Have you ever heard of a Telephone Town Hall Meeting?
Have you ever participated in one? Have you considering hosting one as a candidate? I
t might surprise you to learn but a Telephone Town Hall Meeting is one of the best kept secrets in politics.
You can use them to solidify support, enlist volunteers, and even raise money.
And in the midst of a Pandemic, they could be a powerful tool in your voter contact arsenal.
A Telephone Town Hall Case Study
My first experience with the success of a Telephone Town Hall happened in 2008.
My former business partner and I were serving on as the opposition research team for California Congressman David Dreier.
Two years before David Dreier had been targeted two Los Angeles talk radio hosts John & Ken as their “Human Political Sacrifice.”
Dreier had drawn their ire for allegedly being soft on illegal immigration.
Dreier survived the assault and his team realized that he had some image rebuilding to do before his next election.
One of the tools they used in this effort was the Telephone Town Hall.
It amazed me how effectively they were, especially when it came to rehabilitating voters perceptions of David Dreier on the issue of illegal immigration.
Polling data from the 2008 revealed that the voters who thought Dreier was strong on immigration had participated in a Telephone Town Hall with him.
In fact, Dreier’s strongest supporters overall were those who had been invited to participate in at least two Telephone Town Halls Meetings!
It was from that moment that I became a true believer in Telephone Town Halls.
Not only does it give a candidate, especially one under fire, a cost effective way to personally communicate with thousands of voters at one time, but it also creates a solid connection between a candidate and their constituents.
If you’re looking for a way to communicate and engage with the voters in the last month of your campaign before Election Day, then I strongly suggest considering conducting some Telephone Town Halls.
Here’s five ways Telephone Town Halls can benefit candidates:
1. You can communicate with thousands of voters at once.
I’m a huge advocate of going door to door and making personal phone calls, but a Telephone Town Hall can allow you to communicate in a live Question and Answer session with the voters you are targeting.
How long would it take you to talk one on one with 5,000 voters or more?
With a Telephone Town Hall, you could talk to that many in an hour.
The benefit versus the cost is staggering.
2. Your name ID and support can go up rapidly
Data from the vendor I use indicates that 61% of those have a favorable view of a candidate after participating in a Telephone Town Hall Meeting.
Those who participate in more than one event, have a 75% more favorable view of the candidate.
3. You can test your message
Having the right message and a winning story is crucial if you want to run a winning campaign.
Polling is a great way to test your messaging and issues.
Telephone Town Halls can help you in this capacity too. Voters who participate can answer polling questions during and after the call with you.
4. You can identify supporters
Voters that support your campaign can be identified during a Telephone Town Hall.
From those supporters you can build your endorsement list, solicit yard sign locations, and recruit volunteers.
This is an amazing feature of these services and one you should take full advantage of if you conduct one.
5. You can raise money
Given the positive feelings Telephone Town Halls are known to elicit from voters, especially those who are willing to publicly willing to support your campaign, it shouldn’t be a big surprise that you can utilize these calls to raise money.
Because they are engaged and emotional during a Telephone Town Hall Meeting, supporters are 70% more likely to donate to a campaign or cause of asked to do so during the call.
I’m not sure how much you yourself can raise off of this, but if you cover the cost of your Telephone Town Hall Meeting, then you’ve been successful.
Who I Use for Telephone Town Hall Meetings
The company I use is Tele-Town Hall, LLC.
Tele-TownHall invented the technology and with their continuing innovation remains a leader in this spot. I’ve never gone wrong with them and don’t believe you will either.
To get a quote from Tele-Town Hall for your campaign, click this link.
My company has an affiliate relationship with Tele-Town Hall, LLC. Not only do I use them for my clients, but my company receives a commission for any purchases that are received from referrals.
Please note as with the few vendors or products I recommend to candidates, I only do so for those I use on the campaigns I’ve consulted for in both the past and the present.
If you have any questions about how Telephone Town Hall Meetings, please ask them in the comments below.