Digital marketing strategies are commonly used by companies, but political marketing has increasingly expanded its online presence. Distribution of leaflets and TV commercials is no longer the norm, and personalized content is being created to be strategically disseminated. Want to learn more about this subject? Then read this post!
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How important is image for political campaigns?
Creating a good image during political campaigns is essential. In general, the electorate's impression will always be more negative than positive, because there is a direct relationship with the moment the country is living in. The tendency is for the negative view to continue, and that is exactly why political marketing efforts must be redoubled.
Nowadays, it is almost impossible not to be present on the internet, because that is where news spreads, whether true or false. Therefore, if the candidate does not have a strong online presence, with a team monitoring and trying to reverse possible bad impressions, he will already be at a disadvantage.
What is political marketing?
It is a set of communication and advertising techniques, actions vp manufacturing production email lists and strategies that aim to disseminate a politician's ideas to strengthen their image and create a direct connection with their electorate. Therefore, its objective is to identify potential voters and project a positive image of the candidate in question.
The proponent seeks to use political marketing to build a strategy that will give him credibility to be elected and to manage his mandate. With a strengthened and solid image, it will be possible to attract more supporters within the political scene, in addition to opening doors for reelection.
On the other hand, the electorate is also valued with political marketing. According to the IBGE , 70% of Brazilians have access to the internet. Therefore, creating online content showing everything the candidate has done is a great differentiator compared to other politicians.
What are the best practices in political marketing?
Political marketing must be thought out in advance and can be divided into three spheres: electoral, post-electoral and partisan. Unlike marketing done for companies, election-related marketing has its rules defined by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
What differs in each sphere is the legal period in which each can take place. For example: electoral propaganda that is directly related to political-electoral marketing is permitted from August 16th of the election year. However, extolling the personal qualities of pre-candidates does not constitute advance propaganda, as long as it does not involve an explicit request for votes or mention of the candidacy.
During the election period, it is very important to pay attention to each rule, respect the deadlines and the new guidelines for the use of paid media . Failure to comply may result in fines ranging from R$5,000 to R$30,000. The TSE website provides a complete list of the periods and information permitted in each phase.
Political marketing must:
work on the politician's personal image;
develop a political brand;
build a community;
invest in content;
have a presence on social media.
How to do it?
Political marketing should be centered on a lot of research, defining the target audience and monitoring the internet. Today, there are already platforms and features that allow you to track user quotes and respond to them immediately. This way, it will be possible to measure exactly what is being said about the politician, creating links with supporters and clarifying doubts and fake news from opponents.
Use social media
Social networks should be used as political marketing tools. A website can be created for the candidate with an email address notified to the Electoral Court and content for blogs, social networks and instant messaging sites. However, some rules must be followed, such as including the CNPJ or CPF number of the person responsible for the advertisement clearly and legibly in every boost, in addition to the expression “electoral propaganda”.
See some famous cases of political marketing on social media:
United States Presidential Election
Social media can be seen as a major deciding factor in the outcome of the 2016 US election. Donald Trump, the current president, used Big Data to get to know his voters in depth. With the data, the candidate's team was able to create different approaches for each potential voter. In total, the strategy included more than 175,000 tests to reach each user in the most personalized way possible.
Trump also benefited from the spread of fake news. Of the 20 fake news stories analyzed by the BuzzFeed News website , only 3 were against the candidate. A work focused on responding to and clarifying fake news could have helped candidate Hillary Clinton.
Rio de Janeiro mayoral election
Social media was also decisive in the election of the current mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella. The politician's team avoided using the reproduction of electoral programs on the internet to independently produce videos and texts about the candidate's proposals.
In addition, they innovated in content production, guiding activists not to attack opponents, but rather to welcome them. This later resulted in more than five million unique views on the content.
Build a dynamic website
Building a website is also important. It should be created based on user experience, be exclusive and clearly convey the candidate's proposals. The website is the official source for the party or candidate and helps Google rank the politician's name organically. It should bring voters closer and answer their main questions.
Create valuable content
To create valuable content, it is essential to understand the target audience. This way, the politician's speech, image, and the way he speaks and dresses can be adapted to what the public expects. This adaptation will also be reflected in the consistency and coherence of the content reproduced on websites and social networks.
The team must be attentive to monitoring the politician's quotes, as well as the candidate's current scenario. At certain times, the candidate must position himself regarding ideologies and trending issues.
Carry out integrated work
The press office must work side by side with the candidate and with the marketing team. This integration allows the same message to be distributed evenly and with the same tone across all media channels.
It is also recommended that politicians undertake media training. This preparation will guide and teach the candidate how to behave in various situations, as well as on social media. This integrated work avoids possible crises , mistakes and mistaken positions.
