| Here are five common assumptions to keep in | | | | your social media pages from your website, as |
| mind and avoid when creating your political | | | | well. |
| campaign website. | | | | Assumption 3: People already know about you |
| Assumption 1: You don't need a campaign website | | | | Believe me, they don't. How many people do you |
| With the rise of social media, the campaign | | | | know that can name their congressperson or |
| website's position in elections has shifted from | | | | state representative? One thing we suggest to |
| being the bulk of a candidate's online presence to | | | | candidates is that they include enough information |
| more of a hub. But the website is still critical, both | | | | about themselves and their race. The 'who, what |
| from an online presence, and as a brand to point | | | | and where' must be immediately picked up by |
| to with your offline campaigning. While the | | | | your site visitors. We're always amazed when we |
| campaign website contains the core message and | | | | see local campaigns sites that don't expressly |
| branding, people follow candidates and campaigns | | | | state what they are running for, and where. |
| through a variety of methods - from blog feeds | | | | "Smith for Representative" |
| to Facebook and Twitter updates. | | | | Representative of what? Of where? People should |
| Politics online has expanded greatly over the last | | | | be able to know within a second or two if your |
| decade. Voters expect candidates to have a | | | | campaign matters to them. If they can't figure it |
| website. If you don't have your own voice online, | | | | out right away, they won't stick around to guess. |
| then someone else is doing the talking about you. | | | | For all the talk about interactivity and social media, |
| Assumption 2: Your website will be the first thing | | | | your campaign website is the perfect place to |
| to pop up when someone searches the | | | | make that initial introduction. The reality is that |
| candidate's name | | | | most voters simply don't know you - yet. |
| Type in your name for a search. What shows up? | | | | Assumption 4: Visitors already support you |
| Maybe you share a name with someone else, and | | | | There are likely a large block of independent or |
| links about that person are showing up. Maybe it's | | | | undecided voters who can swing an election either |
| an unflattering newspaper article or blog post? | | | | way. While 'red meat' partisan attacks may play |
| Do you want to have a say in what shows up on | | | | well to a base, it will likely turn off some voters. |
| those results? Well, you can. | | | | Just because Washington, DC is hyper-partisan |
| One of the reasons why we recommend using a | | | | doesn't mean that the average voter is looking |
| candidate's name for a domain name is that the | | | | for that in their local elections. In fact, most |
| name goes a long way in making that website | | | | independent voters are turned off by excessive |
| relevant for name searches. Even if there isn't | | | | partisanship. |
| much on the website, having a domain name that | | | | Assumption 5: Your website will become your |
| uses the candidate's name will help it appear in | | | | campaign's cash cow |
| searches for that name. | | | | If you set up a campaign website for the sole |
| You'll often see a candidate's Facebook, Twitter | | | | purpose of raising campaign contributions, there's |
| and LinkedIn pages in the search results. These | | | | more a good chance you will disappointed. |
| pages tend to appear in results because those | | | | A website CAN produce significant revenue, but |
| domains are considered strong and authoritative | | | | only if your campaign is capable of attracting |
| to the search engines. | | | | donors in the first place. Your website should |
| If you want to help 'push' your site up the search | | | | inform and persuade first. Allow people to follow |
| results, you may need to give it a little 'link love'; | | | | your campaign. That can be through email, RSS |
| that is, point links to those pages. For example, to | | | | feeds, or other social media. As you communicate |
| build links to your campaign website, you'll want to | | | | over time, you build trust and rapport - and that |
| link to the site from your Facebook and Twitter | | | | is the key to opening donor's wallets. |
| profiles, from supporter's websites, and from | | | | Good luck! |
| other political sites. You'll also want to link out to | | | | |