Going door-to-door is the best way to reach voters because it gives them a chance to learn more about our candidate. The purpose of talking to voters is to persuade them to support our candidate and identify if they are favorable, unfavorable or undecided.   

If someone has a question you can’t answer, write it on a question card and give it to the volunteer coordinator. If the registered voter was unable to come to the door but gave the information to someone else, mark them as N/A. If no one was home, leave the literature at the door and mark N/A.

Safety is most important. If walking into an unknown neighborhood, it is best to do so with a partner and switch contact information. The candidate wants to be in comfortable attire.

It is important to return the list and the Block Walking Tally Sheet to the campaign office so that the information can entered into the database.

To learn more on how to run a successful campaign, you can purchase your own jumpstart kit here.

Photo Credit: 

By Molly Theobald for the alfcio2008- PA: Working American Voter ID and Persuasion

Working America Field Manager Dave Ninehouser at a Working America member’s door

CC 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

 

 

A candidate needs to have name recognition with voters. Campaigns distribute literature and make the candidate’s name as visible as possible. There are numerous marketing materials that campaigns can use: Door hangers, campaign stickers, yard signs, brochures, name tags, business cards, banners, and bumper stickers. Each type has a specific role in marketing the candidate.

Door hangers are convenient to leave on front doors and gates. Although they are a bit more pricier, they are less likely to be blown away. Fliers are less expensive and can be put on door jambs or behind screen doors.

Campaign stickers help in distinguishing a campaign volunteer from a person who is trying to sell something. Residents who see those with campaign stickers are more likely to open their doors to them.

Yard signs help increase the recognition of a candidate and shows how much public support the candidate has. With the resident’s permission, yard signs must be placed accordingly with local ordinances. Place a yard sign in the front yard but not in the public right-of-way. You want to make sure they are easily viewable. If a volunteer were to run out of signs, they can mark the names of those who want yard signs. There are two types of yard sign stakes- wooden stakes and metal wires. Those with metal wires are easiest to mount on the ground but cost a little more. Those with wooden stakes are cheaper but are harder to mount, need extra support, like a rubber mallet and will need more physical exertion.

Brochures or palm cards help convey information on who you are and why you are running. A campaign brochure should have the following information: candidate’s biography, policy priorities, campaign contacts and voting dates. Brochures are folded cards with a number of panels with pictures, logo, and text. Palm cards are mini brochures and are less costly.

Large signs are an effective way to increase name identification and to remind voters of the election. They have to be tied to a metal stake and will require tools to remove. Be sure to remove large signs soon after the election or you could possibly be fined.

Name Tags will easily help in identifying candidates at events. Wearing a nametag that has your name and the office you are seeking can help people remember to formally recognize you in front of groups or alert people who will introduce themselves and strike up a conversation.  Candidates may want to spend a little on campaign business cards rather than passing a business card out from their job.

Banners can instantly turn a plain room into a festive campaign event. Bumper stickers can be seen by many, but many of those will not be voters.

To learn more on how to run a successful campaign, you can purchase your own jumpstart kit here.

Having a campaign website will further brand you as a public figure and help convey your message. A good campaign website may help in public support if it educates people on your campaign goals and qualifications, encourages people to volunteer with your campaign and facilitate online contributions from donors.

A domain is a unique name to identify an address on the internet. A good domain name will identify your campaign, be short, easy to spell and easy to remember. Purchasing a domain from a company that also offers a variety of web services could make the management of your web and social media campaigns much easier.

Campaign websites have shifted from the patriotic look to a reflection of the candidate’s personality. When choosing a website template, a few features that should be considered are fundraising tools, social media links and feed, and design.

Styles of coding, sound effects, and text have to be taken into consideration when designing a campaign website. Organization of website content is critical in launching an easy to navigate, readable website. The homepage is the most important and should include items like time sensitive information.

 

To learn more on how to run a successful campaign, you can purchase your own jumpstart kit here.

Photo Credit: 

By OTA images www.tradingacademy.com, CC 2.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Hubspot is offering over 450 free royalty-free photos. They include 75 photos of people, 160 business-themed and 250 holiday-themed photos. These can be used for your political campaign website, social media page or print media. Enter your email address to get the link and download the photos.