Independent Expenditure Campaign Tips
Independent expenditure campaigns play a unique and vital role in many elections. They can support candidate campaigns by filling the gaps that they may have in their strategies, resources, or messages. These independent campaigns can use digital advertising to target different audiences, convey different messages, and use different tactics than candidate campaigns. This can help the candidate campaigns reach, persuade, and mobilize more voters.
Targeting
Candidate campaigns should have a distinct set of targets they are going after. These are the voters who are most likely to support them or who are most likely to be persuaded by them. However, it is not possible for most candidate campaigns to talk to every single voter in their district. There are likely to be some voters who are not on their radar, who are not on their priority list, or who are not reachable by their methods. These are the gaps that independent expenditure campaigns can fill by using digital advertising.
Digital advertising allows independent expenditure campaigns to identify and target voters that the candidate campaign may miss. For example, an independent expenditure campaign could focus on low-propensity voters who are likely to support the candidate but have a lower likelihood of voting. These voters may not receive much attention from the candidate's campaign, who may focus more on higher-propensity voters. An independent expenditure campaign could send them a highly persuasive GOTV message through digital ads, reminding them of the importance of voting and the consequences of not voting.
Alternatively, an independent expenditure campaign could target voters who are undecided or leaning towards the opponent. These voters may not be persuaded by the candidate's campaign message, which may focus more on their positive vision and avoid engaging in negative attacks. An independent expenditure campaign could send them a compelling argument through digital ads, showing them why the opponent is the wrong choice and why the candidate is the better option.
Digital advertising allows independent expenditure campaigns to tailor their messages to specific segments of the electorate and supplement the candidate campaign’s efforts. By using a tool like Meta ads, independent expenditure campaigns can create and manage digital ads that appear on Facebook and Instagram. They can use tools like YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia to create and distribute online videos that showcase their message, story, or vision. They can also use a tool like Google ads to do search ads, which increases the visibility and ranking of their landing page.
Messaging
Messaging is another way that independent expenditure campaigns can fill the gaps that candidate campaigns may have by delivering messages that the candidate campaign may not be able to deliver. Many candidate campaigns want to focus on their positive vision and why they are the best person for the job. Many want to avoid attacks on their opponent, which they believe could backfire or alienate some voters. However, strong contrastive messaging can be effective in some cases, especially if it exposes the opponent’s flaws or weaknesses. An independent expenditure campaign will frequently take on the role of criticizing the opponent and highlighting the contrast between them and the candidate.
Negative messaging can help the candidate's campaign by creating doubts about the opponent in the minds of the voters. It can also help mobilize the base of the candidate by reinforcing their loyalty and enthusiasm. Besides negative messaging, an independent expenditure campaign can also deliver messages that are relevant to specific issues or causes. Many organizations that run independent expenditure campaigns have a particular agenda or mission that they want to promote. They may want to educate voters about certain issues that affect them or their communities or they may want to endorse candidates who share their values and goals. For example, an environmental organization may run ads that show which candidate is more committed to fighting climate change. A women’s health organization may run ads that show which candidate supports reproductive rights. These messages can help the candidate's campaign by mobilizing issue-oriented voters and reinforcing the candidate’s stance on important topics. An independent expenditure campaign can deliver its messaging through digital ads, whether it’s in static ads, videos, and/or search ads.
Independent expenditures play a key role in elections. They can talk about things in ways candidates aren’t able to or aren’t willing to. They can focus on key target audiences in ways that campaigns can’t. Using digital tactics to accomplish these goals is smart and efficient.
Have questions on the best way to come up with an independent expenditure program for your campaign? Reach out to The Campaign Workshop!