To orchestrate an effective and impactful campaign, you need a multifaceted strategy that includes several key touch points. The question is, how do you decide when, where, and how to connect with voters?
While there is no easy answer to that question, you can guide your campaigning efforts by looking at current political trends that have shaped recent elections. To help, we have identified seven of the most effective and popular political campaigning trends that you can leverage in this election cycle.
The trends that made our list include the following:
Engage in Mobile-First Outreach
Do you ever go anywhere without your smartphone these days? While a small percentage of the population may like to “unplug” every now and then, most Americans have their mobile devices with them around the clock.
You can capitalize on this by taking a mobile-first approach to campaigning. This means ensuring that your website and any other digital content is optimized for display on mobile devices.
Additionally, allocate extra resources to channels that are primarily consumed on mobile, such as social media content. Once you compile a digital mailing list, you can also use SMS messaging platforms to engage with voters, organize supporters, and keep your constituents in the loop of your campaign’s efforts.
Shift Away from Legacy Media
According to Gallup, only 36% of Americans have either a “fair amount” or “great deal” of trust in legacy media. For one reason or another, Americans simply do not have as much trust in traditional mass media sources as they used to.
While we are by no means suggesting you should ignore traditional media channels, you cannot rely on them as your primary form of outreach.
Instead, you should heavily invest in both social media and paid digital ads. This pair of channels can help you connect with individuals who actively avoid mainstream media. Also, consider connecting with smaller media platforms, including news podcasts, and use these channels to engage with micro audiences in key regions.
Prioritize Social Interactions
Speaking of social media, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have transformed into full-fledged political campaigning tools. As evidenced by the last two presidential election cycles, these platforms can have a huge impact on voters.
Both the Biden and Trump campaign teams demonstrated expert use of social media to share their own views and also draw attention to some of their competitor’s faults. Your campaign should follow suit by making social media channels an integral part of its strategy.
Get Real
Voters crave authenticity and passion. To accommodate this expectation, your candidate needs to be genuine and also sell their competitive differentiator. This simply means that they need to identify what makes them unique from other candidates and make that a central part of their campaign message.
Once your candidate has a clear view of what they bring to the table, they can make that a central part of every message. Of course, it is important to choose a theme or concept that will resonate with voters.
Address the Elephant in the Room
Political campaigns don’t have to devolve into a ruthless slugfest between candidates who despise each other. However, your campaign cannot ignore the opposition’s blemishes and shortcomings, either.
When planning your campaign, make sure to tastefully and truthfully address any skeletons in the opponent’s closet. Bringing these issues to light can help persuade voters to support your candidate while simultaneously drawing voters away from the other candidate.
With that being said, you must use caution — taking an ad too far can alienate voters, erode trust in your candidate, and undermine the integrity of the political race.
Don’t Neglect YouTube
YouTube is a powerful advertising tool. However, if your campaign only runs paid ads on YouTube, you are merely scratching the surface of the platform’s usefulness. Since the platform does not limit you to short 60-second videos, you can use YouTube as a forum for tackling complex, nuanced topics. You can even monetize these videos and turn them into a revenue generator for your campaign.
YouTube is also an excellent testing ground for social media and TV ads. You can run various ads on YouTube, gather feedback from viewers, and refine your content before purchasing expensive slots on primetime TV.
Know Your Audience
The most important trend in the current political ecosystem involves knowing your audience. This is by no means some new fad, as top candidates have always demonstrated a deep understanding of the needs and preferences of their constituents.
By learning more about who you are serving, you can present the right content to the appropriate audiences at the ideal time. You can segment your audiences based on their political preferences and other factors that impact how they vote and what issues they care about.
Most importantly, you can make every rally, ad, or other outreach initiative count, thereby increasing the chances of victory for your candidate.
Get the Data You Need with Aristotle
To embrace these trends, you must first take a deep dive into the minds of voters. Doing that requires high-quality data and lots of it. Enter Aristotle, the award-winning political data provider.
Aristotle serves a variety of entities within the political ecosystem, including campaigns, lawmakers, political consulting firms, trade associations, and many others. Our database includes hundreds of millions of consumer and voter files, which give you the insights you need to target your audience with curated, engaging content.
To learn more, contact Aristotle and schedule your demo.
