E-campaigning During a General Election

November 23, 2009

Are you getting geared up for the UK general election? It’s looking like the country will go to the polling booths in May but many organisations are beginning to get their e-campaigning plans sorted now. There will be so many messages flying about to prospective parliamentary candidates, how will your calls be heard above all of the others? Here are a few thoughts which might help:

1) Get your policy calls sorted now

Many organisations have more than one campaign running at a time, but getting your supporters to contact candidates on a host of different issues could potentially be counter productive. Try and combine the messages and create an over-arching set of ‘asks’. This will not only help foster better communications with candidates as they will see that your call are clear and concise but it will also help with your administration to keep track on who is saying what.

2) Think about who you are targeting

Just because the main parties will dominate the agenda (resulting in the majority of MPs for the next parliament) it does not mean that you should ignore other parties. These candidates may not end up in Westminster but they will almost definitely have a say in the local area going forward. If you are trying to build up grass route activists in constituencies then these people could be vital to your future success. Maybe they could end up helping you out down the line? Think about your objectives and then get your supporters to target all of the relevant contacts that can help you reach your goals.

3) Send targeted messages

The days of standard message templates going to all candidates regardless of political party or relationship with your organisation are long gone (or should be!). If you know you have support from some, get your supporters to thank them; if you know others are less engaged, the messages they receive should be more persuasive. You should also ensure that messages are tailored to include party specific policies and calls to action. Again, this will help to build better relationships with the candidates as they will see you are switched on and will help you with your lobbying plans for those who become MPs.

4) Ask for comments and pledges

As well as asking candidates to say what they would do for your organisation if they got into power, it’s extremely effective if you can capture their comments and ask them to officially pledge to help your cause. You can display this information on your website during the election, showing your supporters that your campaigning work is gaining momentum. Just as importantly, when some candidates become MPs, you will now have strong and documented support in Westminster to help you out. Don’t forget, you will also be able to use comments to hold MPs and the government to account.

With the whole expenses scandal, MPs sitting in the next parliament are far more likely to want to build stronger relationships with their constituents and the causes they support. Using some of these above tactics will help your organisation get noticed from the outset which could be invaluable.

Jonathan Purchase is head of client services and support at Advocacy Online, a leading provider of e-campaigning software – jonathan@advocacyonline.net