How to run a political campaign

We're obsessed with how to run a political campaign in the best way possible. For that reason we talk to our customers all the time about what works, what doesn't, and how to make sure you know the difference between the two!

We were lucky enough to get feedback from some of our wonderful users and find out exactly what worked over this difficult election year.

Hashtags Are Your Friends

Think of it as a large umbrella covering all the feedback you have attained through campaigning.

Example: #HousingCrisis = This encapsulates all the issues pertaining to housing issues in your area when you include the appropriate hashtag. #Greendale = all issues concerning Greendale. It’s a neat way of circumventing all the tasks involved in your campaign.

Keep Surveys Short

Our attention span is short and our time is precious. Do yourself a favor and keep the questionnaires short and straight forward.

Use The Reception Rating In Multiple Ways

The Ecanvasser 5 star rating system is multifunctional. We have had numerous campaigns use it to measure Candidate support from ‘not at all’ to ‘100% supporter’. Other campaigns use it to measure the general reception at the door, going from cold reception to warm. If you are focused on fundraising you may want to use this to measure the likelihood of a person donating.

Say Yes To Webinars

Campaigning has never been more interactive so the same should be said for your training. The vast majority of times your campaign team will be spread across a large area and the easiest way to connect with them all will be through webinars.

Use The Chat Box

At Ecanvasser, we pride ourselves on providing stellar support. Using our chat box is the best way to get answers and it's great to be able to touch base with our users in a more relaxed manner.

Not Around? No Problem

The ability to work remotely is a life saver for many campaign managers. While they want to be able to oversee all the work being done on the ground, they may be needed out of state or on a different project. Using Ecanvasser means you can login anywhere, at any time and still be up to date with the canvassing or constituency work, it also allows you to delegate and let's be honest, who doesn’t love a bit of delegation.

Talking Points, Yes Please

These guys have come to the rescue on countless occasion this year going by our user's feedback. Having pre-organised talking points is a great resource to have because not all your canvassing opportunities may take place at the door. If you need to refresh your memory at the last minute, you simply need to click on the app and revise.

Knock Early, Knock Always

It beggars belief that some campaigns still pay such little attention to the importance of canvassing. It’s never too early to start because talking to people and knocking on doors should be an ongoing task anyway. Engaging with the public is an excellent way of staying on top of the communities mood. Get out early, or maybe never stop!

Set Up A Pledge Custom Field

There are so many wasted chances when it comes to getting your constituents to do more than verbally commit to voting for you. Setting up a Pledge custom field is a great way to track all the people who promised you a vote and it also put the onus back on the citizen to follow through on what they committed to.

Custom Fields Are Invaluable

Not all elections are straightforward and each campaign has its own agenda. This is why there is no substitute for custom fields. After we released this feature earlier in the year, we couldn’t believe how positive the reception was and it made us question why we hadn’t done it sooner. Custom fields allows camapigns to gather specific information at the door relevant to the campaign they are working on.

Drive Supporters Into Your Team

Aside from Presidential campaigns, most teams are made up of close friends, relatives and neighbors. It’s about time we started recruiting people who identify with your agenda and put them to work. Many times people just want to be asked and they often oblige by offering to lend a hand. It often works well for the public to see your campaign team growing because it shows that people are prepared to row in behind you for a reason.

E-day Management Is Crucial

Finishing the race strong is the ultimate goal. Getting your GOTV operation in order, perhaps poll striking is within your remit, all these tasks are done at the final hour so no stone is left unturned. When the votes are all tallied you don’t want to be surprised by the results because you had your homework done.

If you would like to know more about the best way to campaign in 2018, why not sign up below.

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