Surge Tactic

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The Political Campaign Life Cycle

Election campaigns are important for candidates running for office as a means of presenting their platform and solution strategies for important issues to voters. Candidates make use of this time to try different techniques to get their message delivered to voters, like public events, written materials, and through traditional and new media.

The life cycle of a political campaign can be a long and complex process, involving many different stakeholders and a range of activities The political campaign life cycle is an important process that helps candidates and political parties to communicate their message and vision to voters, build support, and ultimately win elections.

As we are now leaning toward a digitally dependent world, it is important to make sure that candidates maintain well-prepared ways to reach voters online at every step of the political campaign. To help gear up for the upcoming election, here is the life cycle of a political cycle and our recommended services to avail in each step:

1. Filing/Registration: In order to run for office, candidates must first declare their intention to run and file the necessary paperwork and pay any fees required by their jurisdiction. This may include registering with the appropriate political party, filling out candidate nomination forms, and submitting financial disclosures. This may also be the time to start planning your online political campaign.

RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Website Design

  • Graphic Design


2. Structure/Staff: Once a candidate has officially registered to run, they will need to establish a campaign structure and hire staff. This may include hiring staff who will be responsible for managing various aspects of the campaign and establishing branding strategies.

RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Website Design

  • Graphic Design

  • Website Management Plans


3. Announce/Kick-off Campaign: In this stage, political parties and politicians begin their initial campaigns and build up their public profiles. Candidates and political groups need to start strengthening their public presence.

 RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Website Design

  • Graphic Design

  • Website Management Plans

  • Manage Email Marketing Plans (inbound and outbound)

  • Social Media Management Plans (with awareness campaigns)


4. Fundraising and Budgeting: Raising money is a crucial part of any political campaign. Candidates will need to develop a budget and a fundraising plan in order to finance their campaign.

RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Website Management Plans

  • Manage Email Marketing Plans (outbound)

  • Social Media Management Plans

  • Ad Management Plans


5. Qualify for Retention or Election: Depending on the jurisdiction, candidates may need to meet certain requirements in order to qualify for the ballot. This may include collecting a certain number of signatures on a petition, paying a filing fee, or meeting other requirements.

RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Manage Email Marketing Plans (inbound and outbound)

  • Social Media Management Plans

  • Manage Text Messaging Plans (A2P and P2P)

  • Ad Management Plans

  • IP Targeting

  • Direct Mail

 

6. Build Support and Earn Votes: Once a candidate has qualified for the ballot, they will need to focus on building support and earning votes. This may involve campaigning in person, advertising, and using social media and other outreach tools to connect with voters.

RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Manage Email Marketing Plans (inbound and outbound),

  • Social Media Management Plans

  • Manage Text Messaging Plans (A2P and P2P)

  • Ad Management Plans

  • IP Targeting

  • Direct Mail


7. Election Day and Days up to the election: On election day, voters will go to the polls and cast their ballots. This stage is one of the busiest because election days can entail a spike in impromptu advertising and voter involvement. 

RECOMMENDED SERVICES

  • Manage Email Marketing Plans (inbound and outbound),

  • Social Media Management Plans

  • Manage Text Messaging Plans (A2P and P2P)

  • Ad Management Plans

  • IP Targeting


The first step in winning an election is to reach out to, interact with, and persuade your voters online. When candidates are well-equipped with the right preparation, ideas, and resources, they might find themselves running an effective and efficient campaign. As people say, "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail."