The Campaign Workshop Blog

What Campaign Management Tools Do I Need This Election Cycle and Why? 

So your advocacy or political campaign is gearing up for the 2020 cycle, and you’re already starting to find that you can’t possibly keep track of everything that’s going on. Fear not — the 100+ Best Campaign Management Tools List will make your campaign life easier! Updated with new tools, Joe’s 2020 Picks, refined categories, a fresh new look, and a SUPER easy-to-use…

Political Direct Mail Is Here to Stay 

For over a decade, folks have written off political direct mail as a remnant of the past akin to the flip phone. In reality, political direct mail is still thriving in the digital age—and it’s playing far more than a supporting role. During the 2018 midterm election cycle, direct mail and television ads accounted for about half of all media spending (whereas digital ads accounted for only…

Political Consulting Firms - A Step-by-Step Hiring Guide 

Picking a political consulting firms is not an easy decision. This is, after all, going to be your largest expenses, so it’s important that you get it right. Hiring the right consultants cannot guarantee you a win but hiring the wrong ones can guarantee you a loss. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to hire a political consulting firm. Step 1: Figure out what you need There are several types of political consulting firms out there that provide a variety of services and most firms these…

Why Integrate Political Campaign Ads Into Your Larger Campaign Strategy?

When planning your overall campaign strategy, political campaign ads play an important role, however they are not without their issues. One of the biggest problems with digital campaigns is that they are not tied closely enough to your overall campaign strategy. Digital tools are an important vehicle to help you reach your overall political goals and should be thought of as such. What are advocacy campaigns doing right when it comes to online engagement that political …

Our Top 3 Advocacy Strategies to Cut Through the Noise

If you work for a health advocacy group and are in search of advocacy strategies that apply to your specific industry, then you’ve come to the right place. In this blog we outline strategies that will help you maximize your impact, increase engagement, and move people to the polls on your behalf.  Here, at The Campaign Workshop, we work on all kinds of health advocacy issues, (e.g. keeping chemicals out of our drinking water, reducing cigarette smoking, and increasing access to affordable…

What’s Next for Political Campaign Ads in 2020?

While digital advertising is always in flux, in the past two years and even the last few months there have been a whirlwind of changes for political campaign ads and it’s caused some uncertainty in the industry. While we don’t have a crystal ball to see into the future of political advertising online, there are some pretty sure bets you’ll want to keep an eye on a couple of trends in 2020. Read on below to find out what we’ll be watching carefully in 2020.  New Legislation The arrival of General…

Your Very Own Political Direct Mail Cheat Sheet

The world of political direct mail involves a lot of terms you don’t hear in everyday conversation (unless you’re one of the few amazing people who love direct mail so much that USPS regulatory updates figure prominently at your weekly coffee klatch, in which case, you’re a star). This post will take you through the acronyms, strange words and technical terms that you should add to your lexicon in order to be a pro when it comes to building out a political direct mail program and kicking ass at…

10 Questions You Should Not Be Afraid to Ask When Hiring a Political Direct Mail Firm.  

At The Campaign Workshop, we encourage and work to keep an open dialogue with our clients. When hiring a Democratic direct mail firm (or any political direct mail firms for that matter), there are a number of important questions that you should be asking during the hiring process. Here are our top 10 questions to ask when hiring a direct mail firm for your political…

How to Use Coalition Building to Make an Impact 

If you’re a member of an organization that has spotted a need for change but doesn’t know how to make a meaningful impact alone, coalition building may be the answer for you. Though you may know the change you want to make, the hardest part is figuring out how to get started. Do you have enough resources, money and otherwise, to make this happen? Are there people out there who also care about the cause, and is there anyone who might be inclined to work against you? How will you reach all the…

What Can a Political Consultant Do for My Campaign?

For any campaign, it’s crucial to hire the right people—and in many cases, your team might include a political consultant. So, what exactly is a political consultant? How does a consultant differ from a campaign manager? Do you need a consultant? and if so, how do you go about finding a good one that you can afford? If these are the sorts of questions that plague you, this is the blog post for you: political consulting explained by…

Here Are Some of the Things That Digital Political Consulting Firms Can Do for Your Campaign.

These days, digital political consulting firms can be part of an army of consultants campaigns hire – including mail, phones, and general strategy. But digital is a pretty broad term and many digital firms can wear multiple hats. As a result, there is a lot of confusion about what a digital consultant actually does. Before hiring a digital consultant, it’s important that you have a clear sense of the services they can offer and what you’ll need to…

Navigating the Pros and Cons of Political Yard Signs

Political yards signs are everywhere during elections—and we all like them as much as the next political junkie, but very early on we were taught that POLITICAL YARD SIGNS DON’T VOTE. We have heard all of the excuses of why your city is different and unique, and that if you don’t have more campaign yard signs than your opponent, you will lose. Reality check: it has been our experience that this is absolutely not true.  First off, there is no such thing as a cheap yard sign. This might be…

What Are Campaign Slogans and Why Do They Matter?

Below you will find everything you need to know about campaign slogans and how to write one that will motivate people to vote for you. A word to the wise, if you haven’t yet developed a campaign message, you’re going to have trouble coming up with a winning campaign slogan, so we’ll politely suggest that you need to pump the breaks! Need help nailing that down? Check out our blog…

How to Stretch Your Political Campaign Advertising Dollars

Not every candidate has a large budget for political campaign advertising. Digital advertising is generally the most cost-effective paid media strategy, especially if you use self-serve platforms. With platforms like Twitter bowing out of the political space entirely, there is a lot of concern about running political campaign advertising online. Google has already significantly limited the targeting opportunities available to political advertisers and Facebook’s requirements for…

Connect With Voters by Creating an Engaging and Concise Stump Speech

Here is our ultimate guide to writing a great stump speech. We all know that the candidate is the campaign’s best asset, and the stump speech is the best campaign tool for delivering a 7C’s (clear, concise, contrastive, connective, creative, compelling, consistent) message and personal story about the candidate and campaign.  WHAT IS A STUMP SPEECH?  A…