Campaign Tips - Politics

This page contains tips for political candidates and their campaigns to win elections in local, state, and federal elections. It will be updated often (so please check back often) as we discover additional information which might help progressive democratic candidates. The information contained herein comes from other political related sources that we find might be useful to candidates and DPAC assumes no responsibility for the content.

RAISING MONEY (a compilation of info)

Start networking BEFORE you become a candidate. Volunteer on other candidates' campaigns and for the political party. Form a committee that has at last a Campaign Chairperson and a Treasurer -- know the duties of these positions (including report filing requirements) and choose these people wisely.

Study the financial reports made by previous candidates for the office you are seeking. Devise a workable, REALISTIC financial plan.

Campaign Secrets LLC says success in raising money depends upon your ability to "PRIORITIZE and PERSONALIZE"

PRIORITIZE: While Prospecting (i.e. bringing in new donors) you should prioritize your fundraising activities on people with whom you have an existing relationship (i.e. friends, family, colleagues, customers, etc) and/or people who have given to your campaign, or that of the office, before. Don't forget that "people with whom you have an existing relationship" means more than just people with whom the candidate has an existing relationship. It applies for friends, family, colleagues, and customers of the candidate as well. In other words, you want to focus your fundraising on those who will give because of a relationship rather than an ideology.

After you prioritize, you need to PERSONALIZE.

In difficult times, prioritizing isn't enough. You must also find ways to personalize your fundraising appeals. Traditional "mass marketing" to your prioritized list isn't going to work. You must talk with them personally, or have some with whom they have a relationship talk to them personally. The "talking" can be done by mail, phone, or in person - but it needs to be personal.

Bottom line: When times get tough, focus your fundraising almost exclusively on people who will contribute because of a relationship, not an ideology.

Ask organizations for help. Don't be reluctant to ask for help with door to door, mailings, raising funds, issue development, advice, or whatever you need. There are MANY organizations out there who will listen to and support candidates -- a partial listing includes Political Action Committees (PACs -- some are state PACs, some are federal PACs, and some are both) [DPAC is a State and Federal PAC], Unions, Issues related organizations, Progressive based organizations, and don't forget the Independents and their group of organizations. It takes MONEY to run a campaign but if you have "feet on the ground" and "people spreading the word" -- THAT is also very worthy pieces of winning an election.

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IT'S THE MESSAGE, STUPID by Chuck Muth (April 7, 2007 guest blogger) -- Campaign Secrets LLC

When it comes to delivering your campaign message to the voters, most candidates - both novice AND experienced - make the same two mistakes...

1.) Confusing the difference between delivering a "pretty" message with a "persuasive" message, and...

2.) Using their local vendor or a "friend," instead of an experienced marketing professional.

What is the definition of a proper campaign "message"? For the answer we quote from longtime political guru Ron Faucheux of Campaigns & Elections magazine (www.campaignline.com):

"The essence of political strategy is to concentrate your greatest strength against the point of your opponent's greatest weakness. This is done through positioning, which is the development and delivery of messages that present voters with a choice based on candidate differences that are clear, believable and connected to reality.

"Campaign messages may be based on (a) the candidates personal strengths and weaknesses (i.e., experience, competence, independence, integrity, compassion, stability, preparation, etc.); (b) ideological and partisan differences (liberal vs. conservative, moderate vs. extreme, inconsistent vs. consistent, pragmatic vs. purist, etc.); (c) the situational context (change vs. status quo, right track vs. wrong track, reform vs. the old way, etc.); or (d) a combination of any of the above."

Now, it's one thing to come up with the right message theme for your campaign; it's another thing altogether to craft and deliver that message in a way which persuades voters or motivates them to show up at the polls. And THAT'S the part all too many campaigns botch...big time!

Consider this admonition from marketing guru Gary Halbert (www.thegaryhalbertletter.com):

"What I want you to know...what I want to POUND and POUND and POUND into you is...You Cannot Multiply Zeros! And the 'zero' I'm talking about in this case is a vapid, limp, non-compelling sales message. I don't care it it's a direct mail letter, a website, a newspaper ad, magazine ad, radio or TV commercial or whatever. If it's a 'nothing' message, I don't care how good your ad layout is, how well the ad is typeset. If it's a radio commercial, I care NOT how good the sound effects are or how vibrant, pleasant and commanding the announcer's voice is. If it's a website, I don't care how many website/internet secret tricks and techniques you know. Take any non-compelling message and show it to someone. That person will not respond. Show it to 10,000 people and none (or pathetically few) of them will respond."

Halbert continues: "I don't give a damn what form of marketing you're in. I don't care how many tricks you know. I don't care how cheap you can buy your media. I don't care if the emails or newspaper ads or stamps and printing are FREE! Even if all this is FREE...if you can't write a 'killer' sales message, it is all for naught."

Get it? It's the message, not the medium. You can dress up a pig in a three-piece suit...but it's still a pig. It doesn't matter how "pretty" you make your message look...if the message stinks it still stinks. And people won't buy what you're selling...even if it IS on four-color glossy stock. Same goes for websites.

What your campaign should be shooting for is both a compelling campaign message AND a professional image. Many vendors can do one...or the other. Few can do both well, especially in politics. Your local printer can give you four-color imaging but likely has NO IDEA how to come up with a proper and persuasive campaign message. Ditto your buddy who designs websites on the side. He'll give you all kinds of bells and whistles...but that doesn't mean he can deliver a persuasive political message.

Remember: You cannot multiply zeroes.

-- Prof Chuck Muth --

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