Starting a political campaign, be it for federal, state, or local office, requires a strategic roadmap. It begins by identifying your core values, the unique needs of your constituency, and a clear plan for addressing those needs. You need to assess your personal readiness and understand the impact of that campaign on your personal and family life. As you get going, a political campaign committee must be created, staff must be hired, and a campaign budget must be put together.

On top of that, you have to craft the right voter message and create an effective political campaign strategy to win.

Let’s break it down.

Table of Contents

• Figure out why you are running
• Election preparation includes the basics
• Register as a candidate
• Launching your campaign – the right way
• As a politician, you must build a brand for yourself
• Building your digital presence
• Your online hub: The campaign website
• Set up your social media
• Launch your campaign with style
• Increase your chances of winning the election
• Final tips

Figure out why you are running

The first step in launching a political campaign is deciding what elected position you want to run for. It could be your city council, school board, mayor, or some other position. Once you’ve made this decision, it will shape the direction of your campaign going forward.

The simple question of “Why are you running for office?” often stumps candidates. Being able to articulate a compelling reason for running is important if you expect others to support you. Articulate your motivation for running with specificity, such as ‘I aim to improve local education standards by reducing class sizes,’ to connect with your electorate’s concerns. Establish a clear link between your identity and the positive impact you want to make.

Outlining your post-election goals and policies are also important, as voters will want to know how their interests will be served. Take the time to create a concise elevator pitch.

“Running for office is important, and you don’t really need more than to be right on the issues, and to be able to articulate what it is you believe. You don’t need a certain background. You don’t need to be a lawyer. You don’t need to have some professional degree.” – Matt Gonzalez

While you have your own motivations, you’ll need filter them through the political landscape you face. Learn the demographics of your constituency, current political trends, the major power players, and the issues that are most relevant to your voters. Your campaign strategy and messaging will be based on this analysis.

Election preparation includes the basics

Set concrete goals for your campaign: Short-term might include securing endorsements, while long-term goals could focus on policy changes you aim to implement once elected. Look at the total voter turnout data over the last few elections and how many people from each political party voted. Data and analytics are essential in modern political campaigns. By analyzing voter behavior and trends, you can be sure that your campaign decisions are evidence-based rather than going ‘with your gut.’

You may care about an issue, but if few other do, you’re not going to get much support.

So, what issues should you run on? It’s pretty simple, really. Take a stance, and campaign on the big issues that are important to your constituents and community.

A successful campaign is built on the backs of dedicated volunteers. Effective volunteer engagement involves more than just recruitment. It includes training, assigning suitable roles, and keeping them motivated. A well-organized volunteer force extends a campaign’s reach. It transforms grassroots energy into electoral success.

Find out how much money you’ll need to raise. Raising funds is a backbone of political campaigning. Develop a robust plan that includes political fundraising events, online campaign donations, and major donor solicitation.

One of the largest obstacles that political campaigns face is raising initial funds. Your plans, goals, and budget will determine when and how much you need to raise. A clear fundraising strategy, includes identifying potential donors, creating effective fundraising messages, and determining your fundraising channels. As your campaign goes on, you will need to adjust your strategy based on overall performance and donor feedback.

Put together your campaign team.  Determine the specific tasks that need to be accomplished and find individuals with the skills and experience to effectively handle those tasks. Clear roles and responsibilities are important, and understanding each position’s duties ensures smooth operation. It enhances coordination and drives efficiency. When everyone on the team knows their role, the campaign operates at its best.

As you put your team in place, clearly communicate your plans and goals. Clear deadlines and expectations should be set for each team member. Get your people committed and put your plans to action.

“I don’t think running for office is anything I’m prepared for or could even prepare myself for.” – America Ferrera

Networking and relationships are important

Building and maintaining relationships is key in politics. Strong connections with community leaders, local influencers, and voters are invaluable. These relationships provide resources and support. Effective networking involves establishing and nurturing these connections both before and while you are running for office.

Many candidates leverage the advantages of coalition building. This means aligning with groups and organizations with similar values or goals as your organization. These other groups can help amplify your campaign’s reach and credibility through their own networks. To create a coalition, you’ll want to identifying potential allies and engage with them with the goal of forming partnerships that benefit both parties.

Register as a candidate

The registration process and requirements to get on the ballot differs between states. Most states have a registration deadline in order to get on the ballot.

Check with your secretary of state’s or county election website for information on filing requirements. There will be certain paperwork and fees you will need to pay. If there are signatures required, you will need to figure out how you will get them in time.

Understanding campaign law is crucial for political campaigns. It ensures all activities are legal and ethical. This includes finance regulations and electoral rules. Knowing your local campaign law helps avoids legal issues and problems on the campaign trail.

Launching your campaign – the right way

Whether you are running a congressional campaign or want to begin a local political campaign for mayor or town council, you’ll want to prepare early.

Your campaign theme is the message used to communicate an integrated political message. It should be based on a clear reason why you are running, and backed up by an overall identity that shapes the overall campaign. This message should be short enough to not only tell a story, but can also be broken down for talking points that can be delivered to voters.

Your theme may be closely related to your campaign brand, which incorporates the look of your print material, signage and online presence.

As a politician, you must build a brand for yourself

Choose a color scheme and logo that reflect your campaign’s values and make them consistent across all materials, from your website to yard signs, to build a recognizable and trusted brand.

Think of your campaign as a brand that promises value to voters, requiring strategic marketing to effectively communicate your vision and solutions.

Developing a strong media relations strategy is also key. Crafting press releases, managing media inquiries, and building relationships with journalists can amplify your campaign’s voice.

All your campaign materials, from print material like brochures, flyers and signs to your online presence, must be consistent in design and color.

This means keeping your messaging – visual, design and tone – consistent across platforms.

Invest in a professional headshot, as this image will become a visual synonym for your campaign across multiple platforms. Here are the most important photos you should have ready when you start your campaign:

• A Candidate Headshot
• Family Photos
• Informal Photos:
• Candidate with Audience Engagement
• Notable People and Endorsers
• Local Landmarks and Locations

In addition to still photography, consider the power of video content. Campaign videos can range from policy explainers to personal narratives, providing a dynamic way to connect with voters.

Once you have established your brand, don’t change it. Changing up your campaign logo, colors or slogan midway through the race will only confuse voters. We’ve seen clients change logos halfway through a race, and it almost always causes more disruption than it’s worth.

Related Reading: The Power of Branding Your Political Campaign

Building your digital presence to expand your reach

Running a local political campaign is tough. No matter the position you are running for, it’s a battle both offline and online.

If you don’t define yourself online, someone else will. And that will probably be your opponent.

Leveraging data analytics tools can provide insights into your campaign’s online performance, helping you to optimize your digital strategy and measure the impact of your content.

Your online hub: The campaign website

Your campaign website is the centerpiece of your online brand. It is the hub that ties together your print, social media, email marketing and digital advertising.

You want to be able to direct people to your campaign website to sign up to volunteer and make donations before, during, and after your political campaign launch.

The most important pages of a political website include:

• Homepage: Feature your identity and campaign goals; update as needed for developments and shifting focus.
• Biography: Condense your personal  history into a concise bio that resonates with voters.
• Issues: Outline your positions and differentiate from your opponent; separate into distinct pages if needed.
• Endorsements: Include organizational endorsements and quotes across your site.
• News: Maintain a blog-style section for announcements, news links, and event coverage.
• Donation: Enable online donations and provide giving options.
• Volunteer: Gather volunteer information through an online form.
• Events: Display upcoming events in a list or calendar format.

In addition, keep load speed and mobile responsiveness in mind. Utilize SEO best practices to ensure your site ranks well for relevant keywords and phrases, such as the candidate’s name, position sought, and location. This will increase the visibility of your campaign online.

Donors will find it much simpler to give if you have a website that can receive donations. It’s much simpler to ask someone to make a donation by clicking on a link than it is to have them fill out a check, place it in an envelope, and send it. If you can organize your fundraising efforts online, you will be able to bring in more money in a shorter amount of time.

Set up your social media for success

For social media, you’ll want to create a Facebook page for the campaign. Other social platforms, like Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, can come later.

Tech Tip: Never use personal social media accounts for your political campaign. Facebook, in fact, does not allow for political campaigning on personal accounts.

If you began using social media early, you may already have an audience of supporters that you can communicate with. You can cross-post your content to multiple networks when possible to save time and reach more voters. Facebook, in particular, is a powerful platform to request donations and begin political advertising.

Many politicians use live streaming to interact with voters and non-voters. It’s not particularly difficult, and you don’t need a broadcast studio. In many cases, you can simply use your mobile phone to broadcast. These types of virtual events have become more popular through services like Facebook Live.

Cutting through the noise on social media can only be accomplished through paid advertising.

Recommended Reading: How Much Should Your Political Campaign Budget For Digital?

Launch your campaign with style

The exciting task of officially launching your campaign calls for careful planning. Every aspect counts, from picking the ideal location to determining the ideal day and time to meet your target demographic.

Here are some ideas for holding a campaign launch event:

• Community Center Town Hall: A city council candidate hosts a town hall launch event at a local center. Key speakers discuss issues, followed by candidate speeches and Q&A.
• Park Rally: A mayoral candidate organizes a park rally with music and food trucks. Candidate speeches, media interactions, volunteer sign-ups, and online donations are featured.
• Virtual Launch: A state legislative candidate hosts an online event with live-streamed speeches, polls, and Q&A. Attendees engage through social media and contribute online.
• Walk and Talk: A school board candidate leads a community walk, discussing education priorities. Followed by a meet-and-greet for personal interactions and campaign support.

Organize a speaker lineup that raises interest in your campaign’s message. Press releases distributed to the local media can generate interest and raise awareness.

Increase your chances of winning the election

Launch day for your online campaign is always exciting. Put together a checklist to cover all your action items. To increase the chance of everything going smoothly, you’ll want to have the following in place:

• Your campaign website, which should be easy to navigate and include clear calls to action,
• Social media accounts, along with their graphics.
• A campaign Google account for analytics, email, and more.
• Broadcast email system, including signup forms on the site.
• A plan to advertise, and perhaps a digital budget earmarked to make it so.

Creating and distributing campaign material is another essential way to reach the electorate. When developing a content strategy, you should do the following:

• Identify your target voters: Learn the key demographics and interests of your audience. Create content that directly speaks to them.
• Clearly define your message. Clearly articulate and repeat your political message over and over. In other words, always “stay on message.”
• Create online content that engages: Go beyond text and images with your content. Use videos, infographics, press releases, and social content to keep your audience engaged.
• Use a content calendar. Plan out your content in advance and schedule material for specific times, such as primary and Election days. Also, plan out how you will promote campaign events and fundraising initiatives.
• Develop and use marketing channels. Social media is fine, but also consider mobile outreach and email to engage a wider audience.

Final tips

Many candidates keep their campaign websites on a ‘coming soon’ page right until the campaign launch day. Then they wonder why their site does not immediately show up in search results. Search engines take time to index websites. Just because your site goes live does not mean that it will be indexed right away or at all. One way to trigger search engine spiders is to link to your site from another source, such as a Facebook or Twitter account.

Launch your campaign website ahead of your announcement to ensure search engines have indexed it. This makes it easier for voters to find you right from the start. Besides, no one will likely be searching for it anyway. And if they do find your site, does it really matter? That’s not to say that your launch announcement should not be heavily promoted. You will need that initial excitement to capitalize on your initial fundraising and outreach efforts.

Getting into politics is a big decision. Even if you are running for local government, you need to lay a proper foundation and prepare to announce your candidacy.

Download the Free Checklist: Pre-Campaign Planning Checklist [PDF]

Additional Resources:

• Opening a Political Campaign Bank Account
  To succeed in politics, you’ll need to raise money. Establishing a campaign bank account is one of the first steps you should take. Here are a few things you should know before you head to your financial institution.
• What To Know Before You Take Donations Online
  Even the most local candidate can set up an online donation page. Here are some things you need to know as you plan and begin your online fundraising strategy.

• Planning Your Political Campaign – Candidate Checklists
  There are many tasks required in preparing for a campaign. Candidate checklists play a big part in getting there.

• Political Candidate Training Programs
  With the help of online training programs, political candidates can prepare and educate themselves on all aspects of running for office.

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