Introduction

South Carolina is a largely conservative, Republican state which voted for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020; however, the populous and fast-growing counties of Charleston and Richland trend more Democratic with each election. Despite major political opposition, the South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) is fighting for change across the state — from abortion access, to healthcare expansion, to protecting voting rights and democratic institutions. 

Background

Today’s media cycle moves lightning fast, with countless online sources publishing often conflicting stories, 24 hours a day. Like most campaigns and coalitions, the SCDP can struggle to keep up with the constant influx of information. 

The SCDP started using Clipbook in 2022 to organize their media monitoring process. 

Streamlining Their Monitoring Program 

Prior to using Clipbook, SCDP staff spent hours combing through news feeds, aggregating articles, and doom-scrolling online. In addition to the time and labor spent monitoring media coverage, the team also had to spend time training junior team members to support this process. Though invaluable, this work was monotonous and labor-intensive for staff who had to wake up very early in the morning to compile all the information on time. 

Enter Clipbook:

Clipbook sends users daily, automated political intelligence reports from countless media sources. The SCDP could track mentions of the Party, their Chair, statewide elected officials, and other relevant figures in state and local politics. This automation allowed them to quickly and efficiently track important policy movements — from the governor’s office and major announcements from the state legislature, to down-ballot races and local organizing efforts. 

With Clipbook, the SCDP could feel confident that they weren’t missing anything. Clipbook scours over 100,000 earned media sources for mentions, updates, and relevant news across a variety of specified issue areas.

The Clipbook All-in-One inbox product also scans:

       - Daily newsletters

        - Legislative bulletins

        - Political fundraising emails

        - Other marketing materials

This saves staff the hassle of managing hundreds of email subscriptions in-house. All of this information is neatly packaged and delivered straight to SCDP staff inboxes each morning. 

Clipbook reports are more than a basic aggregation of press clips — they are an automated, centralized source of nuanced political intelligence that guides the SCDP’s day-to-day work and political strategy.

Keeping Stakeholders on the Same Page 

Like many state parties, the SCDP manages a lot of moving pieces. Their communications team, field organizers, executive staff, digital consultants, vendors, and many others work together across the state to fight for political change. Party leadership and staff need a cohesive communications tool to keep things moving at a higher level. 

With Clipbook, all key stakeholders benefit from a consolidated source of political intelligence. This ensures that everyone has access to the same information and is working together towards shared goals. 

Tracking Fundraising Emails and Social Media 

Fully automated political monitoring allowed the SCDP to evaluate and restructure their communications strategies. For example, the team could send timely fundraising emails incorporating the most pressing news of the day. On social channels, it was easier than ever to share compelling news stories and drive engagement. 

Clipbook’s thorough reports also allowed the SCDP to get out in front of breaking stories and better control the media narrative. Overall, the SCDP used Clipbook to streamline their communications program, improve their engagement with key political stakeholders, and organize hardworking Democrats across the state to fight for better representation. 

Results

The South Carolina Democratic Party saves an estimated three hours a day by using Clipbook to automate their media monitoring system. Clipbook also effortlessly ensures that key stakeholders are all kept on the same page, saving time on internal communications. Over the course of an election cycle, this saves hundreds of hours of manual effort that can be reinvested into generative communications work and voter outreach. 

Clipbook also empowers the SCDP to more effectively use social media, email, and other communications tools to engage with their supporters on the most pressing political developments. Their outreach was thorough, relevant, and comprehensive, and they could feel confident that they would never miss key coverage in South Carolina.  

Time that was once spent poring through an overwhelming amount of media coverage could instead be used to reach out to reporters, craft innovative strategies, and engage with constituents. Clipbook holistically strengthened and organized the SCDP’s communications strategy, giving them the tools they needed to focus on organizing for political change. 

Contact Clipbook for a demo today!