After an exhaustive recent conversation about setting up his political campaign, a first-time candidate for public office asked me, “What’s the most important thing I need to know that I haven’t asked you about yet?”
I thought about the question for awhile… He had asked about fundraising (he knew he needed to know about raising money), and he had asked about grassroots strategy. He had also asked about finding a campaign manager, how to craft his campaign message, and how to find volunteers.
The one thing he hadn’t asked about, and that he needed to be thinking about, was how to communicate his campaign’s message to the voters.
I realized after the fact that most first time candidates ask about fundraising and grassroots strategy, staffing and volunteers. New candidates think about the issues, they think about the money, and they think about the manpower. If they’re on the advanced track, they also think about their message. But what most novice candidates don’t spend a lot of time thinking through is how they are going to effectively and efficiently communicate their message to the voters.
In response to that candidate’s question, I presented him with an organized list of some previous Local Victory articles that combine to form a Beginner’s Guide to Political Communications. These articles, linked below, offer you a complete overview of the communication process, and will put any candidate in a much better position to work with the press, advertise, and otherwise spread the word about your campaign.
Communications Strategy
A Guide to Raising Your Name ID -How to make sure everyone knows your candidate’s name.
3 Best Ways for Under-Funded Candidates to be Heard – Communicating effectively without a lot of money.
The Top Three Principles of Political Design – The basics of creating well-designed communications pieces.
Campaign Slogans
Political Slogans: Creating a Compelling Campaign Slogan – How to make sure your tag-line moves the voters.
Why Some Campaign Slogans Fail – And why some succeed.
Dealing with the Press
The #1 Rule for Getting Press Coverage for Your Campaign – How to get earned media coverage for your candidate.
Communicating with the Media… Plan to Succeed – A comprehensive guide to dealing with the press.
How to Deal with Bad Political Press – It happens to every candidate at some time or another.
Political Yard Signs
How to Design Great Political Signs – Make sure yours are readable, well crafted, and remarkable.
What’s Your Political Yard Sign Strategy? – Have a plan and stick to it.
Campaign Literature and Direct Mail
Political Direct Mail that Sizzles! – A guide to creating phenomenal direct mail.
Does Your Campaign Have Effective Get Out the Vote Literature? – If you’re running a get out the vote operation, make sure it is communicating the right message!
Designing a Phenomenal Candidate Walk Piece – Writing and designing a great palm card.
Online Political Campaigns
How to Find Political Success on the Internet – How to set up your campaign website the right way, and how to use e-mail in your campaign.
The Right and Wrong Reasons for Using the Internet in Your Campaign – Develop the bets strategy for winning the online political battle.
Using Social Media in Your Campaign – How to use social networking sites to help you win.
Political Speeches and Debates
The Best Ways to Prepare for a Political Debate – Should you debate? If so, how should you prepare?
How to Prepare for a Political Speech – Getting ready to give the speech of your life!
There you have it – a compendium of the best Local Victory has to offer on developing a great communications strategy for your campaign. These articles are in depth, so no matter how much experience you have in politics, you’re sure to learn a lot about effectively communicating your campaign’s message.
