With mid-term elections approaching in November, political campaigns and candidates are searching for new and effective ways to communicate with their constituents. A candidate or party’s reputation can significantly impact the election’s outcome, and a well-thought-out political marketing strategy can help a candidate gain votes and achieve their goal.
12 Political Marketing Strategies in 2021
Here are some of the most common and effective political marketing strategies in 2021.
1. Television Marketing
Running an ad campaign on TV is one of the most efficient political marketing strategies. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the money spent for TV ads during the mid-term will soar to $9 billion. The use of TV ads allows you to get your message in front of millions of people at once, and you can use the promotional marketing to build a positive self-image.
2. Negative Marketing
Negative campaigning against an opponent remains of the most effective strategies in modern-day politics. Political candidates create ads that highlight the shortcomings of their opponents in an attempt to sway voters. These negative ads bring attention to the opponent’s past failures or supposed incompetence. In some unfortunate cases, the negative ad campaigns can become cut-throat and use dirty approaches, but when appealing to the emotions of the voters they can be effective.
3. Direct Mailing
While we are living in an era of social media marketing, direct-mailing continues to be one of the most effective political marketing strategies of all time. Direct mailing, including fliers, is a preferred medium to target older voters. This marketing strategy can help candidates and parties create a detailed message for the voters.
4. Fundraising
Organizing a fundraising event can help political candidates raise public awareness about their manifestos while soliciting donations. For instance, Facebook is one of the major platforms in 2021 to run fundraising and political ad campaigns. Fundraising on social media can help your campaign in the long run.
Apart from running a Facebook political ad campaign, many candidates can request donations via secure links posted on their social media profiles, including bios links on Instagram and Twitter accounts.
5. Digital Branding
The Internet serves as a platform with as much outreach as a politician can think of in 2021. This domain provides a myriad of options to the candidates to build their personal brand awareness. Creating a detailed website can help provide voterswith in-depth insight into your views and the issues you support.
From website to social media platforms, tweets and posts, to live webinars and sessions, there are numerous ways to spread the word and establish a brand for yourself that voters identify with.
The rise of social networks has also empowered politicians and parties to not only reach potential voters but target them specifically. This means you can now target your message towards voters based on their age, gender, education, location, profession, etc. This is something you can do on most social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
6. Data is the King
The one-size-fits-all rule does not work in politics anymore. Political candidates must let the data do all the talking for decision-making. Just like marketing strategies for any other industry, politics rely on data, numbers, and analysis of voters’ behavior, needs, and wants.
Reaching your voters requires tools, experience, and data along with the right marketing medium. It is specifically important for political candidates to reach and capture swing voters. This is where the blend of data and political marketing strategies will thrive in 2021.
7. Ads with a Human Touch
As a politician, you must appeal to the voter’s values and needs while establishing an emotional connection with them. For this, your political marketing strategies in 2021 must incorporate a human touch in the messaging. A smartly targeted message that your voters can identify with will help win you their trust and attention.
You can incorporate this strategy into all political content, including flyers, print media, and town hall speeches. Consistency can make a significant difference in tilting the opinion of the voters in your favor.
8. Live Engagement with the Public
Live videos, webinars, and communication have taken the political world by storm. Live streams on social media platforms and websites can now act as an alternative to a traditional advertisement and news broadcast. Live videos or video messages allow politicians to create and broadcast their own news. Furthermore, they can engage with their audience for Q&A sessions in real-time. Many politicians can be seen live streaming on Instagram and Facebook to interact with their constituents – both supporters and non-voters alike. However, the trick is to encourage meaningful conversation, rather than just talking at the voters.
9. Fact-Check Before Publishing
Checking facts for accuracy can help build a credible image amongst the voters. Whether running a political ad campaign on print media, social media, or television, there is no room for error. The slightest mistake can result in an opponent using this as a chance to blame you for misinformation.
10. Target Young Voters
Young voters can be easily overlooked, but this age group can make a huge impact on your campaign. You can use various political digital platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram to attract Gen Z voters within your constituencies. More and more governors, senators, and congress-people are investing in social media marketing. This was especially seen during the 2020 Democratic Primary where political candidates used TikTok and Snapchat as part of their political marketing strategies. Instagram stories allow you to vet your questions privately while posting answers publicly to followers, resulting in more thoughtful and strategic responses.
The best part is that you can use the same ad campaign and post it across multiple platforms. This cross-posting feature will allow you to save both time and money and reach a maximum number of voters.
11. A Non-Partisan Post Never Harms Anyone
While politics and elections are a cut-throat business, you can always find time for a little bit of positivity and adopt a non-partisan approach. While the divide between candidates is quite apparent, an unbiased, non-self serving, positive message can be a breath of fresh air.
A positive story can serve as one of the effective political marketing strategies to give your voters a much-needed break from the heavy debates and discussions. Consider some positive content to publish every now and then purely for voters’ benefits can be an uplifting approach. Inspirational local stories or a warm message for a holiday celebration for all the constituents, irrespective of their political affiliations,can be a great way to connect with all people regardless of political affiliation.
12. Learn, Adapt, Repeat
Political marketing in the COVID-19 era is new ground for everyone. What’s important is to collect data from the current election campaign and past ones and use it to your advantage in the next one. The trick is to learn from the data, adopt the changes, and execute for better results. It’s a continuous cycle, so you must never stop learning. Teaming up with political marketers can help you gather and understand the data so you can tailor your marketing strategy to reach target audiences and customize your message.
Plan Your Campaign Today
Running a tight political ad campaign can be a challenge. However, campaign management and data collection is easy when you have the best tools. Aristotle is a leader in political data, consulting, and software solutions. Contact us today to learn how we can help you improve your campaign strategy.
