3 minute read
Navigating the Blackout Period: Your Expert Texting Guide
Discover the power of RumbleUp P2P Texting & Switchboard for your Election Blackout Strategy with the Blackout Preparation Guide, an essential expansion of our Constituent Outreach Playbook.
With Election Day approaching and the September 6th mass communication deadline for Members of Congress fast approaching, our newly launched Blackout Preparation Guide is a must-have resource for all government officials restricted by constituent outreach moratoriums.
This exclusive guide expands on the Constituent Outreach Playbook and highlights the numerous benefits of using RumbleUp and Switchboard during the blackout period. It delves into several opt-in collection strategies, demonstrating why utilizing these two assets together is not only highly advantageous, but essential for maintaining contact with your constituents at scale through election day!
Understanding the Blackout Communication Period
As you may know, a moratorium is placed on mass communications for the 60 days leading up to an election for any United States House of Representatives member appearing on a ballot. While official outreach is restricted, this is often the most critical time for your constituents to hear from you.
The two types of outreach an office will likely conduct while facing a communications moratorium are solicited mass communications (subscriber outreach and direct responses) and targeted outreach below a defined threshold of contacts. RumbleUp is vital in collecting subscribers and sending your targeted texts, while Switchboard allows you to maintain contact with your subscribed constituents.
By planning ahead, utilizing RumbleUp and Switchboard together will enable you to leverage both outreach methods all year long, and our newest resource is the answer to all your preparation uncertainty.
Please note that you should always refer to your governing body to determine what requirements you must follow when collecting subscribers and sending constituent communication via text.
Why Government Officials Should Use Texting
Government officials serve as a window into the legislative process, and keeping your community informed is integral to serving your constituency. Whether providing results of critical votes or alerting your constituents to urgent community matters, you must be able to reach your constituents promptly via a channel they trust. With over 95% of texts read and responded to within the first 3 minutes, texting ensures essential information, updates, and responses to inquiries reach contacts quickly.
Our Blackout Preparation Guidebook and Constituent Outreach Playbook in the RumbleUp Portal
Additionally, texting with RumbleUp allows for two-way communication, fostering engagement and feedback from constituents. Beyond time-sensitive updates, this channel allows you to be more accessible to your community, maintain communication about ongoing concerns, send town hall invites, share national and local resources, and more!
Our Constituent Outreach Playbook details several message ideas and strategies to help you build relationships with your constituents on RumbleUp. At the same time, our Blackout Preparation Guide dives into how to grow a subscriber base to maintain contact with during a moratorium.
Building Your Subscriber Base
While you can continue to send your targeted messages over RumbleUp in alignment with your governing body’s regulations, Switchboard is where you will communicate with subscribers during Blackout. You must begin building your subscriber base right away to ensure those who wish to continue hearing from you have the opportunity to subscribe.
Not only does this allow you to send important updates and engage with contacts during a moratorium, but maintaining your subscriber list also fosters a sense of community and accessibility to your constituents.
The Blackout Preparation Guide details how to effortlessly take advantage of the valuable tools available on RumbleUp and Switchboard, so you can confidently maximize the potential of your constituent outreach program. In addition to user-friendly opt-in forms, unlimited keywords, and unique links and QR codes, our guidebooks have all you need to learn how to use these features to build a subscriber base with ease.
The RumbleUp Difference
RumbleUp is built with constituent outreach in mind. Our native integration with Switchboard provides a smooth transition between opt-in collection over Peer-to-Peer (P2P) messages and subscriber maintenance on Switchboard. With our Custom Group tool, generating lists of exactly your targeted contact threshold becomes a breeze, while custom Source IDs enable seamless data appending to your office's CRM.Whether you are new to texting and navigating mass government communications or are a seasoned pro, our resources empower you to craft a superior constituent texting program–and the support doesn’t end there!
Our dedicated team of Messaging Strategists is always ready to offer personalized support, ensuring you confidently navigate blackout periods and beyond. RumbleUp is here to provide tailored guidance every step of the way, giving you the reassurance that you can maintain engagement with your contacts all year.
The Bottom Line
Navigating a mass communications moratorium can be challenging, but with the right tools, strategies, and experts on your side, you can maintain important messaging to your constituents through election day. By expanding on the Constituent Outreach Playbook with our new Blackout Preparation Guide, developing an effective texting program with RumbleUp has never been easier.
Need help preparing for a communications moratorium or want to learn how to use texting as a government official? Reach out to our sales team at (833) 530-4400 or sales@rumbleup.com to take the first step in leveling up your constituent outreach strategy.
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