped to point out one of the massive flaws of Dr. Oz’s candidacy, and he did it all by letting the memes do the talking.

So don’t be afraid to get out there and do some meme-ing of your own. If you want some help, hit us up.

We’d like to think that we understand these platforms pretty well ourselves.

Drake meme encouraging readers to work with Reverbal Communications on their political digital needs.

Learn more about our work, and get in touch!

June 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-06-28 23:07:392022-12-23 12:37:45A Meme Masterclass From the Fetterman campaign
Brand Management, Politics, Social Media

3 Lessons on Leaning Into Your Values From Ben And Jerry’s

 

 

Screenshot from Ben & Jerry's values & mission page of their three core values.

Ben & Jerry’s proudly displays their core values, which guide all of their work on digital and in general.

Ben & Jerry’s is the top-selling ice cream brand in the US and has a massive fan base of ice cream lovers all over the world.

But they don’t just make ice cream. They also speak their values. Loudly and proudly. In fact, they’re one of America’s most outspoken brands.

Often when we think of people making a stand on important issues, we think of activists, advocates and politicians… not big businesses. But time and time again, Ben & Jerry’s have shown that businesses can – and should – be a part of the most important conversations shaping our lives.

Not only have they shown that living your values is important, but they have also laid out a roadmap for other businesses looking to join them in doing so – especially in regards to their very popular and very outspoken social media program.

So let’s take a moment to explore some of Ben & Jerry’s top-performing posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and dissect just what makes their social media content so powerful.

First off, if you didn’t already know, Ben & Jerry’s is a company that is seriously committed to progressive values.

Human rights, social and economic justice, as well as protecting the environment make up the core tenets of their values. And these stances frame all of their work from the ice cream they make to the tweets they share. You can learn more about their values here.

So what can we learn from this iconic brand that never accepts silence in the face of injustice? A lot!

Lesson 1: Your Values Should Drive Your Entire Business – Not Just Your digital Content

That’s the primary lesson to take from Ben & Jerry’s. If your values don’t touch every aspect of your business, then they won’t seem authentic when you throw a social post into the world in honor of some holiday or news event.

Ben & Jerry’s constantly seeks out opportunities to support causes and they take big risks to fight for what they think is right.

Take this post about a new ice cream flavor for example. It’s their fourth most popular Facebook post of the past year and it highlights their commitment to fighting for racial justice and equity.

Screenshot of Ben and Jerry's Colin Kaepernick collaboration social media post.

Ben and Jerry’s live their values in everything their business does.

Not only did Ben & Jerry’s take the opportunity to voice support for an important cause, but they also put their money where their mouth is. By partnering with Colin Kaepernick, and committing to giving all of proceeds to his organization, Know Your Rights Camp, Ben & Jerry’s shows that they are a company that doesn’t just talk the talk on Twitter, but one that truly lives its values.

While you and your organization may not be able to partner with Colin Kaepernick, your brand can still find ways to live your values.

Start by naming them. What do you believe in and why do those beliefs matter.

Once you’ve named them, share them with your employees, talk about them with community members. And of course show them in your content.

Sometimes we have to take risks to do what is right. If you’re going to choose to voice your values, you’re also going to have to stand by them when they’re tested.

That’s exactly what Ben & Jerry’s did this past summer during heightened tensions in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict when they ended their franchise agreements with stores in “occupied Palestinian territory.”

Ben and Jerry's announce that they will no longer sell ice cream in occupied Palestinian territory on Instagram.

Sticking to your values isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.

While plenty of very vocal people and organizations disagreed with this move from Ben & Jerry’s, the company stood true to its core value of advocating for human rights and dignity, above all else.

It’s not always easy to do what we believe is right. But the fact is, when you do, people notice. Your employees know when you do – and even more so when you don’t! – stay true to your word. Your followers do too – just check out the comments of that Instagram post.

And since 70% of consumers want to know what brands are doing to address social and environmental issues – social media is a great place to live your values!

Lesson 2: Meet Your Customers Where They Are By Being Part of the Conversation

Another aspect of Ben & Jerry’s social media content that makes it so powerful is that the brand speaks to consumers at the moments when it counts the most.

Screenshot of Ben & Jerry's sharing their reaction to the K

When you know your values, you always know what to say.

As the country, and many of us here in Wisconsin, were grappling with the outcome of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, Ben & Jerry’s came out with a statement showing the hypocrisy of the criminal justice system.

Being a part of the conversation while it’s happening can be difficult – unless you, your staff, and your audience already know what your values are. Then, it’s not nearly as hard.

By having clear core values, Ben & Jerry’s was able to respond to this event as it was happening in a way that made their stance clear and that also contributed to the online conversation happening around the trial.
​

Screenshot of Ben and Jerry's sharing their reaction to the Texas abortion law on Instagram.

Don’t just share your values, share your reasoning behind them like Ben & Jerry’s did here.

Ben and Jerry’s is also good at telling you why they feel a certain way about a timely issue. They provide transparent explanations and press releases that can take complicated issues and make their stance on them clear cut.

Some followers are going to disagree with you. But by making your values clear, and backing them up with the thought process behind them, you will show that you’re a business that’s thinking about these issues critically and applying your values to them.

By creating content that sparks or contributes to a conversation, while also explaining your position, you can encourage followers to interact with your business on social media while also building the trust of your most loyal customers, who likely feel the same way you do.
​

Lesson 3: You Don’t Have to Fight Every Battle, And You Don’t Have to Fight Anything Alone

While Ben & Jerry’s certainly doesn’t shy away from taking tough stances and big risks, they also don’t fight every battle.

When you know who you are and what you value, it’s easier to know what to say and when to say it. And your followers will better understand what to expect from you.

Ben and Jerry’s is passionate about social justice. On 4/20, they could have easily just posted a joke about Half Baked or ice cream being the perfect cure for the munchies!. But this are no ordinary ice cream brand.
​​
Instead they posted about racial disparities in arrest rates for marijuana and the importance of passing the MORE act.

Screenshot from Ben and Jerry's Instagram of the brand fighting for marijuana legislation.
Ben and Jerry's encourages Congress to pass the MORE act on Twitter.

 

They’re not out there taking on big tech or tweeting at particular politicians. But they are displaying their values in ways that make sense by informing their audience and urging them to action.

This is something that any business can do. By talking about issues that make sense for the values your brand represents, you can build a loyal and dedicated following. You might not get every sale, but your values have a way of breaking through even the most crowded media environment.

There are also plenty of ways to make your values relevant to your business, besides just talking about them on social media.
​

Screenshot of a Ben and Jerry's partnership post on their Instagram about a social justice partnership.

Partnerships with organizations or folks in your community can be a great way to share your values.

Partnerships can also be a powerful way to do so. In this example, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with an activist organization, a Black-owned coffee producer, and a Black artist to advocate for transforming the way we approach public safety.

These kinds of partnerships can be developed for any business.

If you’re a bank that values economic justice, partner with a local organization to help teach folks about financial literacy.

Maybe you’re a clothing brand passionate about supporting animal shelters – that’s awesome. Partner with a local artist to make a T-shirt and donate part of the proceeds to a local shelter.

Efforts like these will make it easier for you and your followers to stand up for what you believe in while also helping to amplify your presence in your community by bringing new people into your audience.

Overall, we can really learn a lot about how to share values on social media from seeing how pros like Ben & Jerry’s do it.

Their willingness to articulate and stick to their values permeates throughout their business, making them an active participant in important conversations, and a powerful ally to partners fighting for the same values.

Your business can do this too… if you want. And when you do so, your employees and your followers will love you all the more.

Looking for ways to further incorporate your values into your digital marketing program?

Let’s Talk!

May 19, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-05-19 05:00:002022-11-09 11:15:053 Lessons on Leaning Into Your Values From Ben And Jerry’s
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Social Media, Step Up Your Social, Twitter

Likes On Social Media Are Free

This is a short episode, adapted from an article I wrote 5 years, about the importance of engaging with positive comments on social media. It’s as true today as it was the day I wrote it. So I wanted to share it with you, my podcast listeners.

​If someone goes out of their way to say something nice about you on social, and you can’t be bothered to smash that like button, you should re-evaluate why you are on social in the first place!

Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream podcasts. And scroll down for a full episode transcript.

​​Find other episodes of Step Up Your Social here.​

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

I wrote a version of this post 5 years ago. It’s just as true today as it was then . So I wanted to share it with you, my podcast listeners.

On Friday night — five years ago — I went to see a Grammy winning bluegrass legend wow his crowd with songs spanning his 40+ year career.

Because I’m both a bluegrass nerd and a social media nerd, I streamed one of his songs via Facebook Live.

It was late on a weekend night and it didn’t get a lot of views in real time. But over the next 36 hours or so, it was watched a few dozen times. (And now I can go back and rewatch the band anytime I want on my personal Facebook page!) But truth be told, by Sunday night, I wasn’t thinking about the video anymore than I was about the drive to and from the show.

But then Monday morning, something interesting happened — my video was “liked” by the bluegrass legend it featured.

Now let’s be clear: I don’t think that this artist liked the post himself (although he might have). More likely it was a member of his marketing or management team.

But the notification that he had liked my video popped up, and I have to be honest — I got excited. Like, more excited than I probably should have.

I work in social media for a living. I know how this works. I know he probably has some marketing agency liking positive mentions of him online. But you know what: it still got its intended effect out of me!

Having him like my video felt like getting a high five or a quick hello from a bluegrass legend.

Does that digital high five mean that we are suddenly best friends? Of course not.
Does it mean I can suddenly shred  on the mandolin like he can? I wish!

Am I still excited enough that it happened that I immediately wanted to tell all my friends about it? Yup.

Liking that post cost him and his team literally nothing. Yet it added to my excitement about the show and about the artist overall.

Social media serves many roles, not least of which is customer service and community relations.

Think about yourself as a movie star. When you walk down the street, people are going to recognize you. You can’t stop and have lunch with every fan. You can’t even stop and take a picture with them all or you’d never get anywhere. But you can nod and smile to everyone who waves at you.

That’s what a “like” is on social media — it’s a head nod from a celebrity. It doesn’t suddenly make you best friends or ensure that they will buy your product/go see your next movie/buy your upcoming album. But it shows the fans that you are real, and that you respect them as people, not just as consumers. And it only takes as much time to create that connection as you need to give a single click of your mouse or tap on your phone.

If someone posts about you or your business online, respond. Or at the very least, smash that like button.

If they write you a review, thank them (or address any concerns as needed). But at the very least, like their post and let them know you see them and you appreciate them.

If you see a celebrity on the street, and you wave at them, you are going to tell your friends one of two stories:

“Oh my goodness, I just say this famous person on State Street. It was so cool!”

*** OR ***

“I just saw this famous person on State Street. He was kind of a jerk.”

​You’re the celebrity. Which would you prefer?

May 11, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-05-11 16:47:532022-12-28 14:25:11Likes On Social Media Are Free
Email, Politics

On The Dangers of Selling Your Email List (A Cautionary Tale)

Kevin Nicholson is running in the Republican primary to take on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in November.

In 2018 he ran in the Republican primary to take on Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.

He didn’t win in 2018. His chances in 2022 are slim. Which is good – his politics are awful!

But he’s running for higher office in my home state of Wisconsin – so of course I’m on his email list. (It’s part of my civic duty as a Wisconsin Digital Strategist to pay attention to such things!)

His emails are boring. Run-of-the-mill copy-and-paste jobs screaming about the world ending and asking for $5 so he can fix it all. There are lots of big red buttons and 24 point fonts. Sign up for a dozen or so statewide Republican email programs and you can pretty much mix-and-match them amongst each other, just swapping names and logos.

But… because I’m a huge digital and political nerd, I like to track my emails as they work their way through an ever-widening group of shady characters. That’s right <<<GASP>>> lots of political campaigns sell their email lists to the highest bidder.

Scott Walker used the massive email list he built up throughout his thwarted Presidential campaign to help pay off his campaign debt. (You might recall he raised — and spent — a ton of money on his campaign, only to drop out before the Iowa primary.)

He sold that sucker to anyone — and everyone — with money to burn.

So yeah, for better or worse (and it’s definitely for worse) it’s common practice in politics to sell, rent and trade emails these days.

“Selling or swapping your campaign’s email list is an amateur move that demonstrates a fundamental lack of respect for your own supporters. When someone signs up to hear from your campaign, they’re placing their trust in you with the understanding that you’ll use their contact information responsibly. Handing their email address over to a consultant or another campaign is an unethical betrayal of that trust that reflects poorly on the candidate and their campaign operation.”

That’s according to Josh Nelson, the CEO of Civic Shout and a co-founder of The Juggernaut Project, two companies that help Democratic campaigns and progressive groups grow their opt-in email communities. He’s become a leading advocate in the space, publicly calling out bad actors with the aim of curbing such practices on both sides of the aisle.

But here’s the thing about selling your email list: along with being unethical, it can also be risky.

Which brings us back to Kevin Nicholson.
​

Tracking Your Email Address with Gmail

So most people don’t know this, but Google actually has a simple way to track your email address as it floats around the internet.

Let’s say your email is WisconsinPolitics@gmail.com. When you sign up for an email list, you can add a simple tracking tag to your email. Doing so is extremely easy. Just add a + after your name and a keyword or phrase you want to track. For example: WisconsinPolitics+ScottWalker@gmail.com.

Now anytime you get an email to that tracked version of your gmail address, it will actually be addressed not to WisconsinPolitics@gmail.com, but to WisconsinPolitics+ScottWalker@gmail.com. This makes it very easy to spot.

So in the case of Kevin Nicholson, my email doesn’t come to Josh, but to josh+nicholson.

How to track a gmail address

Pretty simple, right?

Pro tip: this even works with professional email addresses run via Workplace (or G Suite as it was once called).

So you could be SocialMedia@wisconsinpolitics.com. Simply add that + and now you’re SocialMedia+ScottWalker@wisconsinpolitics.com. It works exactly the same way.

So when I signed up for Kevin Nicholson’s email list, I did so using a gmail tracker.

It didn’t take long for me to start getting emails from questionable sources. But while the new senders were questionable, how they got my email address never was.

First it was Sheriff David Clarke. And it was brutal. Like so bad I’ll spare you screenshots. But yeah, it was bad.

Next up was the Wisconsin Conservative Digest. Never heard of them. Wish that was still the case.

They send me massive screeds poorly formatted and… let’s just say I’m not their target demo.

But then a few days ago, I got an email from them that I found interesting. Quite interesting in fact.

While they don’t seem to be outright endorsing him, they published a letter from Tim Michels… who is also running in the Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary.

So to clarify: Kevin Nicholson made a quick buck selling my email address… to a group that’s now openly promoting a candidate he’s running against.

You love to see it!

Why you shouldn't sell your political email list

That’s not just unethical, it’s also just bad politics.

So that’s my cautionary tale for you. Have any of your own to share? Hit me up on Twitter. I can’t get enough of this stuff.

If you are running for office — or know someone who is — my team and I help progressive candidates and campaigns find, hone and tell their stories online.

​Learn more about our work and hit us up today

April 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-04-28 19:04:172022-11-09 11:23:32On The Dangers of Selling Your Email List (A Cautionary Tale)
Digital Tools, SEO, Step Up Your Social

What Are Vanity URLs and Why Should You Be Using Them?

A vanity url is a memorable url that will redirect to the page where you actually want to send people.

They are easy (and inexpensive) to set-up, and can help your user easily find your brand’s important content and sub-campaigns.

In this episode of Step Up Your Social, we delve into what they are, how to set them up, when you should use them and more.

We also cover Bit.ly links and talk about when those can and should be used in lieu of vanity urls.

If you aren’t using both of these tools in your digital toolkit, you’re making things harder than they need to be for your audience.

Tune in today and learn more.

Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream podcasts. And scroll down for a full episode transcript.
​


​​Find other episodes of Step Up Your Social here.​

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

The other day I was watching Hulu and I saw an ad pushing treatment for men suffering from a quote Bent Carrot.

If that sounds a bit phallic… well, yeah, that’s the idea.

I tend to tune out most — if not all — medical ads, but this one got my attention. I mean, they took a sensitive issue and made it, if not funny, at least memorable.

But what really got my attention was their url: bent carrot dot com.

I mean, that is just an epic url for a company in the business of mending, ummm, bent carrots.

Here’s the thing though – there’s no website at that link. Bent carrot dot com is not a website – it’s a vanity url.

What’s a vanity url? Think vanity license plates, but for landing pages.

It’s a memorable url that will redirect to the page where you actually want to send people. It can serve a similar purpose as a QR code, but with one memorable exception from this past Super Bowl, most people aren’t gonna capture a QR code from a commercial. Just like having a great 1-800 number used to be the industry standard for anyone who wanted you to remember their phone number, vanity urls are a great way to help ensure people remember your website.

If you go to bent carrot dot com, it simply redirects you to peyronies dash disease dot xiaflex dot com slash patient. Think anyone’s gonna remember that url? Of course not. But bent carrot dot com – yeah that one will stick with you.

Even though you probably wish it wouldn’t.

I was once working with a client on her digital program. Throughout the course of the engagement, it came out that she had a second website. There are certainly times where that can make sense. But I asked a few questions and I got a bit queasy on her behalf. This client had paid for an entire website, developed copy, worked up graphics… all the work that went into a website — when all she really wanted was a landing page for a vanity url she had bought.

She wasn’t a musician – but to keep it simple let’s pretend she was. She already had her band’s website. She had a new album out and she — smartly! — bought the url matching her album’s name. But to use it, she thought she needed to build a whole new website.

Why is this bad? For so many reasons! The first is that she invested a ton of time and money into a new site. But she also made her users’ journey more complicated. If I like a band, I want all info about the band, INCLUDING THEIR ALBUMS, on a single site. Not spread out over a bunch of sites. AND by doing what she did, she actually hurt her SEO (or search engine optimization). Because her two websites are now competing with each other on Google for the same keywords.

What should she have done instead? She should have simply built a landing page on her primary site and redirected her vanity url to it.

Want an example of that? Head to stepupyoursocial.com. I mention that url in every episode of this podcast. But here’s the thing – that website doesn’t actually exist! It’s just a landing page on my primary website.

It was easy to build (well, easier), it helps with my SEO, instead of hurting it, and it keeps my users’ journey clean and simple. After all,  you can easily jump from my podcast page right to my blog. Or to my services or about page. You can learn all about who I am and what I do without ever leaving my site.

So was this hard to do? Was it expensive? Good news: it doesn’t cost anything (beyond the cost of the url) and it takes about 60 seconds to set up.

Go to wherever you buy your urls – I personally use NameCheap. But there are loads of alternatives, including Google Domains, domain.com, buydomains.com, GoDaddy. Lots of options. Once you own the url, simply go into the backend and redirect it to wherever you want it to go. I can’t give you step by step instructions because every platform is going to be a little bit different. But Google “redirect url [insert name of where you bought your domain]” and you’ll find step by step instructions just waiting for you. Follow those instructions and you should have this done in less time that it took watch that hilarious TikTok video you were just checking out.

The hosting companies say it can take up to 30 minutes or so to take effect. I find it typically works within minutes. But just wanted to flag it might not work immediately.

So that’s what vanity urls are. When should you use them? Anytime you want to have a memorable url for a sub-component of your brand that’s easy to remember.

That might be bent carrot dot com. Or stepupyoursocial.com. Or the name of your band’s album. Or a program or campaign your organization is running. Or a video series you have created. Anything you want to be abl e to easily send people to without all those slashes and dashes after your primary url.

The cost of a non-premium url is going to be about $10 a year give or take. (A premium url – like social media master dot com for example – could run tens of thousands of dollars.)

While I’m personally partial to vanity urls, I also want to share a totally free workaround for you.

Bitly.

Bitly is a free link shortening tool.

You can take any url and drop it into bitly and it will give you a short url that will redirect to your landing page of choice. This could be a page on your site. Or an article you think is important. Or a YouTube video you love.

I use a bunch of vanity urls for my brand. But I also regularly use bitly links.

Want my free Facebook live checklist? Head to bit.ly/facebooklivechecklist and download it today. Want to find a blog post I wrote, rounding up stock photo sites that focus on diversity? Head to bit.ly/diverse-photos

And I’m not the only one.

Want to watch Madonna’s Frozen Remix video on YouTube? Head to bit.ly/frozenremixvideo.

Want to do a paid internship, spending your time diving off the West coast of Vancouver Island? Head to bit.ly/DiveIntern.

I think you get the idea.

Not every product needs a vanity url. For everything else, bitly links can be great substitutes.

But big important caveat: don’t just create a bitly link. Customize it. Meaning switch it from the random letters and numbers they’ll assign you with something easy to remember, like FacebookLiveChecklist or FrozenRemixVideo.

Doing so is free, quick and easy. If you’re not customizing your bitly links, you might as well be sending them to peyronies dash disease dot xiaflex dot com slash patient.

And no one wants that.

So get out there and set up your redirects.

And if this episode was helpful to you, do me a favor and send a few folks to stepupyoursocial.com. They’ll be redirected to a landing page on my site – it’ll be exactly what they were looking for!

March 10, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-03-10 21:13:262022-11-09 11:24:41What Are Vanity URLs and Why Should You Be Using Them?
Politics

Zelensky Should Have Left a Few Senators in the Waiting Room

The Ukrainian Ambassador very intentionally asked each of us on the zoom to NOT share anything on social media during the meeting to protect the security of President Zelenskyy. Appalling and reckless ignorance by two US Senators. https://t.co/geolhKxbLp

— Rep. Dean Phillips □□ (@RepDeanPhillips) March 5, 2022

In case you missed it, this past weekend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with members of Congress on a Zoom call to ask for more US assistance in Ukraine’s ongoing siege from Russia.

During the call, he asked for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the country, more direct military assistance, and a ban on Russian oil.

While these are all difficult asks, Zelensky did have one request that should’ve been *extremely easy* for any member of Congress to agree to: please don’t share this meeting on social media until after it’s over, in order to help keep the beleaguered Ukrainian President safe.

Although the meeting was highly publicized, sharing photos or posts during the meeting could’ve provided information about Zelensky’s location, which might have put the freedom-fighting President’s life at real risk.

Despite this EXPLICIT warning – and the fact that politicians could’ve waited to score their social media points until after the meeting – a couple of Republican Senators just couldn’t help themselves. And of course one of their colleagues — two years into a pandemic — still hasn’t yet figured out how to mute his damn mic.

Now, we are firm believers that “if it didn’t happen on social media – it didn’t really happen.” But that rule kinda goes out the window when it’s a matter of life and death. You know? Especially when the person whose life you’re risking is the internationally-beloved, embattled leader who has reportedly already survived three assassination attempts in the past week.

On zoom call now with President Zelensky of #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/xhgbpIwVD9

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 5, 2022

Marco Rubio, in yet another desperate attempt at relevance, was the first to succumb to the urge to wrack up some of those sweet, sweet retweets. Since then, Rubio’s team has fired back at critics, saying, “There was no identifying information of any kind. Anybody pretending this tweet is a security concern is a partisan seeking clicks.” Maybe that’s true – or maybe it’s not. The only thing that really matters here is that President Zelensky’s team specifically asked Rubio and his colleagues not to tweet about it. And he did anyway.

The worst part about this in Rubio’s case is that he’s the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Meaning that Rubio should probably be a bit more sensitive to this type of request than almost any member of Congress.

Despite this, Rubio’s unquenchable thirst for social media fame just proved too strong a siren call to ignore.

Currently on a zoom call with President Zelenskyy. #StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/ZtGjyWITwN

— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) March 5, 2022

Rubio wasn’t alone though in endangering the life of President Zelensky. Not to be outdone, Senator Steve Daines of Montana quickly fired off a tweet as well.

Maybe Daines doesn’t like to follow instructions. Or maybe, he just had different marching orders. Because Daines was one of numerous Republican Senators who spent the 4th of July hanging out in Moscow back in 2018. He was of course joined by Wisconsin’s own Russian sympathizer, Ron Johnson.

At one point during his emotional presentation, Zelensky paused to ask one of the American lawmakers to mute themselves.
“Senator Rick Scott, please mute your mic,” he said. https://t.co/ElfsEAtQ4y

— Alan Rappeport (@arappeport) March 5, 2022

Meanwhile, while Rubio and Daines were setting off a tweetstorm with their ill-advised tweets, Rubio’s fellow Floridian Senator Rick Scott was just trying to figure out how mute his dang Zoom mic.

Perhaps Senator Scott should’ve spent less time working on his 11-point plan to turn America into a Hunger-Games-like dystopia and more time learning about the mysterious technology that is the Zoom mute button. (Pro tip: if you won’t be speaking much on a Zoom call, mute yourself and then simply use the space bar to unmute yourself as needed.)

Since we at Reverbal Communications love to give advice to political candidates and elected officials (it’s a big part of what we do – learn more here), here’s some advice for Senator Scott: Take some time to head down to The Villages in Florida and sign up for a Zoom intro course. Or better yet, just retire!

Ultimately, the moral of the story is this – while it’s always good to share what you’re up to with your followers, you don’t always have to do it in the moment. This is especially true when you’ve been asked by an ambassador of a country under siege to hold a moment on sending out those fire tweets.

In a time of absolute crisis and uncertainty, President Zelensky has come to be admired by many around the world as a fearless and inspirational leader – he’s a hero to his people and a symbol for the fight for democracy worldwide.

The least Republican Senators can do is give him the opportunity to speak openly with the US without the fear of another Russian attempt on taking his life.

Senators Rubio and Daines, with all due respect, both of you should please delete your accounts.

Thanks!

March 7, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-03-07 21:42:262022-11-09 11:25:13Zelensky Should Have Left a Few Senators in the Waiting Room
Page 1 of 11123›»

Categories

  • Audience Outreach
  • Blogging
  • Brand Management
  • Digital Ads
  • Digital Tools
  • Editing
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Gmail
  • Instagram
  • iPhone Functionality
  • LinkedIn
  • Nonprofits
  • Organization
  • Politics
  • SEO
  • Social Media
  • Step Up Your Social
  • Telling Your Story
  • Training
  • Twitter
  • Wisconsin
  • Writing

Recent Posts

  • How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script
  • Take Control of your Gmail Account with this Simple Hack
  • Don’t Let Bureaucrats Write Your Most Important Emails
  • Why Aren’t My Political Facebook Ads Running?
  • A Meme Masterclass From the Fetterman campaign

Archives

  • December 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • August 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • May 2015
  • September 2014
  • October 2013

I’m a digital marketing & social media speaker, trainer & presenter

See Upcoming Events

Ready to take your Facebook Live videos to the next level?

Download This FREE Checklist

Get social media tips, tricks, hacks & strategies delivered to your inbox

Sign Up Today
Contact

josh@reverbalcommunications.com

Privacy Policy

Social Media, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Training, Consulting, ​Facebook Ads, Political Consulting, Keynote Speaker and Presenter, Podcast Host & More
Serving Madison, Wisconsin and beyond.

© 2022 All rights reserved. | 1 Day Website by Bizzy Bizzy
    Scroll to top

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

    OKLearn more×

    Cookie and Privacy Settings



    How we use cookies

    We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

    Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

    Essential Website Cookies

    These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

    Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

    We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

    We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

    Google Analytics Cookies

    These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

    If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

    Other external services

    We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

    Google Webfont Settings:

    Google Map Settings:

    Google reCaptcha Settings:

    Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

    Other cookies

    The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

    Privacy Policy

    You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

    Terms and Conditions
    Accept settingsHide notification only