To impact immediate change and get high votes, politicians, have to determine some key messaging as well as agree on how success is measured. Right from there you will strategize. As some politicians are the experts on defense or others on health care, hardly any person that is versed in all. For this reason, they have got the teams that will help them to research as well as formulate opinions. The same strategy must be used when you are structuring political campaigns. Try to all your strengths and do not get afraid to ask experts for their views opinions. Just, think and act like a brand.
Suppose any politician asked me ever, as the data campaign expert, what is the best way to prepare for an upcoming 2020 election cycle, I will start the basics:
- Television Stays Dominant Media for Political Campaigns.
Spending can continue to increase the political campaigns. Around $5B was used in the 2018 election cycle and $1B of this in digital space, and it does not look to be less momentum going in 2020. The sentiment is that dollars should be spent in a diligent way; however, they are still spent. And TV will remain to be the biggest part of this spends, primarily because that is what many campaigns are used for buying and are comfortable in such space. Making use of TV makes a little sense to reach the local targets, however, use this strategically. Get data you want to know your targets and play ads in the concert with many campaign touchpoints, which includes digital and print.
- Importance of Social Media But Not Rightly Understood by Campaigns
Digital is very important, however, there is a belief that more education has to happen for the marketers to know what they are buying. Influencers like David Urban can make use of Social media is a very good way to reach out to the right audience. Committees do not have training on media buying or spending, so they generally do not to try some new things. Social is essential, with YouTube and Facebook being the most important piece of digital buy. It includes Facebook Live that continues to disrupt our television space. As the Social changes, campaigns have to adapt—at times the right pace that campaigns have to move.
- Saying & Spraying Digital vs. TV.
Data—targeting is an important part that has to be included in a marketing buy in the most robust way. TV appears like saying & spraying, where the digital opportunities allow candidates to target the audiences and deliver the strong message that speaks about them when opposed to the generic approach. Creative & content must reflect the audience that you want to reach that is more adaptable in this digital space.
- Political Branding Behind the Times
There’s the general sentiment that the Political & Advocacy campaigns are lagging behind the times. Every cycle brings in the new people, and where learning curve for creating & delivering the message to the candidate is fast. It will be interesting if political space can mirror this marketing campaigns of the brand marketers, and where they look in the integrated approach of the tactics or spend that is actually paced as per the goals of a candidate, and much in the same way the brand does—consideration, awareness, and their vote.
- Time flies, act it now.
Candidates are declaring their goal to run for the President in 2020. There is the difference between the House of Representatives, and with some newly elected officials providing lessons to the colleagues on using the social media campaigns to impact the change. Now, we are less than 2 years away from the 2020 election, and when this Presidential race gets crowded with the career politicians or newcomers alike, we’re assured of just one thing—it is going to be the fierce battle.
Conclusion
It is the right time for the politicians and their social campaigns to think not just about what the message is, but how you can push this in a way advocates do. In order, to impact the change, and get maximum votes, pick your objective, know your success measure, and use data for getting there. You need to play to your maximum strengths and do not get afraid to ask experts for the advice.