Where we are going

This is a sort of, where do we go from here post.

How do we take the information that we know, and the tools that we have to create the best campaign possible?

Trust the people.

Listen to your voting base, read the media about you (both the good and the bad), and ask your constitutes about their opinions. The largest part of your campaign is the people. The largest influencer of your campaign is the people. Everything is about the people that you will be serving.

It's not easy to lead a nation, or run a campaign, but if you listen to the people you will know how to best serve them. Your voters know what they are looking for, and you are the individual who are perfect to lead them.

As you craft your campaign, remember equality. Everyone is in, no on is out, no exception.

So I don't know the future of this blog, maybe we will transition into some other topics, but I do know that it is all about the people. And if you remember that, you will always win, no matter what position you are in.

(photo from The Southern Coalition for Social Justice) 

How to: Social Media

There is no debate that Gen Z knows how to use social media. We are the individuals who grew up during the age of the internet, and know how to use it to our advantage. Just look at the Parkland kids who created the March for Our Lives, the National Walkout and have amassed large followings through social media. Celebrities, politicians and everyday civilians have become a part of the Parkland campaign through social media. They promoted the hashtag #NeverAgain, inspiring young individuals everywhere to register to vote, and "vote them out."

So how do they do it? 

There are a couple of tricks and tools in order to be successful at social media, and draw the large audiences. 

1) Work across platforms: There is a litany of social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat, and every platform has a different role to play in the promotion of your campaign. Know the audience on each platform and work to strengthen your pull with that audience. Facebook is useful for large, longer posts to appeal to older individuals, while Twitter appeals to small, catchy messages which are witty and memorable for more college aged individuals. Do the same research and analyzing of other websites such as Snapchat and Instagram to ensure you appeal to your audience. 

2) Post every day: You want to continue to remind people about your campaign, whether it is political or a social activism campaign like the March for Our Lives. Don't let people forget about your message, and the plans you have. Elections and campaigns take months, and you should start early and continue to gain momentum as you get closer to election day. Increase the frequency of your posts as election day rolls around, keeping your name the first on people's minds. Your posts on social media is like placing signs in people's lawns, you want to be recognized and have people associate your name when they see it on the ballot. 

3) Post during busy times: There are specific times when it is most beneficial to post on social media. These are the times of the day when people check their phones, and are most likely to be on social media. Including: 

• 7-9am: This is when most individuals are getting up and preparing for work. For many people, the first thing they do when they wake up is look at their phone and scroll through Facebook or the news. You should wake up people with a post, and remind them YOU ARE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!
• 11-1pm: Lunch break. Office workers are getting their lunch break, teachers are getting a few moments of silence, and parents are feeding quiet children. This is the perfect moment for people to check their phones and catch up on the news, or their friends. Your posts should be there for their lunch break. 
• 5-7pm: People are getting off of work and taking a load off, and you want to post when they are mindlessly scrolling. Most individuals will be on their phones, or laptops from this time using social media. It's your job to have a post ready to catch their eye. 

4) Take advantage of trends and pictures: Use hashtags, pictures and other trends to promote your campaign across social media. Hashtags are catchy and memorable, pictures draw a reader in and trends ensure that you remain relevant. Large blocks of text are rarely read on social media, especially by young people unless you first catch their attention with a picture or some other method. 

5) Stay out of the fights: You can reply, you can respond and debate, but never stoop low enough to be a social media troll, or a bully. Don't use social media to "callout" other candidates. You have to be above the basic traps of social media which draw users to fights which no one wins.

(photo from The Lantern)

The New Frontier

In 2018 the digital world reigns, and technology is a daily part of our lives. Millions of people are on websites like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, with more joining everyday. With the high concentrations of people on these sites, it is imperative that your social media is impeccable as a candidate.

Most of us have heard of President Trump’s twitter account and we are aware of both the praise and the backlash that he has received because of it. His tweets immediately go viral, and millions of people wait to see what he says next. After the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal, individuals feared for the security of their data. Even now an ongoing investigation is looking into ties with a Russia meddling in the 2016 election through Facebook.

No matter your political stance, it is clear that social media is a huge influencer and it’s pull is only growing. According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of Americans (67%) report that they get at least some of their news from social media. Two in ten individuals say they do it often. For the first time, more than half of older Americans use social media to read and hear about the news. There is a large group of individuals on social media waiting to hear what Facebook or Twitter says about the world, and you as a candidate.

These next few posts we will look at how to build a positive social media presence, including building support, keeping yourself out of the gossip and how to use the Internet to your advantage. The world is changing and technology ensures that the way we campaign must follow that change.

Don’t be left behind.

(photo credit to the Houston Defender)

New Supports

No one has unlimited resources. While you want everyone to feel included in your campaign, it is unrealistic, and impossible to target every individual. When you are campaigning, you need to choose your audience, and focus on certain groups of individuals.

Every party has a base of voters. Those are the individuals who rarely vote outside of the party lines, and are unlikely to vote for an opposing candidate. Wellstone tells us that what we want to focus on is growing out base. Increase the amount of people who vote for you every time, the voters who are likely to stay with you throughout your Presidency, and then later through reelection.

The split for individuals (according to Wellstone) is normally:
40% Supporters 20% Undecided and 40% Opposed

Your goal is to focus first on those Undecided. Look specifically at new voters, and the individuals who are looking for a party to support, and an candidate to endorse. This includes: young/first time voters, new Americans, communities who normally do not come out to vote, sporadic voters, and states where released felons can vote.

These people are looking for someone who includes them, and appeals to their needs. We've talked about inclusion a lot, and this is where you put that equality based focus in the spotlight.

In the next post, we will focus on how we include and grow our New Supports.

Expand the base.

Learning Language

We need to talk about words.

How we use words, and the words we choose is incredibly important. My debate coach asks for definitions, and makes us define the terms we use before we are ever allowed to put them in our speeches. You should never use a word you don't intend the full meaning, especially when you are running for office.

You've heard politicians speak using "buzzwords." Buzzwords are terms that are meant to connect to emotional responses, yet are vague enough that they aren't admitting more than they want.

Common political buzzwords include:

Freedom, Deficit, Patriotism, Epidemic, Disaster, etc...

Each of these words is vague enough that they can mean something different for every individual, yet convey an emotional response for people. 

When you are writing a speech, whether it is a campaign speech, or an acceptance speech, you have the ability to choose specific words. Don't throw that opportunity away.

American author Margaret Noonan once said, "A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep! A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of a heart."

In short, when you speak, you have the ability to transform minds and hearts, to compel individuals to feel things. Through your speeches, you should convey everything we have discussed, reaching out and inviting the audience to listen.

Let's look at a few words that spur community.

OUR: when you invite individuals (remember it's all about the invitation) use words that join them to you. OUR is reminding them that you are a part of their community. This draws the connection and reminds people that you are not above, or someone that's detached from reality.

THEIR/YOUR: when you are speaking about yourself as an elected official, THEIR is another word that connects you. Your job is to serve them, and be a voice for them, and when you establish yourself as THEIR elected official, you remind people that you recognize your position, and the responsibility that comes with it.

GIVEN: when speaking about your opportunities, and the ability to stand before people and ask for their vote, be mindful that it is a gift. Running for office has high costs, both financial and time wise. Keep yourself humble, and recognize that you have been GIVEN the opportunity to run for office.

ALL: this is along the same lines as OUR. You want to connect yourself, and put yourself in the position to be relatable, and a member of the crowd. This is also a term that allows you to speak to everyone, and elevate equality. Remember: "Everyone is in, no one is out, no exceptions."

Now get out there and use your words to build connections, spur relationships and get elected!

(photo by TeachingEnglish)

Audience First

So now you have a message. You have your base, and you know what you stand for. So what's next?

Now, put that message to the side, and let's focus on the audience.

Your audience, voters and constitutes are the most important thing in your entire campaign, and during your term. Everything you do should be for the people who put you in office. They vote you in, and they can certainly vote you out. 

As we carefully craft our message, and our campaign remember to put your audience first. We talked about how a campaign message is a conversation, and how inclusivity is key... your conversation is focused on your audience. 

Choose something that resonates with your audience, and invite them into the conversation. Don't ever talk at, speak with. Don't alienate people, and don't speak down to people. When we invite individuals in, they are equal. Politicians are not above the rest of the world. They are not untouchable, and they are meant to serve the people. 

Go to what is important to people. Learn their values, what they find a key issue, and connect with them on that level. Your message is crafted to them, now is the time when you use that message to build trust, establish relationships and lead them along on your journey. 

As politicians, the goal is to better the lives of the people who voted for you. They trust you with their lives. 

(Photo credit to MarketKeep)

Making the Message

Now that you've decided to campaign, you need to choose a message.

First, let's look at the differences between a slogan and a campaign message. The most significant difference is the depth of the message. A slogan is quick, catchy phrase, but a campaign message appeals to a more complex story of what you believe.

Slogan: "a short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising. (a motto associated with a political party or movement or other group)" 

Short and Sweet. "Putting People First"- Bill Clinton 1992

A message is the core of your campaign, and according to Wellstone, should feel like a conversation with your voting base.

Your message should effectively tie up your views, explain your platform and give voters a base idea of who you are and what you stand for. 

Your message needs to do a couple of things, and get a couple of key points across: 

1- Credibility: your message needs to promote your believability, and the trustworthiness of your campaign. Promote yourself as a credible person who is both relatable, and factually correct. Trust is a very important part of a voters decision, and your message needs to project trust and promote credibility. 

2- Clear: make sure that your message is free from jargon, and confusing language. Buzzwords are important, but too many buzzwords make a message fake, and jumbled. Slogans are quick and to the point, and messages must also make an understandable point. If your message is not clear, then you leave yourself up to misinterpretation which is always dangerous when you are running for politics. 

3- Contrasting: you need to be unique, and set yourself apart from the other candidates, both your party and the other. You need to present ideas that are different, your own and distance yourself from past candidates. Always allow your own personality to be the central part of your message and allow voters to see you as a relatable individual. 

Once you develop your message, share it everywhere. Send out campaign promotion mail, post daily on social media, hang posters and yard signs, give speeches and host rallies, use the Internet, tv, radio and newspapers to promote your message. This conversation needs to be spread, focus on your voting base, then branch out. Your voters need to be invited to this conversation. 

You've planned your message. Now introduce it to your voters. 

Image credits to:  (openbooksopenhearts) and (Catalyst Market Austin)