Yes, Even Local Campaigns Need a Website
Not long ago, local candidates asked, “Do I really need a campaign website?” Today, the better question is, “When should I launch one?”
When we started Online Candidate, potential clients would sometimes ask, “Tell me why I need a website.” Back in the early 2000s, that was a legitimate question. Presidential candidates had been online since the 1990s, but local campaigning was still a few election cycles behind. There were not many political candidates who had websites.
It was also difficult to raise money online. Fewer people were comfortable donating online. Setting up donation options was also fairly difficult, which often required custom programming to gather proper donor information.
Since then, digital campaigning has become a must. Local candidates now use websites to raise money, share their message, and connect with voters. Whether you’re running for town council or county judge, having a central online hub is no longer optional, it’s essential.
While you can run a political campaign today without a dedicated website, it’s not easy. A campaign website offers numerous advantages and can significantly enhance your chances of success.
With that in mind, here are six reasons why every candidate today needs a political website:
1. To establish an online presence
Today, voters turn to the internet for information about political candidates. A website serves as a central hub. It’s where voters can learn about your background, values, and policy positions. It allows you to present a professional image and showcase your candidacy in a positive way.
It’s also the only digital platform you fully control—unlike social media, where algorithms change and accounts can be suspended.
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2. It enhances your fundraising and volunteer recruitment
Do donors still write checks anymore? A website provides a great platform for online fundraising. It makes it easy for supporters to donate to your campaign. Even if you are running for a local council position or school board, accepting online donations makes raising money much easier. Most donation platforms are free to set up and only take a fee from the donations you raise.
If you want supporters to volunteer, set up a page to provide information about how they can get involved. Make sure you follow up with them right away to put them to work!
Modern campaign platforms also allow you to track and segment donors and volunteers for better follow-up and outreach.
Related: Comparing Political Donation Platforms: Our Recommendations
3. It allows direct communication with constituents
A website provides a direct and effective channel for communication with voters. You can share your message, address key issues, and outline your plans and initiatives in detail. By including contact forms or email addresses, constituents can easily reach out with questions, concerns, or requests, fostering a two-way dialogue. It’s also a more trusted channel for voters who want to learn more but prefer not to use social media.
4. A website increases your visibility and reach
By making your website search engine friendly, you can improve your online visibility and attract more visitors. When potential voters search for information about you or your campaign, having a site with relevant content can help you appear in search results. This free online exposure expands your reach beyond traditional campaign channels.
You may be thinking, “Why not just have a campaign Facebook page and leave it at that?” While platforms like Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram reach a broad audience, they don’t reach everyone. Not all voters are on social media. Some individuals, particularly older demographics or those who prefer more privacy, may not have social media accounts.
Search engines index websites—not social posts. A well-built website helps voters find you when they’re searching for your name, your office, or local election information.
5. Share news and updates in a central location
Keeping voters informed about campaign news, events, and developments helps maintain interest and engagement. A website allows you to publish regular updates, press releases, and blog posts. This helps you build trust and credibility with voters.
You can also use your site to highlight endorsements, promote fundraising events, or share post-election results and thank-you messages.
6. The costs are minimal
Setting up a website through a service like Online Candidate is fairly inexpensive. While you can hire expensive web developers and designers for a more customized experience, we provide both. Our website builder allows users to create their own political website quickly and easily. Or we can build it out for you at a fraction of the cost of a custom web designer.
Actually, a campaign website is probably the least expensive purchase your campaign will make. Consider the cost of signs, mailers, and traditional and online advertising (which isn’t as inexpensive as you may think). You’ll see that the up-front cost of starting a website is minimal.
A campaign website also lasts through the entire election cycle, working 24/7 to share your message and generate support.
Bonus: Control the narrative
If you do not put information about yourself online, then someone will. As a candidate, you’ll want to control your message. To do that, you need a digital presence and a positive online reputation.
Launching early also helps search engines index your content, giving you a better chance of ranking before voters start looking you up.
How Does Running for Office Differ in a Major City Versus a Small Town?
Running for office in a major city versus a small town? There are few things that sets these types of campaigns apart. For instance:
Voter Engagement
In a big city, you’re looking at a mosaic of voters. Each constituency might need a different message. You’re also more likely to deal with a lot of noise from opponents, so standing out is key. Large events and broad digital campaigns are needed to catch a voter’s eye.
In a small town, and it’s all about the handshake, the face-to-face. Grassroots campaigning in small communities and personalized campaigning techniques are the key to winning. Knocking on doors, chatting at the local diner, and personal stories matter more than flashy campaigns.
Big City vs Small Town Social Media Use
Alex Martinez, aiming for a a city council seat, taps into Instagram and Twitter’s fast pace. As it’s an urban election, he uses Instagram Stories to showcase campaign highlights and policy points, and engages the youth vote with visuals and interactive polls. On Twitter, Alex jumps into city-wide conversations with hashtags and live discussions, keeping the campaign visible in the city’s constant buzz.
Sarah Thompson, running for mayor in a close-knit community, chooses Facebook to connect. Her campaign shares posts of Sarah at local events and discussions from town halls. This makes her accessible even to those not in attendance. Facebook Live Q&A sessions help Sarah directly answer community questions, emphasizing her approachability and dedication.
Campaign Scale
City campaigns? They’re big. You’ll need a large budget to make influence public opinion and get out the word. Focus on areas with the most voters to get the best bang for your buck. You’re targeting voter blocks where you can. Your fundraising needs will be large. For example, the winner of New York City’s mayoral race raised and spent over $18 million dollars.
In small towns, your campaign can cover more ground with less. It’s not about how much you spend but how many hands you shake. Reaching a significant chunk of voters personally is more doable. While you’ll still want to raise money, your expenses may range in the thousands or tens or thousands of dollars.
Media Strategies
City campaigns thrive on a mix of digital and traditional media. Ads cost more, but there’s a chance for wider coverage. Your message needs to cut through the clutter.
In small towns, local media rule. A well-placed ad in the weekly paper or a shout-out on the local radio station goes far. Social media can work wonders, too, thanks to community groups.
All types of races today benefit from an online presence, with the digital hub being a campaign website.
So, whether you’re eyeing a city council seat in a bustling metropolis or a mayoral spot in a cozy little town, your campaigning approach needs to adapt to your location. No matter where you are, you’ll need to tailor your political messaging and methods to your target voters.
How To Remove A Volunteer From Your Online Campaign
In the last few months, the issue of removing a volunteer’s access to online campaign accounts has come up for a few of our clients.
Volunteers are an important part of virtually every political campaign. No matter what elected position you are running for, volunteers will handle a lot of the work. This can include your online efforts. You may assign someone to update the website, handle the campaign emails, or manage some of the candidate’s online social media accounts.
In time, this person may become a trusted member of your campaign staff.
But then, for whatever reason, things don’t go well. Suddenly, you find that you will need to restrict that volunteer’s access to your online accounts. Perhaps you’ve had a falling out, or they are not doing the job they are supposed to do, and you need to cut off their access quickly.
Whatever the problem, it’s a tricky situation to remove someone’s online access without causing a disturbance.
Steps to remove a volunteer from online campaign accounts:
If the volunteer is using an email address that is not under the campaign’s control, these steps may be challenging. It’s important to never give someone more online access or control than they require. For example, on Facebook, if someone is working as an editor of the page, don’t give that person admin-level access.
- Find out what accounts the volunteer has access to. This includes social media accounts, campaign emails, fundraising platforms, website logins, etc.
- Change the passwords of any volunteer campaign email addresses that you have control over and redirect any emails that are forwarded.
- Change the password and login or remove the user from the account. This will prevent them from further access to sensitive information.
- Inform others who need to know that the volunteer has been removed.
- Inform the volunteer that they no longer have access to the accounts, and why. Thank them for their previous contributions.
Finally, update your records and update your backup plan. (You have a backup plan, right?) In the case of an emergency, have a plan so that your organization’s online accounts can be accessed and managed even if an administrator is no longer available.
Every situation is different, and the reasons why you may want to revoke a volunteer’s access may vary. It’s probably better to ‘fire’ someone early in the week. Avoid doing this on a Friday, because then the person can “stew about it” over the weekend and/or start making disparaging posts about the candidate or the campaign if they become upset about being ‘let go’.
There’s no guarantee that there won’t be complaints or some sort of online payback elsewhere. But at least your online accounts will be safe.
This article is based the book, Running for Office as an Online Candidate.
Speak Like a Voter, Win Like a Candidate
Are you watching your language? I’m talking about the language of your campaign as you reach out to voters. In your advertising, speeches, and one-to-one interactions, are you conversing with or talking down to your audience?
How do you talk down to an audience? By speaking above them. For example, it’s tempting to sprinkle your messages with political jargon. After all, as a candidate, you’re likely steeped in the lingo and acronyms of the various policies and regulations related to your platform.
And while you might know the ins and outs of these terms, many voters may have no idea what you’re talking about.
The same thing applies when you’re talking about topics that are not widely known. For example, we worked with a local candidate who liked to reference things about other officials in her campaign material. The problem was, she was referencing upcoming projects and backroom deals that were not common knowledge to the public and voters at large. Reading this material without context made her statements seem like ramblings. It certainly didn’t help her messaging.
Here’s the thing: clarity wins campaigns
Voters want to feel connected to your cause. When they hear complex language or jargon from a candidate, they might feel alienated. Instead of speaking to them, you’re speaking above them.
“The words that come direct from the people are the greatest… If you substitute one out of your own vocabulary, it disappears before your eyes.” – Dorothea Lange
Here’s an example of being too complicated: A candidate for city council (who was a lawyer) mentioned the term “fiscal rectitude” on his website’s issues page. Sounds impressive, right?
Well, it sounds like it might go over most voters’ heads.
But instead of the phrase “fiscal rectitude,” what if he switched to “managing the budget wisely”? Will that message hit home with more voters? Absolutely. Will it be more effective? Without a doubt.
Or what about a local candidate who frequently mentions “Home Rule” when discussing housing standards. To the uninitiated, this term might sound complex or overly technical. (Or maybe it’s a baseball term?)
But what if, instead of “Home Rule,” the candidate explained it as “giving our city the power to make its own rules for our unique needs”? Suddenly, the concept becomes clearer and more relatable. That’s the type of quote you can use on a web page, with a pull quote or simple graphic.
The key takeaway? Your messaging is not a platform for showcasing political lingo or an extensive vocabulary.
Five Tips to Simplify Your Political Communication
Use Plain Language: Replace complex jargon and acronyms with straightforward, simple language that everyone understands.
Explain Terms Clearly: When you must use specific terms, immediately follow them with a clear, concise explanation.
Be Direct and Concise: Cut down on wordiness and quickly get to the point.
Use Relatable Examples and Stories: Incorporate stories or examples that illustrate your points and resonate emotionally with voters. A story about a local resident affected by your policies can be more effective than abstract statistics.
Engage and Interact: Invite others to share their thoughts and experiences related to the campaign topics discussed.
Make every word count
If the above examples were not enough, here are more ways to make sure your messaging is clear across all your campaign platforms.
- Cut the Complexity: Instead of saying, “We advocate for increasing public education funding,” try “We believe in more money for schools.” It’s direct, simple, and leaves no room for misunderstanding.
- Break It Down: Turn “our strategy includes multifaceted approaches to curb urban sprawl” into “we have a plan to keep our city’s growth smart and managed.”
- Keep It Relatable: Change “promoting sustainability initiatives to mitigate climate change impacts” to “Let’s work together to make our planet greener.”
- Straight to the Point: Instead of “Engagement in civic activities is paramount,” go for “Get involved. Your voice matters.” Short, impactful messages win on social media.
- Stories Stick: Don’t bombard listeners with data. Nobody’s going to remember numbers and statistics. Instead, share a relatable story about a single mom who benefits from your healthcare policy. It’s personal, memorable, and has a happy ending that ties into your efforts.
- Highlight the Real-World Impact: Say “Fix our roads for safer travels” or “Help us clean up our streets. Join us!” This quickly connects with the readers everyday lives and concerns.
Simplifying your language isn’t about dumbing down your messaging. With a more direct and personal approach, you come across as if you are engaging in a conversation rather than giving a lecture.
And nobody likes being lectured to.
Your success hinges on making every voter feel seen and heard. So, strip away the complexity and just speak the language of your voters.
It’s that simple!
Online Candidate provides affordable campaign websites, with campaigning tools and resources included. Get started today!
Creating a Political Campaign Timeline
If you’ve ever run for local office, then you know that the stakes are high, no matter the position. And the competition can be as tough as any state or federal race.
Planning out a timeline for your political campaign is an important step in winning. Knowing when to do things and what needs to be done helps make the most of your limited time, money, and resources.
Stay on track and avoid becoming overwhelmed by creating a campaign calendar that includes specific goals and milestones that reflect your campaign strategies.
Below is an example timeline for a local office race, such as city council. Use this schedule as a guideline for planning out your political calendar. Customize the template below to your specific needs.
Note: If you’re running for a state representative or federal office, you’ll want to start the campaigning process at least 18 months before the election.
A sample political campaign timeline
6-9 months before the election:
- Research potential elected positions, and decide whether to run.
- Research and identify key campaign issues and develop policy positions.
- Develop an issue platform and begin building a campaign team.
- Establish a campaign account and begin ongoing fundraising efforts.
- File paperwork to become a candidate and make your announcement.
- Start attending local community events and meetings. Start or continue building relationships with community leaders.
- Conduct a voter analysis and identify the key demographics of your constituency.
5-6 months before the election:
- Conduct a competitor analysis to understand other candidates running for the same elected position.
- Develop and launch your campaign website, social media pages, and other marketing materials.
- Establish a volunteer network and create a phone banking and canvassing program.
- Set fundraising goals and develop a donor outreach strategy.
- Conduct focus groups or surveys to gather insights from potential voters.
- If you are not doing so already, start attending and speaking at local events. This can include local town halls and community meetings.
3-4 months before the election:
- Continue fundraising efforts, with a focus on small, local donations.
- Plan out and get started with your door-to-door canvassing efforts.
- Attend candidate forums and debates.
- Develop a media relations strategy to proactively engage with local media outlets.
- Identify and reach out to potential endorsements from influential individuals or organizations.
2 months before the election:
- Plan and hold events to build momentum.
- Continue door-to-door canvassing, calls, and phone banking efforts.
- Develop a poll monitoring plan for election day.
30 days before Election Day:
- Finalize your messaging and materials for your last mailings.
- Launch social media and online advertising ads to target key voter demographics.
- Conduct a volunteer recruitment drive to increase coverage for canvassing and phone banking.
- Schedule and participate in candidate forums and debates.
- Coordinate and execute a targeted direct mail campaign to reach specific voter segments.
- Engage with local unions, community organizations, and interest groups to secure endorsements.
21 days before Election Day:
- Begin early voting outreach and encourage supporters to vote early. (Depending on early voting dates.)
- Plan some larger public events, such as a rallies, to build momentum and visibility.
- Implement a digital advertising campaign to increase online visibility and target undecided voters.
- Launch a direct mail campaign to targeted voters.
14 days Before Election Day:
- Ramp up door-to-door canvassing efforts, targeting undecided and independent voters.
- Host a final meet-and-greet event for supporters. Try to raise money for a final advertising push.
- Conduct phone banking to encourage early voting and identify potential supporters.
- Put together and execute a radio and/or TV advertising campaign to reach a broader audience.
- Conduct a series of candidate interviews with local media outlets to amplify campaign messaging.
7 days before Election Day:
- Ramp up get-out-the-vote canvassing and phone banking. Target registered voters who have not yet voted.
- Host a final public event, such as a town hall or meet-the-candidate event.
- Organize a “Get Out the Vote” rally to energize supporters and encourage voter turnout.
- Send out final email and text message reminders to supporters and potential voters.
- Establish a voter hotline or helpline to address any issues or concerns on Election Day.
Election Day:
- Ensure all get-out-the-vote and poll monitoring efforts are in full force.
- Deploy volunteers to monitor polling places and report any irregularities or voter suppression.
- Watch the election results as they come in.
Election Night and Post-election:
- Monitor the certification of election results by local authorities.
- Thank your volunteers and supporters for their efforts.
- Make concession or victory speech.
- Develop a post-election communication plan to stay connected with supporters and maintain momentum.
1 Week After Election Day:
- Engage with the community and establish relationships with newly-elected officials, if applicable.
- Identify and engage with key stakeholders to help achieve your policy goals, if applicable.
- Host a post-election event to thank supporters in person.
- Conduct a post-election analysis to evaluate the campaign’s strengths and areas for improvement.
- Begin the process of building coalitions and alliances with other elected officials for future policy goals.
2-4 Weeks After Election Day:
- Continue outreach efforts to newly-elected officials or continue to engage with the community to continue building relationships.
- Finalize any legal challenges or other post-election activities.
- Review and reconcile all financial records.
- Cancel any ongoing services or expenses.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign and identify areas for improvement.
- Create a comprehensive campaign report to document lessons learned and share with the campaign team.
- Consider your next steps, such as maintaining your volunteer network and continuing your fundraising efforts for any future campaigns.
As you start to put together your calendar, check with your local board of elections. They can provide you with additional important dates to know, such as:
- Candidate Filing Deadline: The deadline for candidates to submit their application and required paperwork to appear on the ballot.
- Primary Election Day: When political parties select their candidate or candidates to run in the general election.
- Voter Registration Deadline: Use this time to increase registered voters before the election. Make sure your supporters know the cutoff time.
- Early Voting Period: Be sure to tell supporters when they can cast their ballot in person before the official election day.
- Deadline for Absentee Voting: This is the last day that voters can either request or submit an absentee ballot.
- Deadline for Submitting Absentee Ballots: You’ll want to remind voters when they must submit their completed absentee ballot.
- Campaign Finance Reporting Deadlines: You’ll need to know when to submit reports on contributions and expenses.
- Don’t forget Candidate Debates or Forums: These events may be planned by outside parties. They provide an opportunity to communicate a candidates’ positions and directly engage with voters.
As you start your timeline of the political campaign process, it’s important to know when these important events occur so you can incorporate them into your overall strategy.
You can expect all sorts complications in the months and weeks leading up to the election. Always remain flexible, and keep your team up to date on what’s happening next.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I start planning my campaign calendar?
Start planning your campaign calendar at least 6-9 months before the election. This allows you plenty of time to research, strategize, and lay out a comprehensive timeline that aligns with your campaign goals.
How do I prioritize and allocate time for different campaign activities in the calendar?
Prioritizing and allocating time for campaign activities depends on their significance and impact on your overall strategy. Focus on activities that directly contribute to voter outreach, fundraising, and messaging. Allocate time based on their relative importance and consider any dependencies or deadlines involved.
What factors should I consider when determining the duration of each phase in the campaign timeline?
When determining the duration of each phase, consider factors such as the intensity of voter engagement needed, fundraising goals, the timeline for early voting, and the overall length of the campaign cycle. Giving yourself enough time for effective voter outreach and fundraising efforts while also allowing for adjustments and unforeseen circumstances.
How can I effectively balance fundraising efforts with other campaign activities in the calendar?
Balancing fundraising efforts with other campaign activities requires careful planning and integration. Allocate specific time slots for donor outreach and fundraising events in your calendar. Additionally, consider leveraging key campaign events to maximize fundraising opportunities and incorporate fundraising goals into your overall campaign strategy. Remember, maintaining a healthy balance ensures the financial resources necessary to support your campaign activities.
How do I adjust a campaign calendar in response to unforeseen events or changing circumstances?
To adjust a campaign calendar in response to unforeseen events or changing circumstances, start by assessing the impact on your existing timeline. Flexibility is required, and you may need to reschedule, shift, or add tasks to adapt to the evolving landscape.
Remember to stay agile and prioritize based on urgency and importance. Communicate changes to your team promptly, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Maintain your goals and be creative in finding alternative ways to reach them if you have to. Adapting your campaign calendar allows you to navigate unexpected twists and turns while staying focused on your ultimate objective – winning the election!
Start your digital presence with Online Candidate. We offer a range of services, from our $29/Month Builder Option to our Enhanced Website Package where we handle the full design and site setup.
Related:
Campaign download worksheets and spreadsheets (OnlineCandidateResources.com)
Will Your Social Media Past Hurt Your Political Future?
Do you currently maintain a Facebook or Twitter account? Do you have an ancient MySpace page archived somewhere out there? Did you ever post comments on online forums under your own name? If you’ve ever done these things, then you’ve left behind information that could hurt you when you run for political office.
Young people tend to be more willing to share their lives online. Those free-wheeling kids now find themselves dealing with the consequences of their previous online lives. More and more candidates today are dealing with old digital material coming back to haunt them.
Racy photos, crazy party shots, video clips, and off-the-cuff comments on social media profiles can persist for years. When these digital artifacts are ‘discovered’, a political opponent can use them out of context (or even in context, as the case may be). This can leave candidates confronting a sticky issue.
No amount of detergent can provide a digital scrubbing
Deleting online pages or accounts won’t make the information go away. A saved screen shot, a digital photograph on a hard drive, or even an archived page on Wayback.org can still exist somewhere, waiting to pop up again. Trying to delete profiles and files after they are discovered can only inflame the issue and make it seem like a candidate is trying to hide something.
Too much reliance on the privacy controls in a user’s account can give them a false sense of control. Use this rule of thumb: Consider that anything that you post online will eventually be made public and could be used against you by a political opponent. If you are not comfortable with anyone now or in the future seeing certain material about you, then do not post it online.
Of course, that doesn’t prevent other people from posting about you online. In this age of viral video, you will want to keep the same rule of thumb about anything you do or say in public. After all, you don’t want to have a “Maccaca moment.”
Keep your social media clean going forward
There are candidates who have been able to say and do outrageous things on social media and still get elected. But that technique will probably not work for you. Politicians’ online behavior has been drawing more attention lately. In some cases, the consequences have been disastrous.
Some recent examples include:
- A man who ran for St. Paul City Council and posted a topless picture of his wife online while running for the city’s Ward seat avoided more jail time when he was sentenced.
- A staff member at the Kansas Department of Transportation was fired because of partisan tweets, and a governor’s nominee for the Kansas Court of Appeals quit because of them.
- A former Democrat who sent explicit texts to a 15-year-old girl has just been let out of prison after having served 21 months.
- Five candidates resigned after screenshots of racist, homophobic, and other offensive comments came to light.
Confront the situation and move on
Be proactive where you can. Clean up your online presence before you announce your run for office.
There’s no sense in becoming paranoid about what hidden information may exist about you online. What’s out there is out there, and there’s no getting around it. Anything you post going forward should be reflective of you as a candidate. That might mean cleaning up slang or colloquial phrasing in posts or updating your profile images to something more dignified.
You don’t have to change who you are, but be aware of how you present yourself to a potential voter.
If there is embarrassing material about you online, it will probably be discovered. In the end, it’s best to simply confront the material and move on to more important issues.
Start combing through those Facebook and Twitter accounts!
Online Candidate clients can access our resources on cleaning up and building an online reputation. Ready to start your own online campaign? We have four website packages to get your site built quickly and easily.
Online Candidate makes it easy to launch your political website and build your online presence.
