The Republican Party of Florida's new plan for 2015 and beyond is taking a page from the ever-evolving and growing movement of social media, using sites like Twitter and Facebook to reach out to voters to help snag votes come 2016.
The new RPOF has taken a revamped and redefined approach to social media, honing in on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to help paint the state red in 2016.
The RPOF Facebook page currently has over 152,000 likes, a number the party says is a 105 percent increase since February of this year.
"With any given post reaching hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Floridians we are reaching voters for this upcoming election," read the memo." We are able to connect with millions of Floridians with a common-sense, conservative message in just one day."
When it comes to Twitter, the party had a little over 26,000 followers as of Monday. That number is a 20 percent increase in followers since February.
The party has also segued into new forms of social media -- the RPOF started up its very own Snapchat account, where users view videos and photos in short "bursts" before they disappear forever. Many of the account's snaps have been particularly critical of Democrat Hillary Clinton, attacking her for a lack of transparency, while other snaps feature Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez Cantera touring the state to open up GOP offices.
Instagram is another app making waves in social media -- the app had over 300 million users worldwide as of December 2014 -- and the RPOF has been quick to hop onboard with its streamlined, photo-only-based platform. 
The party had a little over 4,400 followers as of Monday, though the account followed nearly 3,000 more accounts (a little over 7,100), a practice generally frowned upon by hardcore users of the app since many accounts "follow for follow" and do not interact with each other (also called "ghost followers").
The party also hasn't transitioned its followers into "likes" on the app. Likes are usually a sign users are paying attention or enjoying the posts, but even a post with 200 likes represents only 4.5 percent of a follower-to-like ratio for the RPOF.
On top of an English-speaking social media presence, the party is also trying to reach out to Spanish-speaking voters by starting up "SomosGOP" on Twitter and Facebook to engage Hispanic voters in party news.
Of course, in a spirit of competition, the party was quick to point out the Florida Democratic Party hasn't had as much success on social media. Though the FDP usually uses social media at a rapid-fire, mind-boggling pace sometimes, the RPOF says not only does it have a higher number of likes on Facebook, but its engagement rate (likes, re-posts, shares) is also higher than the FDP.
The RPOF has undergone a sea of change this year, with a full overhaul of its communication team, which is now full of younger staff who are well-versed in what it's like to wake up every morning and check their phones before they start the day.
For the RPOF, this is just the beginning.
"With our strong presence and rapidly growing engagement numbers, and with the Florida Democrats' absence across key social media platforms, the Florida GOP is positioned with a social media advantage, and ready to turn Florida red in 2016," read the memo.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
