The Campaign Workshop Blog

Campaign mistakes force folks to learn and adapt – in a perfect world. In reality, plenty of campaigns fail to reflect on their flaws before gearing up for their next fight; they recognize that a problem exists, but don’t always take the time to address the bad habits that cause them to keep repeating their mistakes.

I am a big fan of nonprofit content marketing, but many folks who are new to the world of online content tend to skip blogging, or creating content on their websites and go straight to outside content sites. I look at outside content sites as more like renting an Airbnb than buying a home. You can enjoy a rental unit, but you should spend most of your time working on your house. There a few reasons for this:

Whether it is for advocacy or fundraising, nonprofits spend a lot of time list building. With the right plan, an organization can grow and engage through their list. But done the wrong way, list building can be a waste of money and resources. Here is some advice on list build for organizations:

Do you hate or love your political consultant? As the world of political consulting has grown, so have issues that organizations and candidates face with their political consultants.

No matter how many advocacy campaigns you have done, people will always have a ton of questions about advocacy metrics to judge how successfully those campaigns were run, and if they were effective.

The political website: it’s a requirement for any candidate for office, but that doesn’t mean it should be just another item to check off your to-do list! Being intentional when setting up your website by keeping a few key political tactics in mind will ensure that you are providing voters with an enjoyable, engaging, cohesive experience.

At The Campaign Workshop, we always love hearing about and trying out new online video platform to help us and our clients. One online video platform we absolutely love and were able to learn more about is Wistia. As video becomes increasingly important in content marketing, Wistia does what most video tools can't do- help you increase your site’s SEO through their platform.

You’ve decided to run for office - congratulations! You’re probably wondering how to get your message out to the community, and you might be a little overwhelmed by all your options. it's time for your campaign budget to come to to the rescue.

When you get into politics, you can have tunnel vision.  Binge watching House of Cards and the West Wing is not going to help you run a better campaign or advocacy organization. The fact is, campaigns are like running a small business.

Getting your issue out organically through blog posts, videos and infographics might seem like a lift, but most organizations are publishing content all the time - and see themselves as thought leaders. The big issues organizations have with publishing material is harnessing the content they already produce.

A summer lull in campaign action means extra time to gear up for the electoral battles ahead of this fall, in 2018, and beyond. As Democrats across the country deliberate party priorities and the best ways to communicate our values after a series of losses, you can sit back and do the same with these porch reads. 

Video storytelling is an “it” topic in advocacy and advertising circles. The strategy of delivering a story in the digital age that will get people to engage seems to be the latest goal for many nonprofits. But how can you do it in a consistent, scalable way that achieves your goals? Here are our tips to make an impact with advocacy video storytelling:

Snapchat has created a new way to have conversations—from consuming content and messages to creating and broadcasting it. Through Snap, conversations are held in video and picture form rather than through texts, messages, posts, or speech; making Snapchat not only a creative way to get your political and advocacy campaign's message out but a new way to communicate it to a specific group of people. 

Whether you’re looking for reassurance that things usually work out, validation of your political path, or pure entertainment to help you keep your sense of humor (and sanity) during the Trump presidency, these political memoirs will inspire you to effect positive social change in whatever context you see fit.

Digital advocacy in Trump’s America means (for many of us) a near unending need for Trump photos. Unfortunately, buying rights managed photos of our fearless Commander in Cheeto means running up an epic tab pretty darn quickly. But fear not (at least with regard to photos… I can’t make any promises regarding the rest of what’s going on at this point) – compelling photos of Trump are still available to those of us who don’t have deep pockets and an unlimited Getty account.

Digital advocacy is about engagement and capacity building—likes are just a starting point. Over the last few years, Facebook’s algorithm has evolved, as has its advertising options, making it easier than ever to capitalize on the audience you’ll find there and turn likes into actions that advance your advocacy goals.

The simple concept of Twitter is to post short thoughts- 140 character thoughts to be exact. In a just a sentence or two, millions of people worldwide (310 million monthly active users) engage in conversations, find information, and express their feelings on a multitude of relevant topics. Whether it be a large event like a presidential debate or a local issue like a ballot measure, Twitter can be a significant social media platform for your advocacy campaign.