Confusing Messaging Only Confuses Voters
The old KISS principle means keep it simple, stupid. It basically means that things work best if they are kept simple rather than complicated.
The principle works in design. It works in systems. And the KISS principle works in politics.
A winning campaign message resonates with voters. Successful politicians boil their messaging down to the most basic elements.
There may be several important issues facing your district. It doesn’t matter if it’s economic situations, social policies, or how the local government is managed.
Your primary focus should be on issues that a majority of voters feel strongly about. If there is a specific problem or two that frustrates voters of all types, then those are the issues you should narrow in on. You may have a lot of ideas for your community, but if you try to explain everything you want to do to voters, you will not be able to hold their attention.
Your messaging needs to be on point. Boil down each problem to its’ essence. You may even be able to translate a relevant issue into a single sentence, phrase, or even a slogan.
But that solves only half the problem. Your solutions need to be equally elegant. Narrow down your fixes to a few specific points per issue. Make those points address the pain or frustration that your voter experiences. Show them what distinguishes you from your opponent.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
In reality, issues and answers are far more complex and nuanced. You may have detailed outlines that address a variety of issues. Save those complicated plans for elsewhere. Keep them away from your campaign material.
When communicating with voters, maintain the KISS principle. You can only maintain a voter’s attention by being simple and direct. Even if your topic or solution is complicated, figure out a way to make it easy to understand.
Avoid using weak terms like “vision,” “pledge,” or “optimism” that sound good but mean little. Your words should be specific enough to describe your desire and plans for change.
Offer a clear promise of what you plan to accomplish in office. If you get lost in detail and minutia, you will lose a voter’s attention.
In your campaign literature and website, you should:
- Explain your primary issues and solutions clearly.
- Use subheadings and bullet points.
- Use pull quotes that distill your positions and solutions.
Sometimes we see clients turn the issue pages of their candidate website into a massive, detail-laden policy creeds. We’ve seen clients who put a tremendous amount work writing out every aspect of their issues, their reasoning, and what they plan to do. Often this reads more as stream-of-consciousnesses than a real political platform.
While you don’t have space limitations online, if you write too much, most voters will see a wall of text and simply move on. Make you content easily understood and digestible with short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear sections. Use the opportunity to tell a story that interests and engages voters. This principle also applies to your print material.
Make your message about the voters and what you, as an elected candidate, can do for them. Confusing communication damages the credibility of both the candidate and their campaign.
Keep it simple, and voters will know exactly where you stand.
That’s how effective candidates win elections!
Sheriff Campaign Logo Design
As you begin to brand your campaign, your sheriff logo should be designed so that it is recognizable at first glance by potential voters. It should embody the values and ideals of a sheriff, who is in charge of upholding justice for the community.
Our custom political website packages include a professional logo design. Why spend a lot of money on a professional designer? Or a logo builder that charges you for a decent quality version?
Regardless of who designs your logo, you’ll need a high-resolution file. Web graphics are created in low resolution, but for brochures or signs, you’ll need to use files that are of higher quality. We provide our clients with graphics that are optimized for high-quality printing in a range of formats including SVG, PDF and JPEGs. This helps keep your branding consistent.
We also have a good idea of what can and cannot appear on sheriff candidate websites and print material. For example, some municipalities forbid candidates from wearing a official sheriff badge or a law enforcement uniform in political material. If we suspect an issue while we are creating your graphics, we’ll let you know.
Sample sheriff candidate logos
See other sample sheriff logos.
Law enforcement and sheriff logo design tips
Here is information about what design elements are in sheriff insignias, how to use them, and the importance of these elements in designing your own logo.
- Blocky fonts work best. The typeface should be bold and easy to read. Many candidates for sheriff or any law enforcement position tend to use a serif font. Script lettering can be hard to read and don’t translate well for print.
- Use stark colors. Law enforcement often have adopts a black-and-white or blue-and-black color scheme, often adding their own logos on the cars and uniforms to make themselves easily recognizable. Some sheriff departments have adopted different color schemes, such as red or yellow for their uniforms, but they are yet to be widely adopted.
- Stars and badges. Incorporating a badge graphic or shield into a sheriff logo is standard, and for good reason; It immediately tells the voter the position the candidate is running for. These design elements are often shaped in shield or circle. Other design elements include eagles and the iconic “Old West” badge.
Downloadable sheriff campaign logo templates
Don’t need a website? We carry a large number of sheriff logo templates for both Adobe Photoshop and Canva. Either a free Canva account or Adobe graphic software is required, depending on the template purchased. We also offer graphic design services.
Our Custom Sheriff Website Packages includes a free custom logo design and header. We’ll also provide high-res versions for your print material. Why pay hundreds of dollars to have a designer just create a logo? We’ll make one for you – and it’s included with your website.
Related:
A List of Our Best County Candidate Campaign Slogans
As a candidate running for a county office, standing out from your opponents is crucial. Effective campaign slogans play a vital role in ensuring candidates remain memorable to voters.
In your role, whether it’s as a County Executive, Legislator, Treasurer, Clerk, or Coroner, your decisions and actions have a profound impact on the community you serve. Each position holds a unique responsibility in shaping the future and well-being of your county or city, emphasizing the importance of an active and engaged approach to governance.
Here is a list of some of our favorite slogans for county office:
- Leadership for a Stronger County.
- Unity, Vision, Progress: Your Choice for County Executive.
- Building a Better Future for Our County Together.
- Dedicated to Our Community, Committed to Change.
- Driving Progress with Integrity and Innovation.
- Voice for the People, Vision for the Future.
- Transforming Challenges into Opportunities for Our County.
- Responsive Leadership, Resilient Community.
- Empowering Our Community, Enhancing Our Future.
- Committed to Excellence in County Governance.
- A New Direction for Our County.
- Together, We Can Build a Brighter Future.
- Leadership That Listens, Action That Delivers.
- For a Thriving, Sustainable Community.
- Your Advocate for a Better County.
- Innovative Solutions for Complex Challenges.
- Transparency, Accountability, Results.
- A Stronger County Starts Here.
- Championing Growth, Ensuring Stability.
- Building on Success, Focusing on the Future.
- Uniting Our Community with Purpose and Passion.
- Forward Thinking, Community Leading.
- From Vision to Action for Our County.
- Investing in Our County, Inspiring Our People.
- Dedication to Development, Commitment to Care.
- Elevating Our County, Empowering Our People.
- Progress with Purpose.
- Together for a Stronger, Safer County.
- A Record of Results, A Vision for Tomorrow.
- Making Our County a Better Place for All.
- Responsive, Responsible Leadership.
- Your Choice for Positive Change.
- Bold Vision, Real Solutions.
- Serving with Integrity, Leading by Example.
- Prosperity Through Partnership.
- Creating Opportunities, Celebrating Our Community.
- Driven by Community, Focused on Results.
- A Better County for Everyone.
- Real Leadership for Real Challenges.
- United for Our County’s Future.
- Innovate, Integrate, Inspire.
- Your County, Your Future, Our Commitment.
- Leadership with a Heart for Our Community.
- A Plan for Progress, A Path to Success.
- Shaping Our County’s Future Together.
Your approach and priorities in any county office role will impact how services are delivered and governance is perceived with voters. Whether you’re goals are to improve public safety, manage fiscal resources, or safeguard public records, your actions will influence local governance. Your election slogan should reflect the your plans and goals.
Related Posts
- So You Want To Run For County Office? Here’s How To Get Started
- A List of Our Best County Candidate Campaign Slogans
- County Campaign Websites
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Political IP Targeting Strategies for Your Campaign
With candidates these days having limited options in reaching out to voters, IP Targeting offers a solution to directly reach specific households online. If you are wondering, “What is political IP targeting?”, it is a form of advertising that allows candidates and campaigns to directly target online ads to mobile devices and computers at an individual household level.
IP Targeting allows political advertisers to be very specific with who they reach – and at a fraction of the cost of many other advertising methods. The idea is that your ads appear on all devices – home computers, tablets, cell phones – that someone uses to view news sites, email portals and other popular sites across the web.
There are other benefits with IP advertising. They include cost-effectiveness, control over where your ads are shown, customization of how your ads will appear, targeting multiple demographics and geographic locations, and the ability to manage and schedule your online advertising.
Target voter households with advertising precision
Unlike radio or television advertising, IP Targeting works best when it is used selectively. Putting the right message before the right voter can be very persuasive. It helps to create a plan of who you want to reach, combined with the message you want to present.
Perfect to get out the vote for primaries and special elections. Political campaign advertising to regular voters helps improve turnout on Election Day.
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How does political IP targeting work?
- Think of IP Targeting like political digital direct mail. Your ads can display on devices within a particular household. Your ads appear on websites through large online ad networks. Your ads are included as part of the inventory those networks display. For example, your ads can appear on news sites, email portals and other websites that carry online ads.
- You can precisely target voters. IP marketing uses individual IP addresses to target specific households. Your digital ads reach exact targets. It is more efficient than advertising that blankets an area. Hundreds of political campaigns across the country use this technology every election cycle. Most candidates target specific segments of their voter list.
- How much does IP marketing cost? IP ads are based on a CPM model, or cost per thousand impressions. This means the ads are charged per every thousand impressions (view on a screen). For example, with a $25 CPM, one thousand ad impressions costs $25. (View our IP pricing calculator.)
Like most advertising for a political campaign, IP targeting is best used for branding. The more of your ads voters see, the more effective they become. We recommend an exposure of at least a level of 20 impressions per household. And if you set a level that low, we recommend compressing the time frame of your ad campaign to a week or so.
Sample ad creatives used in political IP marketing campaigns
Online ads vary in size, and you’ll want your own display ads to match those sizes so they appear in as many places as possible. We recommend that clients have a creative (a banner) in each major ad size to maximize available ad inventory. While you can run ad campaigns with fewer sizes, it may limit your overall exposure.
Example of 250×300 pixel IP Marketing ad.
Typical ad sizes include:
- 300×250 (pixels)
- 336×280 (pixels)
- 728×90 (pixels)
- 320×50 (pixels)
- 160×600 (pixels)
- 300×50 (pixels)
Political IP marketing campaigns are typically run for two reasons. The first is to build marketing awareness to a specific voter audience. This may be used in conjunction with a mailing, so the recipients see both a print and online message. The second reason is typically for getting out the vote efforts.
Consider running targeted ads during these times:
- Before a primary
- At the start of early voting
- Just before a major mail drop
- Before a candidate canvasses for more constituent recognition
- As part of your get out the vote messaging.
There are a few requirements for running political display ads. Some form of identification and disclaimer must be visible (and readable) on each advertisement. This can be your logo and the name of your organization. We make sure your ad designs are compliant.
If you’ve advertised a campaign on Facebook, you’ll find the requirements for IP targeting to be a lot less stringent.
Strategies for creating advertising audiences from your voter list
Sample political IP Targeting display ad.
By Party: This is the most common way for political campaigns to determine who they want to reach through their IP Targeting. They take a district voter list, narrow it to voters of their own party, and target those addresses. Besides just targeting voters of a party, we recommend targeting active voters. This can mean people who voted in 2 of the last 3 primaries, 3 of the last 4 general elections, etc…
By Location: Why should everyone in your district get the same messaging? Perhaps the ads in one location should highlight something different than other areas. Because IP Targeting is based on addresses, it’s simple to parse locations by towns, zip codes or counties. If you have a campaign message you want to send to a specific location, it’s easy to segment your audience.
By Event: This applies mainly ‘Get Out The Vote’ messaging. This could be for primary day, the general election – or even when mail-in voting begins. We recommend targeting active voters for this sort of messaging. Considering the relatively low level of general voting participation, it makes sense to focus on those who will actually make it to the polls (or mail in a ballot).
By Issue: With the right voter or demographic data, you can determine what issues are important to what households. When shown to the right audience, issue-specific ads can perform very well in getting attention and clicks.
By Donor List: Just as businesses can target previous customer addresses, political campaigns can target previous donors. This would be the one case where you might want to look for a particular ROI (return on investment) on an ad campaign, rather than the amount of exposure generated.
By a Combination of the Above: One way to further develop a campaign is to segment your targets through multiple criteria. For example, you may want to target households of a single party in a particular location that are receptive to a particular issue. For example, you could promote your position on a regional issue specifically to households in an area effected by that issue.
Rather than generic messaging, like ‘Vote for” ads, targeted and focused political advertising gets more attention. Consider creating multiple, smaller ad campaigns targeting specific audiences with specific messaging. If you want to break through the clutter of state and national political advertising, you want to make your message as relevant to your audience as possible.
In many down-ballot races, a lot of undecided voters lean toward the candidate that they have been most exposed to. Appearing on a voter’s mobile and computer screens will get you noticed. The precision and cost of IP advertising offers several advantages over print, radio, or television advertising. When combined with other advertising mediums (like print), you’ll increase your overall exposure.
Interested in IP Targeting for your political campaign? We offer competitive rates and full creative design. We can help you create a strategy to effectively reach your voters.
6 Website Secrets Your Political Opponent Doesn’t Know
For many first-time candidates, the online campaigning can be an intimidating experience. Technology trends from larger campaigns have trickled down to local races. It’s true that there is a lot more to know today. The bar has been raised as to what the public expects from political candidates online.
If all of this is new to you, relax! You are not alone. Most candidates running for local office do not have a lot of online campaigning experience. We’ve seen candidates with zero experience run defeat a political opponent with a smart online strategy.
On the first campaign we ever worked on, the political opponent was an entrenched incumbent. We were able to promote our candidate’s website and positive news coverage online, while also promoting the negative coverage of our opponent. We were able to attack with impunity, as the opponent had no online presence to start.
Before you worry about creating your campaign website, building out your email list, and what Facebook pages you will create, keep these items in mind:
Websites don’t win elections: Good candidates and effective campaigns win elections. Campaign websites and social media are ways to communicate with voters, not an end in themselves. Online support only matters if you can translate it into votes. If all your campaigning consists of sending Tweets and posting Facebook updates, then you are going to be in trouble. The web has added to the rules of traditional political campaigning – it hasn’t replaced them.- Nobody will find your site automatically: Just putting up a website and expecting visitors automatically is a recipe for failure. Getting people to find your site when they search for you can take a little work. Promote your website in print materials and signage, but also online and through links from other websites. Putting in place a strong SEO strategy will help grow your site traffic.
- Content matters: The only thing more important than having a campaign website is the content within it. Tell voters who you are, where you stand on the issues, how they can volunteer and donate, and how they can help spread the word about your campaign. Use your website as the hub of your online campaign.
- You don’t have to spend a fortune to be online: The cost of a Facebook page and Twitter account is nothing. Building a campaign website can vary in cost, but it’s always sad to hear how a small campaign spent two, three, or even five thousand dollars or more just to get a small site up and running. (Our prices are a lot less, by the way.) Political campaigns are dynamic, and website updates are frequent. If you have to pay an outsider every time you want to make a change to your site, that’s money lost that could go toward other things, like campaign signs, mailings, or fundraising outreach.
- You WILL need to spend money to promote your campaign online: Well, maybe not a fortune. But if you want exposure online, you will need to pay for it. Your online advertising options can include Facebook advertising, pay-per-click ads, and IP targeting. You will want to budget for these advertising expenses as you would for offline advertising.
- Following the rules is a must: Be sure to follow any required website and donation disclaimers, along with other rules, such as what you can and cannot include in your website design. At the very least, breaking rules can become a distraction if your opponent makes a big deal out of a small infraction. In a worst-case scenario, breaking a finance or election rule can get you knocked off the ballot.
Keep an eye on your political opponent
There are a few things that you can do before looking into tracking your political opponents. One important thing is to conduct an analysis using some basic information, such as their name, website URL, social handles, contact details, etc.
Keep an eye on your opponent’s website, social media accounts, press releases and even online donor information. Subscribe to their email list, if they have one. (Do this through a throwaway email account, of course.) Set up tracking through Google Alerts to be notified about online mentions and updates. Track them relentlessly. There are many benefits to just paying attention:
- You will know what the opposing side is saying about you.
- You can get a heads-up on your opponent’s next moves.
- You can find out who is donating.
- You may find an opportunity to attack.
You can be sure the opposition will be doing the same to you.
We wish we could tell you that this is all you need to know to run an effective online campaign, but it isn’t. New candidates should take the time to learn about all the options available in political web design and the digital landscape. Knowing your options will help you prepare a successful digital strategy.
Online Candidate was created to make building your political campaign website as quick and pain-free as possible. We also offer political marketing Services to help set up your online presence.
Announcing Your Candidacy for Political Office
Successful political campaigns start with a big announcement. Of course, there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes before a candidate can publicly declare a candidacy. In this article, we will go through the steps and strategies in announcing your political campaign.
A successful campaign launch requires planning and a strong foundation. Here are tips for putting together a plan to announce your candidacy.
A checklist for announcing your political campaign:
- Have your campaign plan in place
- Make sure your brand is developed
- Develop your positions on the issues
- Choose a date to make your announcement
- Prepare your press kit
- Inform your supporters
- Hold the event!
- Make your announcement online
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Have your campaign plan in place
Before you announce your political campaign, you should already have a plan for how you will run your campaign. You will also want a fundraising and spending budget in place for reaching your voter goal.
You campaign team should already be assembled. That will include your Campaign Manager, Treasurer, Volunteer Coordinator, Scheduler, Telephone Supervisor, Social Media Coordinator and Press Secretary. If you are running a local campaign, you may not have all these positions filled yet.
Make sure your brand is developed
The design aspect of your campaign should be set. Branding is a powerful promotional tool that allows a candidate to extend your reach and build trust. A strong brand needs compelling visuals and accurate information and promotion. While your design elements may be the first things voters see, your overall brand should be communicated throughout all aspects of your political marketing and advertising.
Your visual political brand includes:
- Campaign color scheme and fonts
- Political logo design
- Initial candidate photography
Your print or web design should be consistent with the look of your brand. You should build a campaign website and have it in place. It should be made live a few days before you make your announcement.
Develop your positions on the issues
Once you begin your campaign for office, you will be expected to adopt positions on various local issues. You can’t run a campaign while you are still figuring out where you stand on things. This applies whether you are running for school board, city council, mayor, state representative or US Congress.
- What are your positions the major issues?
- What is the most important issue for the candidate?
- Do you know and can compare your opponent’s position on each issue?
- Your messaging and talking points should be in order.
Perhaps most importantly, you should be ready to answer the question, ‘Why are you running for office?‘
Don’t announce without your campaign website in place! Get your professional website created up in days, not weeks.
Choose a date to make your announcement
You will want to choose the right date and time to announce your candidacy. You will want to do it:
- During the week, but not on a Friday.
- On a date that does not clash with a holiday or other major event.
- 10:00 to 11:00AM tends to be the best time to get media coverage for press conferences.
- At a time when you can get the most attendees to your press event.
Where and how will you announce your candidacy?
Try to select a location that holds some meaning for your campaign. The place may be related to your district or to a particular issue. Optics are important. The event will be filmed and photographed, so it should be a place that stands out.
Contact your local media and call a press conference. You want to get as much coverage to your event as possible. Give the outlets enough time to schedule a reporter. Around this time, you may also want to write an op-ed announcing why you’re running.
Prepare an informational press kit
Political press kits are helpful in that basic campaign and candidate information is easily accessible for journalists and interested parties. While you can have this in physical form, a press kit today is much more likely to be digital. It can be added to your campaign website for easy access.
Political press kit items:
- A cover letter describing the candidate and campaign.
- A candidate biography that includes your background, experience, etc.
- Press releases, including one about your entry into the race.
- Digital copies of your campaign logo, brochures, palm cards, flyers, etc.
- Photographs of the candidate and campaign. Offer several versions for download. Low-res files can be used for web. Print requires higher resolution versions.
- Related newspaper or other media excerpts. Rather than reprinting the material outright, you could create a document or PDF file with links.
- A Question and Answer sheet covering the major issues and your campaign platform.
Reach out to your local newspapers and media companies and let them know where they can access your press kit.
Inform your supporters
When you make you public announcement, you will want to let your close supporters, your local party and major local organizations of your announcement. Invite them to attend the event. Even if they are unable to attend, just letting them know ahead of time will make them feel more involved. This can help turn potential supporters into real ones.
You will want to have as many supporters present for the big day. Your campaign staff and volunteers should also be present.
Hold the event!
This is the day! Now is the time you can finally let the world know that you are running for office. You will want to have your stump speech well practiced and ready to deliver. The goal of the event is to create excitement and enthusiasm about your campaign. If you have any major announcements, such as a big endorsement from an organization or prominent politician, be prepared to let everyone know.
There may be media crews present to photograph and video the event. You should still have your own photographer and someone to video the event. That way, you have your own library of media to use for print and online use.
Even if no one from the press shows up, you should still carry on. You can provide a press release and a photo to the media later, along with access to your online media kit.
Make your announcement online
Make sure your website is ready to launch. If you are using social media, have your header graphics and colors set so everything matches your campaign’s overall look and feel.
Tech tip: Make your website live early so the search engines have time to index your pages. It’s a good idea to install Google Analytics ahead of time so your site is indexed faster. Some people may look you up online when they hear of your campaign announcement. You will want your site to be easily found in the search results.
- Check your website grammar and spelling.
- Make sure your website is working properly. Test your volunteer form, contact, and email signup forms.
- Make sure your online donation system is in place and ready to accept contributions from various channels.
- Have your texting and SMS system ready.
- Have your online advertising ready to go.
When everything is ready, post your campaign announcement letter to your Facebook, Twitter and your other social media accounts. Post before, during and after the event. Do a Facebook Live stream during the event. Release a campaign video to your YouTube channel. Start your online advertising, if you are doing so at this time.
Use your campaign launch event as an opportunity to seek help. You need to grow your volunteer base and get more donations to take your candidacy to the next level. This applies if you are running for local, state or federal office.
Once you have launched your political campaign, you will start to get a lot more attention. You will need to be in the public eye more than even. For example, if a local newspaper or radio station wants to interview you, make yourself available. If a group or organization wants to meet with you or have you speak to their membership, don’t turn them down.
Good planning and execution will ensure sure that your entry into politics is off to a strong start. Best of luck!
Ready to begin your online campaign? Online Candidate provides affordable campaign websites and political marketing services to build your digital campaign.
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