Each Independence Day, we celebrate our Nation’s freedom and the visions of our founding fathers. At the heart of America are our people – people who, regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation, believe in the greater good.
The belief in a greater good or the desire to leave things better than we found them is often why people decide to run for office. If you’re thinking about running for office, first, we congratulate you. Second, we have some tips to share:
Don’t Fall for Misconceptions
You don’t have to be the president of the United States to make a difference. While many activists and politicians would love to be in that position of power, we are arguably more in need of people who can run local and state offices.
There are limits to every position of authority in this country, even to the Commander in Chief. Think of the issues you care about and your strengths, which will lead you to which position—local, state, or federal—you are best suited for.
Often, the best way to establish yourself as a candidate is to step up as a confident leader and organize your campaign thoroughly. Once people start to hear about you, they will have plenty of questions. Be prepared to answer those questions in a way that is honest but still paints you in a positive light.
While the name of the political game has changed in the past few years, PR is still an important aspect to any candidate, even if you don’t care what naysayers post about you online. Being authentic to yourself is crucial, but you should know what crosses the line.
Don’t Stop Communicating
While running for office, and after you are elected, you should have a solid line of communication to keep your supporters up to date on your campaign and your progress. Have a platform and talk about the causes you support and issues you plan to solve.
Show support for other candidates and sitting officials. Show your disagreements with other candidates and sitting officials to make it clear where you stand on key issues in your community.
When standing up for certain causes, ask yourself, “How am I qualified to stand up for this cause? How have I stood up for it in the past?” You might find that these questions trigger answers that you can use in your arguments when dissenters come your way.
Nelli Veletyan at the software company, Nation Builder, provides some great insight about communicating with your voter base:
“Keeping in touch with your supporters might be easy at first, but as your supporter base grows, it’s important to uphold the relationships you started to form early on. … email personalization features like smart fields allow you to conduct tailored personal outreach to 10,000 supporters in the same amount of time it takes to reach out to 10, helping you continue to build long-term relationships that grow and evolve with your campaign.”
Don’t Forget About Marketing Strategy
Speaking of email management, our team at Reach Voters has the tools and expertise to help reach voters with personal, targeted messaging. Having a solid digital marketing strategy is key to winning your race. If you don’t get how politics and the Internet intersect, you’re falling behind.
Technology evolves with every passing election. As such, elections continue transforming as well, with the digital component becoming more important concerning political campaigns. With Reach Voters, we perform all of our work in-house.
Our seasoned team will provide you with optimal strategy initiatives that can help you reach your voters where it matters most: in the streets, on their mobile devices, as well as their personal computers. Check out our digital packages and give us a call!
Every year on Independence Day, we celebrate our Nation’s freedom and the visions of our founding fathers. At the heart of America is our people – people who regardless of race, religion or political affiliation believe in greater good.
