Overview
An assessment-driven lead generation campaign
This campaign is built around a 10-question interactive tool — the CMS Fit Assessment — that helps government and higher education organizations evaluate whether their website platform still serves their needs. It scores respondents across four dimensions: Scale & Complexity, Technical Ceiling, Governance & Ownership, and Compliance & Accessibility.
The assessment is gated behind email capture. That email is the primary conversion event. What follows is a score-based nurture sequence — three tracks calibrated to different signal levels — designed to move qualified organizations toward a conversation with Electric Citizen.
The campaign positions Electric Citizen not as a vendor pitching a rebuild, but as an expert helping organizations understand their own situation first.
Assessment completions
Email captures via the CMS Fit Assessment. Target: 15+ completions in the first 30 days after Phase B launch.
Qualified conversations
High-scoring completers (Track C, 7–10) move through a short urgency-appropriate nurture sequence with a direct CTA to talk to EC.
Audience
Two primary personas, one shared problem: a website platform that has become organizational drag. Both are skeptical of vendors who lead with technology.
Government Communications Director / Web Manager
Manages the agency's public-facing website, often alongside or in conflict with IT. Knows the site is overdue for an overhaul but faces a two-week queue for any change request.
- Can't fix accessibility issues at the platform level
- Leadership questions about AI and search the current system can't answer
- Needs to build the internal case before starting a vendor conversation
- Skeptical of technology-first pitches
Higher Ed Marcomm / Web Team Lead
Leads web strategy for a university or college. Platform is technically functional but organizationally broken — dozens of contributors, no governance, content sprawl.
- ADA Title II deadline is structurally hard to address in the current system
- Leadership wants personalization, multilingual, AI-assisted search
- None of it is possible on the current platform
- Decision cycle is long and committee-driven
207 newsletter subscribers
Existing EC newsletter list. Receives the Phase B promo email announcing the assessment launch.
Paid LinkedIn targeting
Government and higher ed web, comms, and IT titles. Matches EC's existing proven targeting profile ($34 CPA in May 2026).
Strategy
Recognition before recommendation
The campaign leads with organizational recognition — the patterns Electric Citizen sees in the agencies and institutions they work with — rather than platform or technology. The assessment is positioned as a self-diagnostic, not a vendor qualification tool.
The underlying argument: "We understand why organizations stay on outdated platforms, and we understand what it costs them."
Sector depth, not breadth
EC has built and maintained government and higher ed sites for over a decade. Procurement constraints, accessibility requirements, stakeholder complexity, and institutional inertia that generalist agencies consistently underestimate.
Available case studies
City of Santa Barbara, City of Bloomington MN, MN DCYF, Minneapolis College, University of WI Eau Claire, Robina Institute / UMN Law. Both sectors available for nurture sequence matching.
Campaign Phases
The campaign runs in three phases. Phase B is gated on the assessment embed going live on the EC domain.
Pre-Launch (Organic Only)
LinkedIn organic amplification of existing published articles. Blog Posts 1 and 2 in production. Assessment introduced conceptually. No paid activation until the tool is live on electriccitizen.com.
- LinkedIn organic posts 1–3: amplify EC-025 and EC-026
- Blog Post 1: evaluating redesign proposals (draft complete)
- Blog Post 2: patch vs. rebuild diagnostic (draft complete)
Full Launch
Assessment live on electriccitizen.com. Newsletter promo send to 207 subscribers. LinkedIn paid ad set activated. Google Ads copy updated.
- Newsletter promo email — single send, 207 subscribers
- LinkedIn paid: single ad set, $1,000–$1,500/month, target ≤$35 CPA
- Assessment landing page copy live on EC domain
- All blog CTAs updated to point to assessment
Nurture + Ongoing
Score-based Act-On sequences trigger on assessment completion. Three tracks matched to signal strength. LinkedIn posts 6–12 continue. Google Ads assessment copy active.
- Track A (0–3): 2 emails, educational, stay-on-radar
- Track B (4–6): 3 emails, cost-of-waiting logic, soft CTA
- Track C (7–10): 3 emails, urgency-appropriate, hard CTA to talk to EC
Channels
Blog / Organic Search
Four articles anchoring the campaign's awareness layer. EC-025 and EC-026 published. Blog Posts 1 and 2 in draft. All CTAs point to the assessment once live.
LinkedIn Organic
12 posts across the full campaign in Dan's personal voice. Posts 1–3 (Phase A): amplify articles. Posts 4–8 (Phase B): drive to assessment. Posts 9–12 (Phase C): ongoing engagement.
LinkedIn Paid
Single lead gen ad set driving to the assessment landing page. Budget: $1,000–$1,500/month. Target: ≤$35 CPA. Activates Phase B only.
Email — Newsletter Promo
Single send to 207 subscribers announcing the assessment launch. Branded HTML, from Dan. Direct, curious subject line — not salesy.
Email — Score-Based Nurture (Act-On)
Three automated sequences triggered on assessment completion. Track A (0–3): 2 emails. Track B (4–6): 3 emails. Track C (7–10): 3 emails. Branded HTML, deployed via Act-On.
Google Ads
Expansion of existing Services campaign with assessment-specific copy. Within existing $1,500/month budget. Activates after the assessment landing page is built.
Content Assets
24 assets across blog, email, LinkedIn, paid ads, and landing page. All content in Dan's voice, platform-agnostic framing throughout.
Blog Posts
| Asset | Phase | Status |
|---|---|---|
Your Legacy Website Isn't Saving You Money EC-025. Top-of-funnel. Hidden costs of staying on a legacy platform. Published May 12, 2026. | Phase A | Published |
What to Do Before You Write a Website Redesign RFP EC-026. Consideration layer. Pre-RFP internal preparation. RFP Checklist download as inline CTA. | Phase A | Published |
What to Look for When Evaluating a Website Redesign Proposal Blog Post 1. Mid-funnel. Post-RFP buyer's guide for comparing proposals across scope, experience, and process. | Phase A | Draft |
Your Site Isn't Broken. That's the Problem: When to Patch vs. When to Rebuild Blog Post 2. Mid-funnel. Patch vs. rebuild diagnostic. Three organizational signals that indicate a rebuild is necessary. | Phase B | Draft |
Landing Page
| Asset | Phase | Status |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Landing Page — Have You Outgrown Your Website? Page on electriccitizen.com hosting the embedded assessment. Headline, intro framing, form/embed, post-completion guidance. | Phase B | Not Started |
Emails
| Asset | Phase | Status |
|---|---|---|
Newsletter Promo Email Single send to 207 subscribers. Assessment launch announcement. Branded HTML, from Dan. | Phase B | Not Started |
Track A — Email 1: Results + Educational Resource Score 0–3. Low signal. Results acknowledgment + relevant blog link. Stay-on-radar tone. | Phase C | Not Started |
Track A — Email 2: Follow-Up Insight Score 0–3. Additional insight; light invitation to revisit when things change. | Phase C | Not Started |
Track B — Email 1: Results + Cost-of-Waiting Score 4–6. Moderate signal. Planning framing, cost-of-waiting logic. | Phase C | Not Started |
Track B — Email 2: Proactive Planning Score 4–6. What proactive planning looks like; link to EC-026. | Phase C | Not Started |
Track B — Email 3: Soft CTA Score 4–6. "Happy to talk through where you are." | Phase C | Not Started |
Track C — Email 1: Urgency + Case Study Score 7–10. Strong signal. Immediate urgency framing; gov or higher ed case study matched to respondent. | Phase C | Not Started |
Track C — Email 2: De-Risk the Conversation Score 7–10. What a first conversation with EC looks like; lower the perceived commitment. | Phase C | Not Started |
Track C — Email 3: Direct CTA Score 7–10. "Let's talk." Hard CTA to schedule a conversation with Electric Citizen. | Phase C | Not Started |
LinkedIn Posts (12 total)
| Posts | Phase | Status |
|---|---|---|
Posts 1–3: Article Amplification Organic. Amplify EC-025, EC-026, introduce the assessment concept. Dan's personal profile. | Phase A | Not Started |
Posts 4–8: Assessment Drive Organic. Direct to assessment, case study angles, engagement posts. Phase B activation. | Phase B | Not Started |
Posts 9–12: Ongoing Organic. Sustain assessment awareness. Monthly newsletter references tool as evergreen resource. | Phase C | Not Started |
Paid Ads
| Asset | Phase | Status |
|---|---|---|
LinkedIn Paid Ad Set 3–5 headline/description variants for A/B testing. Assessment as self-diagnostic, not sales tool. | Phase B | Not Started |
Google Ads — Search Campaign Copy Assessment-specific headlines and descriptions added to existing Services campaign. Within existing $1,500/month budget. | Phase B | Not Started |
Success Metrics
≥4% click-through rate
Above current newsletter CTR of 2.93%. Applies across all three nurture tracks.
1 conversation per 5 completers
High-signal respondents (7–10) moving from nurture sequence to a live conversation with the EC team.
Risks & Dependencies
Phase B is fully blocked until the assessment tool is live on electriccitizen.com. Paid LinkedIn, newsletter promo, and all score-based nurture sequences wait on this.
If the assessment requires significant revision after Dan's review, the Phase B launch window shifts. Prototype is ready at ec-cms-fit-assessment.data.newfangled.com.
Three separate score-based sequences require coordination with Tema and Sabina. Template confirmation needed before Phase C production begins.
All content must be reviewed for inadvertent Drupal-only framing before publish. Default is "website" and "site" — not "CMS."
Assessment-specific paid search copy cannot activate until the assessment landing page is built on the EC domain.
Questions about this campaign?
Reach out to the Newfangled team to discuss strategy, timeline, or next steps.
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