The difference between a winning political candidate and a losing political candidate… is usually the marketing strategy that identifies the right data and mobilizes an organized Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) campaign.
The election of 2024 isn’t about policy, impressions, clicks, publicity, personality, billboards, or signs… it’s about mobilizing the voter selected, targeted to get one more vote than your opponent.
Having worked for candidates, political advocacy organizations, and fundraising campaigns for over 30 years, I can tell you that today’s winning candidate uses the most advanced strategies and tactics.
Today’s political marketing is more advanced in marketing tools and strategies than traditional D2C and B2B marketing.
Winning candidates don’t need more money – they need to use money wisely.
I’ve worked with candidates without the financial resources who outmatched their opponents.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton had $1.4 billion, while Trump had $957.6 million. Trump should have lost.
But President Trump won in 2016 largely because he marketed smart, with a targeted database of select voters and advanced marketing/advertising – an integrated multichannel campaign all tied to a Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) in the key swing states.
Much has changed since 2016 – including the development of more sophisticated marketing strategies.
But multiple election races prove more money is not an indicator of success or failure. It’s how you allocate the money.
Let me give you an example of an underfunded candidate able to outperform the “experts” predictions.
I helped a congressional candidate run a powerful marketing campaign with breakthrough success with less than $125,000.
He ran against two well-known candidates, each spending over $1.5 million, against the Republican establishment… and had no name recognition.
Who wins the election today?
- It’s not about money.
- It’s not about the quality or looks of the candidate.
- It’s not even about party registration.
What wins is who better uses a formula that produces more votes for less cost.
We used a winning formula that is transforming politics and winning elections for a conservative candidate… the same formula used by progressives and socialists to win their races.
The new formula: Money + Advanced Data Collection + Microtargeted Messaging + GOTV = Victory.
The foundation of guerilla political marketing is that they have the best-customized database and mobilize it.
Here are 7 key strategies used to achieve the impossible:
#1. A powerful targeted database,
The targeted database of identifying issue-oriented supporters became the key to success.
Selecting a hot topic – crime, homelessness, tax increase, child indoctrination – issues relevant to targeted voters, driving passionate people to sign a petition on a hot topic, and then collecting their names and information to raise up volunteers, donors, and most importantly, voters. When we did this, we also found 30-40% of the petition signers were not registered to vote. The campaign immediately registered them and included them on GOTV.
#2. Targeted Landing Page.
For this campaign, there were four key “hot issues” we identified. Each with its own petition. The start of this data-driven campaign was the landing page.
The prospective voters for the candidate were brought to a landing page to sign a powerful petition.
One of the petitions, in this one, focused on the “Stop Ban the Bible” bill in California… By signing the petition, our candidate could follow up on the petition’s signers, gaining support from the candidate’s target voter base of pro-freedom, pro-religious liberty voters.
The petition was building on the #1 topic of interest to the voter… a topic they are motivated about.
#3. Strategic Digital and Social Advertising.
Potential voters for the campaign were driven to this petition page through a digital and social advertising campaign that featured a powerful video with recognizable names for the target market.
For example, we asked well-known Evangelical leaders for a video supporting the candidate for the microtargeted Christian market.
With a script, we provided Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Crusade, Pastor Matthew Barnett of the Dream Center, and others.
Brad Dacus, President of the Pacific Justice Institute, spoke from his own personal viewpoint of the candidate.
These videos were used on the petition’s landing page, in digital ads, in geofencing, and in emails.
#4. Response-increasing email conversion series.
I also sent targeted emails to the petition signers with the videos of the candidate and his endorsers.
The emails were from the candidate, who explained his commitment to protecting freedom, the family, and other values of concern to the targeted voters… depending on the issue.
Emails continued until the voting day to remind voters to mail in or cast their ballots.
Here’s one of the emails:
Today is your last opportunity to help me fight for religious freedom in Washington, D.C.
Dear << Test First Name >>
Today is your last opportunity to help me fight for religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and pro-American, pro-taxpayer principles.
Today is your last chance to vote for what really matters.
It’s scary but true: More and more Christians in America are being sued and taken to court for simply practicing their faith in Jesus.
This is a critical time in history- and could be a turning point.
Your vote matters- now and in eternity.
Will you join me in defending your Biblical values?
Thank you in advance.
#5. High-impact geofencing to identify the right data.
Geofencing is a powerful marketing strategy we use for commercial clients. It targets prospects and gathers their mobile IDs based on their physical location. You can target your prospects in time—for example, someone who went to Whole Foods in the last six months.
For this campaign, we “fenced” 74 different Evangelical churches in the candidate’s district and gathered 94,000 mobile IDs, quickly building a large database. In the end, we collected the contact information of 10,000 highly motivated voters who were also considered “low propensity” voters for the clients’ database.
We also generated potential voters:
- Over 100,000 landing page visitors
- 942,000 ad impressions
- And 288,000 video views.
#6. Vote-getting text messaging campaigns
Text messaging used right can be powerful. Recipients see the messages immediately on their phone and are more likely to respond.
Petition signers signed up to receive texts directly from the candidate, The key was sending the texts two days before voting day, the day before voting day, and on voting day.
A topic targeted each text.
Here’s an example of a text message we sent:
Today, vote to defend religious freedom and to stop dangerous bills like AB 2943. Vote for me for Congress.
Using this strategy, voters were given a final reminder to vote for a candidate that would protect their freedom and their rights.
Text messaging requires building a database and results in donors and volunteers.
#7. GOTV
All the data and relationship building were then tied to Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) to bring the people to the polls or send in their vote-by-mail ballot.
The keys to success are volunteers and paid personnel who go only to those on the database—and their hot buttons.
We saw great success with door-to-door and phone calls from the candidate’s campaign team. The candidate went from no-name recognition to a 17-person race.
He was a totally unknown and voter-underfunded candidate for Congress… who upset the political establishment out of nowhere.
Of course, these same strategies apply to an effective marketing campaign – prospects receive a powerful message that speaks to their values and desires and is allowed to respond…. again and again.
If you’d like to discuss running a powerful marketing (or political) campaign, let’s meet.
Email Michael at [email protected]
