Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapters
01 - The Candidate
02 - The Staff

Chapter One

Electronic Campaigning

The age of electronic campaigning has not replaced the old methods nor will it ever; it simply enhances your ability to get out your message. Remember that technology is constantly improving while new ways of applying existing technology are developing at an even faster rate. Taking advantage of new media and tools will give you the edge over your opponent.

Tele-campaigning and email blasts are not as effective as walking precincts and personal appearances by the candidate. People want to be asked for their vote from a person they can relate to. The human touch can cause people to vote across party lines; these swing voters will also influence their friends and family. Electronic campaigning cannot compete with “shaking babies and kissing hands”. However, electronic campaigning can get your name out and give people information about you that sound bits and stump speeches can not provide.

One of the first things you should do before you declare your candidacy is to buy the domain name for your website. I use godaddy.com, but there are several other services available; you should ask your webmaster if they have a preference. Remember to put everything in your name, paid for with your credit card. You do not want anyone else to have legal claim to your website.

You will want to make sure you have an adequate computer, a broadband connection and the ability to update the website quickly. The webmaster should train others to edit the website to assure the latest updates are uploaded in a timely manner.

The website should feature a photo of you and your family, a blog spot, an endorsements page, a volunteer signup form, a contacts page, photo galleries, a calendar of appearances, video feeds, an “about the candidate” page and a donations page connected to a merchant account.

Because the campaign website address will be printed on everything, you should spend some time with your webmaster to assure the website is attractive to the eye and provides the visitor with answers to all of their questions. You should visit several other candidate websites to get a good idea of what works well and what does not.

The “about the candidate” page must include professional looking photos of the candidate, a well-written biography, a platform with at least 3 issues and an email address for the candidate. Messages to the candidate can be replied to with cut and paste responses, by the campaign manager or by the candidate himself. You should have at least one volunteer record each speech and public appearance and make these videos available on the website. Pod-casting and online interviews will also give the voters more “virtual” access to the candidate.

You may also wish to add a page with a district map divided into precincts, designed for precinct Captains to give updates on their progress. This will give your Prescient Director the information needed to allocate volunteers and plan a precinct strategy. Prescient sheets should be accessible to the Prescient Captains through the website.

Virtual Campaigning: It’s a good idea to have a “virtual campaign” page which will allow people to help out from home. Registered users would have access to phone lists, walk sheets (and contact information for the Prescient Captains), blog links, “letters to the editor” instructions and updated information on crew assignments. Most of the last minute instructions for the cardboard crew will be posted here.

You can have trusted online volunteers call Republican voters from home, supplementing the phone crews. They can also post positive articles on blogs using the Web Log link send campaign email to voters. This page is also a good place to posts messages and schedules for the volunteers.

Each online volunteer would have a user name, password, permission to post blogs and a limited email account. Online Volunteers should be screened in person before they are given full access to this page. If you are unable to do this for some reason, the same goals can be temporarily achieved by using Myspace.com or a similar online community.

Some political consultants swear by email campaigns for fundraising, “Get Out The Vote” efforts and press alerts. However, email campaigns are never as effective as the projected numbers suggest. The promise of thousands of voters seeing your message assumes more than five percent of the people that receive your letter will forward it. Then you must believe that the people they forward it to live in your district and will forward it to ten more people in your district. Most people are sick of being forwarded email and may delete it without opening it. This is also why direct mail is ineffective.

Email campaigns will give your volunteers something to do, but they do not become effective until the candidate has name recognition. Most voters have almost no idea who represents them, what lawmakers do or where they stand on the issues. If you want to increase the success of an email campaign, you must write a subject line that will get the attention of most of the people that read it. People care about issues not parties; use an issue in the subject line that your district cares about. All press releases should be emailed out to the contact lists.

Press releases should be posted on the website first to prevent any creative editing by the opposition. There are many online press release services that will help you get your message out to the public. Press releases should be sent to one of these services, your media list and volunteer email list at the same time. Encourage your people to repost, forward and amplify the press releases. Your media director should create three email lists in cooperation with the volunteer coordinator; one of just media contacts, one of just volunteers and one of local Republican organization contacts and donors.

You will want to build a database of people that vote in your district. All volunteer forms, donation envelopes and website fields should include an email address and phone number. Email alerts are an effective tool for announcing events, get out the vote reminders, volunteer recruitment and, to a lesser degree, fundraising. Email addresses and other personal information should remain private and should never be sold to a third party or used for profit.

Blogs: Also known as web logs are Sites that allow members to post articles, press releases or discussion topics. Other members read these posts and reply with questions or comments. Only volunteers with blogging experience should be asked to post anything about the campaign, but those with less experience can comment, bump or ping others. “Bump” is what bloggers post as a comment when they think the message should be at the top of the subject list, so others will see it. A “Ping” is sent to other registered users to alert them about the post.

Blogs are a good place to put out a complete message and gage what different groups think about it. Many Blogs cater to specific interests groups or political parties. Your Webmaster and Research Director should list the blogs in these segregated categories.

Political Ads: In small districts, music radio and broadcast television ads are a waste of money. Ads on talk radio may bring donations, volunteers and slightly boost your name recognition, but they have little chance of reaching the undecided voter in your district. The best and most focused media campaign for your district may be cable television.

Cable television companies can target specific areas of your district and allow you to reach key demographics. You can create different ads to be run in targeted areas at specific times; the best part is, you choose the channels or shows you want to advertise on. Your Media Director should plan out an ad strategy best suited to your campaigns needs.

Video ads must mention the candidates name no less than three times and give the viewer at least two reasons to vote for the candidate. Avoid stunts, embarrassing costumes, negative campaigning or overtly partisan attacks in the first set of ads. These tactics are for the desperate and scandal ridden, which is not how you want to be perceived. Make sure that all images, scripts, recordings and copies remain the intellectual property of the candidate.

If you make a political ad, make sure you do it right. Radio ads require appropriate music, a professional sounding announcer and a clear, confident candidate with a concise message. A video ad also requires a camera crew, good lighting, makeup and location permits. Information about filming permits can be obtained at city hall. If you cannot afford to hire a professional production company, look for film or video production students willing to work for a copy of the ads, credit for working on it and meals during production.

If the opposition uses attack ads, answer them immediately with dignity and covey to your opponent that these tactics are beneath you both. If this fails and your campaign is suffering as a result, you can choose to ignore it or sling mud. Mud slinging will always come back and bite you someday; this is not how you want to start your political career. A candidate should avoid defaming anyone in public.

On the other hand, if your opponent wants to play hardball, there are ways to score without ever having to come to bat. The type of person that would run a dirty campaign has made enemies before. If your opponent is an incumbent, or held political office before, they will have a voting record and lots of former friends. Make sure you have the facts straight before you use any information your people gather.

Get your trusted bloggers to defend you with facts only; it will do you no good if they are posting untrue crap. You can also get friendly organizations to attack your opponent on their record and scandals. The important thing is to be perceived as taking the high ground while others “voice their concerns” about your opponent. Do not get directly involved in attacking your opponent.