In today’s world, everything is done online.
Ten years ago no one could have ever predicted how much the
internet would impact our everyday lives. Banking, teaching, and even dating are
just a few examples of the things people are now doing more and more online.
Just like everything else, online campaigning has become a competitive strategy
for candidates. Nowadays there are tons of resources online to aide in your political
campaign.
Most local politicians lack the resources of those running a
“big” campaign. Candidates running for national offices usually have the luxury
of having their own website, run by staff members. This can be a hard thing to
replicate if you are the only person running your campaign. However, there are
plenty of free online tools that can help you win that election with little
effort on your part.
If you lack the knowledge of how to create a website, like
most of us, then start a blog. There are tons of user-friendly blogging
platforms out there. Create an ‘About’ page on there where people can learn
about who you are as a candidate and what your political views are. Try to put
up fresh content frequently. You can blog about your experiences and post
photos of those you meet on the campaign trail. This is a great way to interact
with your community and potential voters.
Use social media . You should at the least have a Facebook
fan page and Twitter account. Encourage everyone you meet to follow you on
there. Provide your Facebook info and Twitter handle on your campaign signs and bumper stickers.
Remind people to vote for you when it is the day of the election. Update your
fans and interact with them on these social sites. It helps others feel like
they know you a little better and find you relatable.
There are tons of social networking sites out there that can
help you with your campaign strategies. If you are imaginative enough to create
a viral video, you can reach thousands of people very quickly using YouTube.
This is a hard task to accomplish but you can gain a lot of votes and awareness
using very little means.
Promoting your campaign online can help assist those strategies
you are doing already. If you spend a lot on political signs but don’t have any
online presence, how do you expect people who pass by your signage to learn
about your candidacy?
Let’s say you pass by some candidate’s political signs and
you go home and Google that person to find nothing. You will likely forget all
about them. Now let’s say you find that candidate’s website. You read more
about their views. Then you find them on Facebook and see some of your friends
are fans of theirs. You would automatically be more inclined to vote for them,
right? Politicians running great campaigns are doing everything possible to gather
votes online as well as in public.
