Whether you’re looking for ideas to promote yourself during a local election or a national one, there are multiple things you can do to set yourself apart from your competitors.
Let’s take a look.
Give away custom election stickers
There can be two things at play here. You can either give out custom stickers that say “Vote” or “I voted” to increase the turnout on the day of the election, or you can make your own stickers to promote what you stand for or your political party.
If you are an independent candidate or are new to the political scene, you have to invest in this type of personal branding and create memorable stickers so that you can spread the word.
Build your personal brand
A personal brand takes time. If you are looking to get elected, you have to start putting out content and your views on important matters.
What you say will resonate with your target audience and you will start to become known for your take. You also want to include some bits about the work you’re already doing if it is relevant or any volunteering experience that you partake in regularly.
Use Google and Facebook Ads
Social media and display ads can be a good way for you to get yourself in front of the right audience. You can easily set up targeted ads based on the location or other demographic details and make sure your ad is relevant.
Facebook offers the option to set up dynamic ads that basically can have different versions of the same ad that you can use to A/B test your messaging or set up to target different segments of your audience. Google ads are also versatile if you consider their ad network. You can have your ad displayed on various websites and apps.
Leverage the power of social media
If your target audience is Gen Z and millennials, then you have to get on social media. Social media is the easiest way to introduce yourself to the younger generation and position yourself as the person that gets the generation.
While you may not be comfortable using social media, you can hire a social media specialist that can walk you through the steps and create a strategy and execute it on your behalf. It can be pretty difficult to keep up with the algorithm changes, and an expert can help you navigate the confusion.
Try direct mailers
Based on your location, direct mailers can be a good idea. If you are in the US, most people still open their direct mail and look forward to receiving them. Create a direct mailer that speaks to your target audience and list down an action item. You can also include a QR Code to measure the effectiveness. All scans of the QR Code registered can be considered as engagement.
Have a proper website
A website that has your manifesto and your take on important issues is vital to promotion. You want to bring potential voters to your website so that they can understand what you stand for and engage with you on your website or on social media. You can also invest in SEO or search engine optimization so that your website shows up for election-related keywords. This is fairly easy or difficult, depending on your understanding of SEO. Again, it is best to hire an expert to help you out with it instead of taking it on yourself.
Leverage email marketing
A lot of people say that email marketing is dead, but that could not be further from the truth. Email marketing is still very much alive, and people read emails more now after the pandemic. This behavior might change, but email is going to be an integral part of communication.
You will need to experiment with subject lines to get more people to open your email and your messaging so that you get more engagement. But once you have the ball rolling, you can have access to establish a 1:1 communication line with potential voters.
Use beacons on lawn signs
A beacon is a small piece of hardware that transmits Bluetooth signals. When attached to a lawn sign, you can set up a range for the transmission. It can either be very small or large. Essentially, when someone passes by the lawn sign, they can receive a push notification that delivers information about you as a candidate or your campaign or include a call to action.
Beacon technology has been used in the past, but there is a lot of confusion around how it works and privacy. Beacons cannot be used to track people, but if you do have a database of people and your own app, interactions can be tracked. You should be very clear about the data you collect and what you intend to do with it.
Final thoughts
A combination of technology and good marketing can help you effectively promote yourself or your party or your candidate during an election.
