Welcome!
Making a Good impression
Political campaigns are not unlike marketing campaigns for conventional consumer products. While it's important to have a good product to sell in both situations, political campaigns are usually shorter in duration so the window of opportunity to make these seven impressions is usually of shorter duration.How to Get Elected Even if Nobody Knows You
Many first-time candidates face a real conundrum: they aren’t well known, and without tons of money, they won’t get well known. But without being well known, they can’t raise lots of money, and they themselves aren’t rich. What’s a candidate to do? Are there ways to get elected as a first time candidate even if you’re starting with zero name recognition?
The answer, in many elections, is yes… there are ways to get well known and win campaigns on a tight budget. But in these campaigns, what the candidate and campaign lack in money they will have to make up in hard work and shoe leather. Think you’re up to the challenge? Here’s the plan:
1. Meet with the Big Boys (and Girls)
The first step is to meet with they key political leaders in your party (in your area) – from the top (elected officials, county chairpeople, etc.) all the way down to the bottom (committeepeople, key volunteers, etc.). Let them know you are running. Tell them why you are running, and ask for their support. If (when) they say “I can’t support you right now,” ask them to keep an open mind, and let them know you’ll be staying in touch with them. (Getting involved in your local party is also a great idea. For more information read: How to Get Involved with Your Local Political Party).
Political Fundraising 101
By Joe Garecht (www.LocalVictory.com)
No one in politics likes fundraising. Candidates would rather be shaking hands and giving policy speeches, and campaign managers would rather design messages, target grassroots efforts and buy TV spots than worry about how much that event tomorrow is going to raise or what numbers the campaign will show on the next finance report.
While fundraising isn’t most people’s favorite activity in politics, it is a necessary endeavor. Without fundraising, there wouldn’t be money to spend on events, staff, TV ads or brochures. Raising money is the first thing every campaign should do, and everyone on the campaign team, from the candidate down to the interns, should be keenly aware of the importance of the campaign’s fundraising activities.
Before jumping in to your own political fundraising efforts, here are four basic principles you must understand and master:
1. Fundraising Isn’t Evil, Yucky, or Beneath You
Lots of people in politics want to “take the high road,” and avoid fundraising. I can’t tell you how many candidates I’ve talked to over the past decade that have told me, “I want to focus on the issues, and we’ll hire staff and consultant s to raise our money.” The reason those candidates say that is because they think that fundraising is dirty, slimy, or beneath their dignity.
Using Social Media in Your Campaign
Ten years ago, the hottest thing in political campaigns was the Internet. Political consultants and candidates touted the promise of the Internet and e-mail in changing the face of campaigns. As with most innovations, proponents of web-based campaigning oversold the medium, suggesting that, within a year or two, campaigns would raise most of their money, and spend much of their time, exclusively online.
While those pundits were wrong about the Internet ending fundraising direct mail, in-person grassroots campaigning, and huge amounts of candidate travel, they were right about one thing: the Internet did eventually change the way candidates campaign. This fact was most evident in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, where the candidates raised vast sums of money online (but still raised most of their money offline) and had major web presences and online grassroots communities (yet still did the majority of their campaigning on TV and in person around the country). (For more info on successfully using the Internet in your campaign, read How to Find Political Success on the Internet).
