How can Hines Digital help you?
Learn more about our internationally recognized, award-winning website design & digital strategy work.
When I was a kid, my dad always encouraged me to “know a little bit about a lot of things, and a lot about a few.”
He was right, of course, and I’ve tried to bring that ethos to my work.
No matter what your challenge, it’s likely I can help you—and if I can’t, I’ll connect you with someone who can.
Here are a few examples of what my team and I can bring to the table.
General digital consulting
I’ve been working at the intersection of digital and politics since 2003, and in that time I’ve sharpened my skills at every level and on three continents. Then, “digital” was a new, niche thing; today, digital touches everything.
As we look ahead toward the 2018 and 2020 election cycles, it’s essential for campaigns, causes, and companies to have a senior-level digital expert on hand to make sure you’re making smart decisions, avoiding known pitfalls, and leveraging best practices. We can help you with that.
Speaking & thought leadership
It’s been roughly fifteen years since I started my first job in digital politics. In the time since I’ve met a lot of interesting people and accumulated a lot of experience. Now, there is little that I enjoy more than sharing that hard-earned wisdom with others.
I share my experiences by writing on this site, through my weekly Hines Digital Live video podcast, and as a regular speaker and panelist at Campaigns & Elections Magazine’s various conferences and networking events. Likewise, I may be available to share my perspective at your conference, event, or in another private setting.
Training and organizational development
For some organizations, it makes sense to outsource your digital strategy — but for the majority of long-term campaigns and causes, the most cost-effective approach is to develop the capacity to succeed internally.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. —Chinese proverb
I’ve run in-person, in-depth digital strategy training sessions in countries around the world—including Australia, Malta, and in several of the United States of America—as well as remotely by video conference. In each case, my trainees came away well equipped to take hold of their own digital strategy management. I can help your team, as well.
Designing and developing your digital infrastructure
When your organization decides to invest in digital, you immediately find yourself hit with a range of important decisions you’re not remotely prepared for:
- should you use this or that CRM?
- what email platform is right for you?
- where should you host your website?
- what about a donation processor?
- the list goes on and on…
Then, once you’ve made informed decisions about what tools to put in your toolbox, you’ll need to install and configure them. It’s a lot of work.
Even if you have an experienced digital strategist to execute the day-to-day tasks, building out your infrastructure can be a daunting task. Fortunately, I’ve been down this road plenty of times: I know where it leads and how to avoid the traps and pitfalls.
I’ll help you build out the right combination of digital tools and assets to suit your organization, configure them to run at optimal efficiency, and arm your internal team with the skills and know-how to get the most out of them.
Website design and development
I’m known around the world for building the best campaigning websites in politics & advocacy. I specialize in NationBuilder’s website platform and have been recognized for a number of industry awards including:
- Best Overall Website (2017 Reed Awards)
- Best Overall Website (2016 Reed Awards)
- Best Use of Website / Donation Page (2017 Pollie Awards)
- Best International Website (2017 Reed Awards)
- Best Website For Independent Expenditure Campaign (2016 Reed Awards)
One thing that makes us different is that I don’t outsource your website to some low-cost developer overseas. Every one of those award-winning websites I just listed? I designed and developed them myself… on my own laptop.
So whether you’re looking for a full-scale custom website build or just need something up quickly and cheaply, I can take care of it.
NationBuilder consulting
NationBuilder is the world’s leading community organizing system—making software for leaders and powering some of the world’s most inspiring and fastest scaling campaigns & causes. And few—if any—digital strategist have more or more varied experience with the NationBuilder platform than I do.
From 2012–2013, I worked at NationBuilder’s Los Angeles headquarters as part of the sales, customer support, and product teams. In the years since, I’ve leveraged the platform every day in support of campaigns, causes, and companies around the world. If you want to learn how your organization can get more out of NationBuilder, I’m the guy who can help you do it.
Email list repair and supporter re-engagement
Success is not something you can do: success is something that happens when you do 10 other things right, consistently.
One of the most common concerns I hear from clients is that they have a big email list, but it isn’t performing for them—and they need help.
All-too-often, the clients with these challenges are incumbent politicians, past candidates, and established organizations. Their email lists are from prior campaigns in prior years, and they’ve atrophied due to long periods of misuse or lack of engagement. They need to be audited — ruthlessly — and brought back to life through an intentional re-engagement effort.
This different from outsourcing your email program to Hines Digital on a day-to-day basis. Here, my goal will be to assess the health of your list, work collaboratively with you to create a plan to heal it, and train you in email best practices so you can continue to grow and sustain it long-term.
Online fundraising
In 2018, small-dollar, online fundraising is the lifeblood of a successful political movement — and I know what it takes to raise the money you need to succeed.
Since 2015, I have been at the forefront of online fundraising for conservatives, raising millions of dollars for candidates for House, Senate, Governor, and presidential campaigns, as well as nonprofit organizations and political action committees.
My small-dollar, online fundraising approach earns donor attention and creates short- and long-term results.
Digital advertising (Display, Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.)
Each year, it seems that organizations are shifting a larger and larger share of their marketing and advertising budget to digital platforms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter—and rightfully so! Digital advertising is quite possibly the most nimble, measurable, and cost-effective method for reaching your target audiences available.
I’ve helped campaigns at every level develop ane execute digital advertising strategies that maximize their impact and minimize wasted budget.
Branding, logo, and visual identity design
Gone are the days when your direct mail or lawn sign vendor could slap a ready-made logo on a placard and call it a day. In the 21st-century, you need a flexible, digital-first brand to be memorable and connect with grassroots supporters.
I’ve helped lead branding and visual identity design—or determine how to apply existing brands in the digital space—for some of the world’s leading campaigns & causes. My focus is threefold: create something authentic to the client, memorable to the viewer, and flexible enough to work in a myriad of contexts (e.g., display, Facebook, print, Twitter, etc.).
The Bottom Line
It’s worth noting that I’ve worked hard not to follow the “full-service agency” model as I’ve built Hines Digital. We don’t produce video, and we don’t make apps.
Why? Because we’d rather do a few things well then a bunch of things poorly. And if you need a skill set outside of our specialty, that’s no problem. We’ll partner with a specialist in that area, give them a seat at the table, and get the job done.
I hope we’ll have the chance to work together, soon.
