Web strategists tout candidate use of search ads

Online strategists agree on one thing -- that the Internet has exponentially expanded the campaign tactics to get voters to the polls.

But with less than two weeks before the election, they have two basic recommendations for clients hoping to gain or keep seats in Congress: using technology to reach undecided voters and to bolster traditional support. The single most popular answer among conservative and liberal consultants alike is search-engine marketing.

Mark SooHoo, vice president of Campaign Solutions, which helps conservative candidates with online strategy, said buying Google AdWords, or the equivalent on Yahoo or MSN reaches voters ready to listen. Advertisers choose keywords and create ads around them, and when people search those terms online, the ads appear automatically.

"It's a good, low-cost, low-barrier entry, easy-to-setup way to get involved," SooHoo said. He said candidates don't pay in advance and get name exposure for free.

SooHoo said the great part is that candidates can cap their spending at $1,000 or $5,000 or any other amount. "It just turns off when you're done," SooHoo said.

Peter Leyden, director of the New Politics Institute, a think tank that publishes advice on new media for Democratic candidates, agreed that search-word advertising is a good deal. "Very few politicians do buy those ads, so you can buy them very cheaply and be sure your site is seen," Leyden said.

Diane Thompson, president of the Campaign Superstore for conservative candidates, said search-engine marketing "is an area particularly in the last weeks of a campaign that will be effective." She noted that the closing weeks are when voters are seeking information on candidates.

A recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project said more people are going online for political information, with an average 26 million people a day conducting such searches in August.

Thompson added that strengthening traditional support is as critical as pursuing undecided voters through the ads. She said candidates should send one more strong e-mail focusing on the top reasons to support them. "Ask people to forward it to their friends," Thompson said.

"Motivating and mobilizing a candidate's base of supporters is going to be particularly critical this election cycle," said Mike Connell of Connell Donatelli Inc., which advises conservatives. He said candidates should "micro-target" via e-mail to motivate voters most likely to pick them.

Kari Chisholm, the president of Mandate Media for liberal candidates, said the best thing people can do without leaving their computers is to e-mail personalized voting guides to friends. "A personal endorsement is particularly powerful," Chisholm said.

Carol Darr, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet, said in her report "Putting Influentials to Work for Your Campaign" that online users tend to be influential networkers. Darr said campaigns can e-mail such supporters to seek volunteers.

She added that the need to still pursue undecided voters depends on how close a race is.