More than $5.8 billion was spent by candidates, parties and outside political action committees in the 2012 election cycle, and much of it was likely mistimed, misplaced or mis-messaged.
Immense advances have occurred since the last major election cycle. Today’s technologies and platforms allow you to use your own first party data with third party data to create audiences in ways that have only become possible in the last few years. If you’re still using the same tactics you did back then, it’s time to rethink your approach.
Campaign strategists are increasingly looking for ways to increase their effectiveness. What they need, are insights into key voters. Not just who they voted for in the past, but what issues are most important to them and what motivates them to donate. What strategists need, is a way to efficiently reach these people throughout the campaign cycle.
National, state, and local campaign directors and political managers depend on data more and more. Winning elections today is all about knowing the voter – really knowing the voter. You need to understand constituents at the individual level – what matters to them and what their lifestyles and preferences are. That’s the kind of insight that turns elections around.
1. Transformational results.
These happen when you understand voter and contributor behavior and their receptivity to key issues. It is key to know party affiliation, political views, Congressional district and Senate district on the front end. Predictive data – typically a set of pre-built, ready to apply models – can add another dimension to a campaign, making it easy to deliver the right message to the right voter through the right channel and improve your chances with both party line voters and swing voters. It is especially useful in providing a scalable, high quality approach for growing your political base and messaging them consistently.
2. Increased awareness.
You can spend your money where it matters. Better identify undecided voters, including those with time, energy, and dollars. Knowing who is most likely to serve as a volunteer for a candidate or cause, who has donated, or who is likely to help out with a campaign changes the level of your messaging.
3. Improved experience.
By developing true omnichannel engagement, you can own the entire voter experience, foster a consistent and relevant dialogue, build loyalty, and earn advocacy. Data enables or enhances an advertising campaign across digital advertising channels, including TV, display, social, mobile, and video advertising channels. Look for ways to connect to premium publishers and distribution partners in addition to more traditional email and direct mail channels to achieve the optimal reach.
4. Increased contributions.
Data provides a fast, accurate way to target the segment of the population that is most likely to respond to a particular candidate or campaign. It can help Increase the frequency and magnitude of donations by letting you tap into the most responsive audience.
Are you ready to improve the effectiveness of your voter outreach campaigns? Increase the frequency and magnitude of donations? Understand voter issues and attitudes? And achieve better voter turnout? The application of penetrating, up-to-date voter data can turn the tide for elections to be won at the last minute – making data a true game changer.