In the world of marketing, understanding your ideal customer is crucial to creating a successful campaign. The buyer’s journey, a framework designed to understand and cater to an individual’s needs at every stage of their purchasing process, has become a staple of modern business strategy. But what happens when we apply this same concept to politics?
At first glance, it may seem like the principles of marketing don’t quite translate to the world of electoral politics. Voters aren’t buying products or services; they’re casting ballots for leaders who will shape their community’s future. However, as a campaign coach with two decades of experience working with candidates at every level of office, I can attest that understanding your voter is just as crucial in politics as understanding a buyer is in the the business world.
The Politician’s Self-Frame
Politicians often fall into the trap of talking about themselves and framing issues through the lens of their own positions. “Vote for me because I believe in policy ABC.” This approach may have served them well in the past, but it neglects to take a more nuanced view of the voters they’re trying to win over. By focusing solely on their own credentials and policy stances, politicians risk alienating potential supporters who don’t share those views. In the era of identity politics, the self-frame model forces the voter further into extreme partisanship with members of different political parties taking opposite sides simply because they are on opposite sides. If you say “ABC”, then I say “XYZ” — with no real thought about how either of those policies might affect that voter’s life; only a desire to identify as something other than that which their political opposite identifies.
In contrast, successful businesses rely on understanding their ideal customer’s needs, desires, and pain points. They create products or services tailored to meet these specific requirements, rather than simply touting the features of a generic product offering. In this way, successful businesses move from “buy my widget because it’s the best widget on the market” to “My widget helps you save 10 hours per week and $5,000 per year on widget-related costs.” The latter solves two pain points for widget owners, lack of time and money; and might be an effective pitch for a specific stage of that buyer’s journey.
The Voter’s Journey
Similarly, effective political candidates must take the time to understand what matters most to their potential constituents – not just during campaign season, but before they even announce.
So how can politicians apply the buyer’s journey framework to create more compelling campaigns? It starts with understanding that every voter has a unique “Voter Journey” – a path of discovery and engagement that may take them from initial awareness to final decision or beyond.
By mapping this journey, candidates can identify key touchpoints where they need to engage voters in meaningful ways.
Here are the four stages of the Voter’s Journey:
- Awareness: This is the stage at which potential supporters become aware of an issue.
- Interest / Consideration: Voters begin to consider different options related to that issue and weigh the pros and cons of the candidate speaking supporting or opposing that issue. Candidates are evaluated based on factors like policy positions, leadership style, and personal qualities.
- Decision: A stage where voters make a conscious decision about who they will support, identify as a supporter, or actually vote for that candidate.
- Advocate: The voter becomes a supporter and advocates for the candidate / issue and works to bring more people to the cause.
The 4th stage could also be considered one in which the candidate, now elected, has the opportunity to advocate for the policies important to their community which, in turn, shows good faith on promises made during a campaign and encourages those voters to remain loyal supporters…perhaps for the next election!
By understanding these stages, politicians can tailor their messaging, outreach efforts, and campaign strategy to resonate with voters at each point along the journey, and keep them interested and engaged.
The Power of Pre-Campaign Engagement
One critical aspect of creating an effective Voter Journey is engaging potential supporters before the election cycle. This may seem counterintuitive – after all, isn’t it more efficient to focus on winning votes once you’ve declared your candidacy or when an issue is voted on? However, my experience has been that voters are more likely to support candidates who have taken the time to listen and engage with their community prior to running or asking for something in return.
Research shows positive recall of such candidates is higher when that person spends more time with the voter than what is typically allotted during a hurried campaign. For example, a deep canvass or community meeting results in a name recall many months longer than a last minute GOTV canvass in the days just before an election.
Rather than ginning up support with messages that convey a false sense of urgency (25x match if you donate now, now now!), a candidate can start early — months or even years before election day — hosting town halls, listening sessions, or online forums. The goal is to:
- Build relationships with key stakeholders
- Gather feedback on policy priorities
- Develop a deeper understanding of voter concerns
This pre-campaign engagement not only helps candidates build trust but also provides valuable insights that inform their later campaign strategy and messaging. It’s also a valuable list-building tool. And if it helps us reduce political email spam by just a few emails – we can count that as a win too!
The Importance of Decision Stage
While the decision stage may seem like the most obvious point in the Voter Journey, the prior stages must not be skipped. Today’s voters, especially younger voters, know lip service when they hear it. And chances are they’ve already done enough research to lean one way or another even before they meet a candidate (just like they do with buying decisions). Most of the prep work has already been done online. They’ve learned the issues and they’ve considered positions. What they need is that last little bit of info to confirm their decision.
Candidates who jump straight to the decision stage without adequately addressing the earlier stages may win a few votes, but they will lose many more voters will respond through more purposeful and targeted nurturing.
To succeed at the decision stage, politicians need to:
- Develop compelling messaging that resonates with key voter demographics
- Build strong relationships with influencers and community leaders
- Demonstrate their commitment to the issues that matter most to voters.
By understanding the importance of the decision stage and combining it with the earlier steps in the voter’s journey, politicians can tailor their campaign strategy to persuade undecided voters or win over those already leaning towards another candidate.
A Note About the Timing of Judicial Campaigns and Ballot Measures
I recognize that some campaigns cannot officially start until after the most recent general election. This is often the case with judicial ethics and judge races. Often times, a ballot measure can’t make it onto the ballot officially until the year in which the election is to be held, and sometimes campaign work can’t start until just a few months before that. Different states have different rules for ballot measures and some states don’t use ballot measures at all. However, these nuances often do not preclude the potential candidate from engaging in community meetings or trying to better understand the issues at the heart of a specific district. When in doubt, check the local rules and make sure.
Putting the Voter’s Journey to Work on Your Campaign
The buyer’s journey framework offers a powerful tool for creating more effective political campaigns. By understanding the unique needs and desires of each voter, politicians can tailor their messaging, outreach efforts, and campaign strategy to resonate with voters at every stage of the Voter’s Journey.
Rather than simply relying on self-promotion or generic issue-framing, candidates should take the time to engage potential supporters before running – creating a more nuanced, community-driven approach that sets them up for success in the long run.
