Political campaigns are fiercely competitive, and the audience you're trying to reach is often pretty wary. According to Business Insider, it's not uncommon for more than half of Americans to distrust government officials. Their report attributes this distrust to politicians not being out to 'help people like them.' No matter what that may mean for each respondent, it suggests the message from politicians to voters is lost, and communication is poor.
Enter: digital marketing for political campaigns.
By strategizing your marketing and leveraging digital solutions, you can provide a critical edge in winning over voters. Here are our top political marketing tips to help you elevate your efforts and reach the right voters.
8 Tips for Political Marketing Campaigns
A lot goes into political planning, and marketing helps those efforts. To get a genuine advantage, however, not just any marketing will do. You need the best channels, the latest strategies, and the most effective political marketing tips—McClatchy has all three. Here are the tips to reach and resonate with voters come election time.
1. Understand your voters and desired audience
It's no secret that brands need to know their customers to meet and exceed their expectations. As a political brand, you must also know your voting audience to meet and exceed voters' expectations. To do this, you will need a thorough representation of your target voters. Personas full of details like demographics, geographics, and psychographics are critical to nail down who you want to reach and the best ways to do so with messages that matter to them.
Nothing is worse in politics than delivering irrelevant messages to voters. Avoid making this mistake by knowing the voters you need to turn out for you to win and what issues will resonate with them.
2. Conduct a competitive analysis of your district
The most successful politicians understand the political landscape and the general issues they may face. That begins with a thorough competitive analysis of your district to learn about your opponents and their likely voters. It also includes understanding their tactics to reach their voters, how much they overlap, and where you can get your message out unopposed.
3. Identify online communities among your voters
Find out where your voters spend time online and try to foster connections there. By meeting voters where they spend most of their time and using wording that resonates with them, you'll be able to show—not just tell—voters how much different (and better) you are from those running against you. A great place to start is on social media.
Social media can help humanize your political brand and spread awareness because most people get their news from social networks:
- 53% on Twitter
- 44% on Facebook
- 33% on TikTok
- 37% on Reddit
4. Craft a relatable message
Once you know your voters and the issues important to them, you must create relatable messaging that matches their voice. More than 50% of people express irritation with irrelevant ads and messaging. Your political ads are no different.
They're worse in some cases because the only thing potential voters know about you is information that doesn't mean much to them. Meanwhile, the competition is delivering relevant messages to your voters. Take what you know about your voters and craft content that will mean something to them.
5. Back up your message with a clear brand
Your message is important but make sure it reinforces your political brand and presents vital points concisely. To know your audience, you must first understand yourself (the brand). After you've honed in and detailed what your political brand represents (i.e., your vision, values, beliefs, or critical political points), stick to your brand at every touchpoint (interactions, speeches, actions, and messaging).
That will make you more memorable and elicit more trust from your voters and supporters because they align with your beliefs and find your political campaign more transparent and authentic.
6. Ensure you have an effective website
Having a functional website, first and foremost, establishes your credibility. If people can't find you online, they will not trust what you say because there's nothing to verify. In worse cases, you allow them to learn more about you through the competition, which won't shine a light on the incredible value you would bring to the position.
A website also allows you to craft your story. It provides information to potential voters, giving them precise details about your positions and brand.
7. Create concise digital ads that stand out
Use digital marketing to create political ads that stand out and reinforce your message. Digital ads reach voters without demanding a lot of focus, but they reach more voters on a broader spectrum.
Given the narrow campaign window, being proactive and staying on top of messaging changes is crucial. Having digital ads that can target your ideal voters within seconds and at any given moment is what you need to encourage your audience to take action and learn more about you.
8. Track analytics data on ad performance
Finally, you must also use analytical information to determine how well ads perform, such as who they reach and how well people engage with them. That will help inform your campaign decisions and allow you to make real-time changes to improve your political marketing.
Overall, digital marketing helps you reach critical voters. A media partner like McClatchy has the expertise and experience you need to leverage it to its fullest in your political campaign. Contact our team to get started!
