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Rand Paul bills himself as a different kind of Republican, a digital-savvy conservative who can expand the GOP electorate beyond its traditional boundaries.

So when he formally announces his presidential campaign Tuesday, one of the first tests will be behind the scenes as he attempts to amplify his message beyond the Louisville, Ky., launch event and reach many voters where they now live online.

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The framework is already in place, according to his team. Different domains will funnel traffic to the same official campaign website. Google staffers plan to be with Pauls top aides in Louisville., as well as a satellite campaign office in Austin, Texas, to help decipher the optimal moments to blast out digital ads and measure their real-time web performance. And Paul isnt just using social media like Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter to spread word about his political ambitions. Hes also pushing out all-important links to his own website, where he can solicit donations, email addresses and other vital information that will lead to more asks for money, more invitations to attend rallies and more ways for people to engage with his expected upstart presidential bid.

It may all seem like 21st-century White House campaigning 101. But these are essentials that budget-strapped outfits can miss just ask Ted Cruz, who as the first presidential candidate out of the gate failed to secure key website domains with his name and also sent out links directing potential boosters away from his official campaign page not deadly campaign errors, but rather missed opportunities. For Paul, there wont be a bigger test this year for his much-hyped tech team as it takes its turn among a field of crowded Republican contenders in feeding off the free media spotlight and that small segment of the American public that willingly tunes in for these kinds of events.

Pauls moment wont last long. Marco Rubio has a big announcement planned for April 13 in Miami, and Hillary Clinton is expected to follow soon after. Both likely campaign roll-outs will be closely scrutinized to see if they are using the latest and greatest tech tools right from the start to rally boosters for fundraising, volunteering and, ultimately, voting.

There will be thousands of events between now and Iowa that just dont produce a lot of rain, said Scott Tranter, co-founder of Washington-based 0ptimus, a data and technology firm working for Rubio. [Launch days] are automatic rainmakers and youve got to catch what you can.

When it comes to his campaigns tech game, Paul tends to be one step ahead of his 2016 competitors. Hes been courting Silicon Valleys libertarian-minded leaders since his first Senate campaign in 2010. Last November, Paul hired Cruzs top digital strategist. On the web, Paul regularly trolls his 2016 rivals with snarky tweets and gimmicky hashtags (#StandwithRand #thingstorunfrom #hillaryslosers). His digital team created a fake phone conversations between Clinton and Jeb Bush widely shared on social media, and Paul has even paid for ads running atop the leading search engine results for his opponents.

Sen. Paul is clearly running a very different type of organization, said Vincent Harris, the former Cruz tech adviser now working as chief digital strategist for RANDPAC, Pauls political arm. Id expect Tuesday to be another continuous reflection of a tech-foward operation, of a crowd-sourced campaign that will use digital thats never been used before on the Republican side.

Democratic and Republican digital strategists question whether Pauls online trolling will backfire as he tries reaching beyond his traditional base of libertarians and conservative-minded techies. But Paul is counting on being rewarded for bringing to the GOP presidential field some of the same creative digital elements and outreach that Obama used to great effect in 2008 in challenging the Democratic establishment and thwarting Clintons first White House bid. At the very least, Pauls online presence should pay off dividends in his bank account.

Originally posted here:
Rand's first tech test