562: How It's Built: HeadCount's Integrated Approach to Traditional and Digital Voter Engagement - Tappan Vickery
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Overview
Meet Tappan. A veteran organizer with two decades of experience, she’s the Senior Director of Programming and Strategy at HeadCount, where they’re revolutionizing voter engagement through the power of music 🎶At HeadCount, Tappan has spearheaded innovative campaigns that connect musicians with their fans to inspire democratic participation 🗳️She’s all about understanding different fandoms to build trust and engagement, meeting audiences where they are through various platforms and messengers. Tune in to this “How It’s Built” episode to discover how HeadCount is making every vote count.
💡 Learn
HeadCount’s Mission + Impact
How It’s Built: New Voter Engagement Campaigns
Pro Tips + Lessons Learned
Today’s Guest
Tappan Vickery, Senior Director of Programming and Strategy, Headcount
“Your vote always matters, whether it’s at the top of the ballot or the bottom of the ballot.”
Episode Transcript
Download Full Episode Transcript Here
Episode Highlights
Tappan’s story and journey to where she is today (4:30)
Overview of Headcount (6:30)
HeadCount’s impact (10:00)
Strategies for engaging and activating younger generations (18:00)
How It’s Built: New Voter Engagement Campaigns (22:40)
How HeadCount engages and activates volunteers (26:40)
Pro tips + lessons learned (32:15)
A powerful story of philanthropy in Tappan’s life (39:00)
Tappan’s One Good Thing: Your vote always matters. (43:35)
How to connect with Tappan and Headcount (44:40)
Impactful Quotes
“Democracy is an evolution of thought, it's an experiment, and we have to do the work to keep it going.” -Tappan
“Headcount is built on a peer-to-peer model. We call it “fan to fan”. We are connecting in a culture-first way.” -Tappan
“Because we connect with them culture-first, we're able to create a dialog where it's a safe space to ask questions. There's already trust, there's already respect in our conversation.” -Tappan
“We deeply work to find the right messaging and the right messenger for certain demographics.” -Tappan
“Gen Z is totally driven to create long-term, lasting change.” -Tappan
“Your vote always matters, whether it's at the top of the ballot or the bottom of the ballot. Your voice matters to me and it matters to our democracy. No matter what you believe or where you are, what you know, your voice matters.” -Tappan
How It’s Built: New Voter Engagement Campaigns ⬇️
Partnerships and Integrations:
Develop deep, integrated partnerships with platforms and organizations that can reach the target audience (e.g. Spotify, other music/entertainment partners).
Work closely with partners to identify the best messaging and messengers to drive engagement within their specific fanbases and communities.
Immersive, Fandom-Driven Experiences:
Create an "immersive fandom experience" where the target audience sees the organization as a trusted resource within their existing communities and passions.
Leverage the power of culture, music, and influencers to organically integrate voter engagement into experiences the audience already values.
Multichannel, Personalized Outreach:
Utilize a mix of digital and in-person touchpoints to meet the audience where they are (e.g. text, social media, events, concerts).
Personalize the messaging and outreach based on the audience's specific interests and behaviors within their fandoms or communities.
Acquisition and Retention Strategy:
Focus on acquiring new voters through digital actions, status checks, and sweepstakes that incentivize engagement.
Retain and activate these new voters through continued, personalized outreach tied to their specific fandoms or communities.
Volunteer Mobilization and Leadership Development:
HeadCount leverages a network of 60,000+ volunteers across 36 states to power in-person engagement at events and concerts.
Provide a leadership development path for volunteers to become local organizers and regional coordinators.
Iterative Testing and Innovation:
Continuously test new digital and experiential engagement tactics to adapt to the evolving needs and preferences of the target audience.
Be nimble and opportunistic in responding to current events and cultural trends that may impact voter engagement.
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