Political Careers: Expert Guides and Resources

You want to ensure that your run for office is successful. This Cheat Sheet provides some tips on campaigning, including preparing for a local political campaign by working on your name recognition, public reputation, and campaign finances. You also need to make sure that you have some important assets in place, like a campaign manager, volunteers, and voter lists.

The negative campaign seems to be an American tradition, but what does negative campaigning really mean? You hear the terms attack ads and mudslinging. Often, they apply to anything critical.Most negative campaign material is based in fact. It’s only that the target doesn’t like the facts pointed out that makes things seem “negative.

Political campaigns benefit from branding. Smart candidates coordinate their campaign materials with a unified theme. Successful branding can help make your name and message “pop” among the voters. The best political branding in recent memory is the O logo from Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. It was marketing genius, since imitated but never equaled.

Yard signs are a good way to spread your campaign brand, have supporters show their enthusiasm, and make your opponents nervous. Yard signs are an essential part of your campaign marketing, but by themselves they don’t win elections. Invest in yard signs as part of your campaign strategy. Don’t bother counting your opponent’s yard signs, because elections are won by votes and not the number of yard signs littering lawns and highways.

It’s surprising how many people don’t know that holding elected office is like taking on a part-time job. Approach campaigning for a public office as you would a typical job search. You start with the job description and job requirements. Remember, holding a public office is a consistent commitment that can last several years.

For a small number of politicians, asking for money is no big deal. They’re very good at it. For the majority, asking for money is embarrassing and awkward. It seems dirty, especially in a culture that appreciates entrepreneurs and self-made millionaires. Yet the secret to political fundraising is to ask, and ask you must.

Candidate forums and debates when you're campaigning for local office aren’t the drama you see in the movies. In fact, holding such forums isn’t as common as you might think. Most of these events are rather dreary, attended by people who’ve already made up their minds and lacking in any gotcha moments or campaign-ending events.

Your political campaign is a short-term, one-goal business. To make it successful, you must be smart about its finances. Part of being an elected official is to watch government spending and control a budget (even if this is not part of your platform). Start by setting an example with your own campaign. You may have a treasurer who manages the campaign money for you, though most local-office candidates manage their own funds.

Beyond asking individuals for money, you must supplement your political campaign with other sources of income. The most obvious source is the traditional meet-and-greet fundraiser. Less obvious avenues for obtaining donations also are available, all of which are legal. ©By Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com Put on a meet-and-greet fundraiser A meet-and-greet event has two purposes.