Ten years ago, conventional wisdom dictated that, if you contacted a targeted voter six times, it was enough to earn their vote. That figure has escalated in each successive year and you will often hear political consultants say that you need to have ten or twelve touches with a targeted voter to convince them that… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Ben Donahower
2 Can’t Miss Elements of a Campaign Plan
Campaign Budget Political campaigns live and die by resources whether it’s time, people, or money. There are few ways that a campaign can more concretely outline their strategy and prioritize political tactics than in the budget. Is the campaign based on shoe leather, with an army of volunteers going door to door, or is it… Continue Reading
6 Indirect Voter Contact Strategies You Need To Know
While directly contacting voters is often times the most effective means to identify, persuade, and get out the vote, indirect voter contact methods also play a role in a political campaign. There are indirect tactics that increase candidate name recognition, persuade voters, and get out the vote. 1. Campaign Yard Signs Yard signs increase candidate… Continue Reading
3 Ways to Canvass and Save Time!
I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve gone canvassing and kicked myself because I had to walk back through blocks and blocks of houses that I already canvassed. What a waste of time! To eliminate this waste, spend a few minutes looking at your canvassing packet and figure out strategically how to go… Continue Reading
Candidate and Opposition Research in a Nutshell
It’s important to both understand your own candidate and the other candidate. Going through the process of candidate research and opposition research, gives campaigns the information that they need to help define the candidate’s message, craft attacks on the other candidate, and be prepared to respond to potential attacks against your own candidate just to… Continue Reading
3 Takeaways from Free Campaign eBook “Get Out the Vote to Win”
Ben Donahower is the co-author of the free GOTV ebook, Get Out the Vote to Win, and blogs about political lawn signs. Ben is an authority on marketing for political organizations. Get out the vote is perhaps the most exciting part of a political campaign. In the lead up to Election Day, there is excitement… Continue Reading
The Simple Way to Segment Voters
One aspect of targeting is understanding how likely a voter is to vote in the election and determining how the campaign will engage or not with each of. Use this model to understand what voters need your attention and how you need to frame your interaction: Segmenting Voters Always Vote Sometimes Vote Never Vote Your… Continue Reading
What Goes Into a Campaign Budget?
Have you ever watched one of the renovation shows on HGTV or DIY Network? I can be a bit of a numbers junkie, so one of the elements of those shows that I really enjoy is to see the breakdown of their budget, and, ultimately, if they come in under, on, over budget with their… Continue Reading