REQ Raises the Roof at Google DC Advocacy Event

REQ is proud to partner with brands like eBay, PayPal and Bayer to build community and inspire action with customized outreach and advocacy strategies. Over the years, we have created massive digital campaigns that have inspired audiences and created measurable change in our nation's capital.

Eric Gilbertsen, our Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy, recently appeared on a panel to speak about digital advocacy at Google DC's Advocacy & Associations event. The panel, moderated by Google's Nick Meads, also included Amber Shollenberger of Connections Media and Brian Donahue of CRAFT.

The panelists emphasized the measurability of digital campaigns over those that are more traditional. With Google's help, marketers and advocacy groups can easily track the success of campaigns, whether it's monitoring ad spend and reach, tracking website visits and event completions, or just keeping tabs on search queries to see what phrases resonate with the general population.

REQ's origins are in search, and we always take SEO into account when working on digital advocacy campaigns. Google's event organizers asked Eric to speak about the importance of search for any advocacy campaign, and he brought the house down with his unique perspective on the topic. As he put it, 'search is about intention, not interruption.' Having a search strategy is crucial because it helps you reach the people you're trying to persuade. When we know that the average citizen turns to 10.4 information sources to learn about an issue, search becomes an outstanding opportunity to reach those who may be on the fence or under-educated about your issue.

During the event, Google also promoted several of their tools that can help enhance the reach of advocacy groups. These include REQ-team favorite Google Trends, Cross-Device Reports, and YouTube Analytics. Here are some of the newer offerings we're excited to share with our clients:

• Google Consumer Surveys: In as little as 36 hours, Google Consumer Surveys can return fast, accurate, and affordable market research on any topic. How? Google collects data from thousands of everyday consumers who answer questions on subjects that are important to you.
• Brand Lift Surveys & Search Lift Reports: Need to know how your ads stack up against those of your competitors? Brand Lift surveys measure ad recall, campaign awareness, search interest and intent from display and video campaigns.

When it comes to changing minds and moving the needle on your issue, you need a full toolbox of resources to help you accomplish your goals. Thanks to innovators like Google, our tools keep getting better and better. The tricky part can be knowing how to use them effectively, but that's why we're here! As always, we're excited to apply the latest technologies to our clients' advocacy campaigns to build momentum and drive results.