Digital media is vital for modern campaigning, and effective campaigns make the best use of new mediums and best practices. The below article goes over these methods.
Today, many of us are online pretty much most of the time. If we want our campaign to be relevant and pierce through people’s limited attention spans, we need to create compelling content. The new digital media landscape means we don’t have to wait for news outlets or other gatekeepers to feature us, instead, we can feature ourselves. How far our messages reach will be a result of how good our content is.
While the digital media landscape is constantly changing, there are tried and tested methods that work. There are ways to improve our chances of achieving that elusive end goal of “going viral” - however you decide to define it by continuously iterating, testing, experimenting and innovating.
No matter how well content performs, the below covers key considerations to ensure our messages are responsible and strategic. Digital media, as another way to convey our campaign messages, must be grounded in our campaign narrative and strategic goals.
See Campaign narrative
See Campaign strategy
We should also be aware of how we communicate our messages so that they are inclusive and do not oppress. There are many ways to seek out guidelines on this, but it’s always best to consult with or look for resources from specific marginalised communities. Most often, oppressed communities have expressed how they would like to be spoken to or spoken about, so be sure to do your research, and put together a set of guidelines on this basis. This extends to what colours you’re using, the designs, captions for posts, making sure the language is accessible, that you aren’t using offensive terminology and more. This Web Accessibility Initiative guide is an example of a resource providing guidance on this.
As with many things in the campaigning world, if we want to improve our digital media, we must make space and time to evaluate its performance.
In recent years, it has become increasingly important to adapt to new ways of reaching your electorate. Social media is now a vital part of every political campaign. Various social networks, like Facebook, have quickly taken over the role of traditional media in informing and activating the public. But current trends in some markets show that even Facebook is losing ground to ‘newer’ networks like Instagram, especially among a younger audience. The key is in strategic adaptations to these trends on different platforms.
Each social media platform has its own functionalities, including tricks on how to use it most effectively. If you make efforts to carefully strategise for each platform, the potential reach and therefore impact can be enormous. By playing to each platform’s strengths, you can reach a large and specific audience by utilising different methods to go viral and “break through” the algorithm.
The sections below will guide you through the most popular platforms, and the ways in which you can use them most effectively for your campaign.
Read more at Social media.
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Last updated: June 2022