As I reflect on my own experiences as both a candidate and campaign manager, one thing becomes crystal clear: the power of your campaign message is what sets you apart from the competition. In local elections, it’s not just about having a good idea – it’s about communicating that idea in a way that resonates with voters.
I remember my first campaign like it was yesterday. I was running for commissioner (city council), and I spent hours crafting a speech that would inspire and motivate my fellow neighbors. But as I stood up to deliver those words at the first few meetings, I realized that I had forgotten one crucial thing: the message itself wasn’t enough – it needed to be delivered with conviction.
That’s why developing a clear campaign message is so critical in local elections. It’s not just about winning votes; it’s about building trust and credibility with your community. In this article, we’ll explore how to create a message that truly matters, from finding your “why” all the way through delivering your message consistently.
1. Find Your Why
Before you can craft a compelling message for your campaign, you need to understand what drives you. What’s your motivation for running? Is it a desire to make a difference in your community, or is it simply a personal ambition? Either is okay, but you need be open and clear about this from the beginning.
Identifying core values and principles is also essential. These are the building blocks of your message framework, and they’ll help guide everything from policy decisions to campaign messaging.
But here’s the thing: connecting your personal experience to public service and the needs of your community takes time and effort. Take the time to reflect on what matters most to you – whether it’s education, economic development, or environmental sustainability – and use that as a starting point for building your message framework. To learn more about finding your why, check out the article I wrote that helps you tackle this process from start to finish: **https://campaignplanner.org/finding-your-why-before-you-launch-your-campaign/.**
2. Research Your Community
Once you have a sense of what drives you and what matters most to you, it’s time to dive into the nitty-gritty details of your community.
This means analyzing local issues and pain points – from potholes on Main Street to inadequate public transportation options. It also involves understanding voter demographics and priorities, which can only be done by speaking with people directly.
By doing so, you’ll identify gaps in current representation or policies that need attention. This is where the rubber meets the road: your campaign messaging needs to address real-world problems that matter most to voters.
3. Crafting Your Core Campaign Message
Now it’s time to develop a unique value proposition – what sets you apart from other candidates? What makes you uniquely qualified for office?
A good core message framework should be based on the needs of your community, not just a laundry list of policy ideas or personal credentials. Focus on one or two key messages that capture the essence of your campaign.
Here’s a secret: most campaigns try to cram too many ideas into their messaging framework. Resist this temptation! Instead, focus on 1-3 core messages that resonate locally and drive real change.
After speaking with many residents in the area, I chose topics that were important to me and to many other residents:
- Communication – I believed our government could do a better job of communicating changes and policies, and was fighting to redesign the municipal website, for changes in how we presented info, and how much advance notice was given to residents when construction was being done in the community.
- Fiscal Responsibility – I believed our government was spending too much money on development projects and were not using those projects to deliver real services to the community.
- Sidewalks – Sidewalks were not being repaired properly, and municipally-maintained trees nearby were damaging sidewalks and making it harder (or impossible) to use the sidewalks. Also, there was no policy in place that would prevent residents from discharging storm water runoff onto neighbors’ properties or onto the curb and road, which cause ice spots to develop and to make sidewalks and roads even less navigable, especially for kids walking to school. I proposed a new law to regulate how people could discharge rain runoff and where they could discharge it.
4. Message Testing and Refinement
Once you have a solid message framework in place, it’s time to test it out with trusted advisors – friends, family members, or fellow campaign volunteers who can provide honest feedback.
Start simple: just a few paragraphs of messaging will do the trick. Focus on impact – how will your position or policy drive change? Be prepared for constructive criticism and adjust accordingly.
As you gain more confidence in your message and expand your program, be sure to refine it further based on voter response, conversations with constituents, etc.
I took each of my core messages and developed a few paragraphs about the problem, why it mattered to residents, and then offered my solution with some idea of what the impact would be. That gave people the feeling I had a solid grasp of the issue and a real plan to fix it. And I did.
If you want to learn more about getting into the mindset of approaching things from the voter’s point of view, checkout a blog post I wrote about the Voter’s Journey.
5. Delivering Your Message
Now that you have a solid message framework in place, it’s time to deliver it consistently across all platforms – social media, email newsletters, public forums, and more!
This means tailoring your communication for different audiences: voters who are already engaged on an issue versus those who need convincing.
Training your campaign team on message delivery is also crucial. Make sure everyone from volunteers to paid staff members understand the importance of consistency in messaging.
6. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
As you craft and deliver your message, be aware of common pitfalls that can derail even the best-laid plans:
- Over-complicating your message: avoid jargon or overly technical language that might confuse voters. Keep things simple. use simple words. If you’re an academic or a professor and often use 14 syllable words — fight the urge to do so in your campaign message. People may not be as book smart as you, but that doesn’t mean they’re dumb. They just want things in plain language.
- Trying to be all things to all voters: focus on a core set of values and principles rather than trying to appeal to every possible interest group. Still, you have to be mindful not to neglect local context. Remember that your campaign is about serving the needs of your community, not just promoting your own agenda. As you progress through your campaign, additional issues will arise and everyone will want a piece of your time. They’ll also want you to change things that are important to them. Over time, there might 50 unique things they want you to focus on. There’s no magic number as to what’s right, but 50 is too many! Try to bring things back to just a few core messages.
7. Measuring Success
Finally, it’s time to measure the effectiveness of your message strategy!
Set clear metrics for measuring success – such as voter engagement, feedback surveys, or social media analytics. Track these metrics regularly and make data-driven adjustments to refine your messaging framework over time.
Again, there is no right or wrong here. Make a few educated guesses and get started. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Just get started, measure, and pivot as needed. Action beats inaction every time!
What to do if a Major Issue is Not Something You Believe In?
In the run up to my first race, a hot topic at the time was whether the municipality should institute a deer cull. At the time, there were more than 200 deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) a year in our suburban township – way too many for a community of 35,000 people. The current commissioners were proposing a plan to institute a deer cull to cut down DVCs. Culling deer was not an issue I was particularly interested in, or one that was driving my decision to run for office, but since people were interested in it and wanting to know where I stood on the issue, I had to become knowledgeable about it and be able to respond to voters. It was not one of my core issues, but it was something I was prepared to speak intelligently about.
When asked, I gave people my honest opinion, and then circled the conversation back to the 3 issues I thought were more important. That let them know I was not ignoring their question; that I cared enough to address it and answer it honestly. It also let them know that I thought there were more pressing items with more impact to their daily lives. By answering their first question without being dismissive, I gained enough credibility for them to listen to my other policy proposals. One could not have existed without addressing the other.
Conclusion: Bringing It All Together
In conclusion, developing a clear campaign message is the key to success in local elections. By finding your “why,” researching your community, crafting a core message framework, testing and refining it, delivering it consistently across all platforms, avoiding common pitfalls, and measuring its effectiveness – you’ll be well on your way to building trust and credibility with voters.
So what are you waiting for? Start working on your campaign message today!
