Three Ways That Political Campaigning Taught Me To Be A Better Blogger

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Posted in » Blogging Tips, Guest Posts - by Ades on December 21st, 2009

by Phil Van Treuren @KillerCampaigns

I was a professional political consultant for several years, but had never run for office myself until this year. I was successful in winning a city council seat in Amherst, Ohio, and discovered that being a candidate is much harder than being a campaign manager.philvantreuren

Surprisingly, there were a few things that I learned on the campaign trail that actually helped me become a better blogger. At their core, blogging and campaigning are both about defining your target audience and effectively communicating your message to them. Here are three successful methods that I used as a political candidate that I’ve also used to improve my blogging.

1. Take time to lay the groundwork, and work incrementally

In order to put together a successful political campaign, there are many things that need to be done to lay the groundwork for victory on election night. Building potential donor and volunteer lists, studying voter results from past election cycles, and formulating your campaign message are only a few of the tasks that should be complete before you announce your candidacy.

Laying the groundwork for a successful blog is every bit as important. Researching your niche, writing anchor articles, choosing the proper site layout and studying other similar blogs can help make eventual success much more likely.

Additionally, don’t think that success as a blogger will come overnight . . . or even after several months. Instead, take on blogging incrementally, much as I did with campaigning. I set myself small goals, such as knocking on every door in a given precinct or filling out a certain number of personal cards each night.

You can set similar incremental benchmarks for your blog when it comes to posting, visitors and subscribers.

2. Make sure your presentation reflects your professionalism

You might be a trustworthy, well-educated authority in your field, but people aren’t going to know that unless you present yourself to them in a way that reflects your professionalism. This goes for running for office and blogging, too.

On the campaign trail, I made sure that I was prepared with professionally printed campaign materials that explained my qualifications for office, and educated myself on the issues so that I could intelligently answer any questions the voters might have for me.

Similarly, you have to keep in mind that as a blogger, you’ll only get one chance to make a first impression with a new visitor. Make sure that your blog projects an accurate image of how seriously you take it. It doesn’t take much technical expertise anymore to put together a sharp-looking blog, and new readers are much more likely to bookmark for a return trip if they are impressed with your presentation.

3. Don’t stray from your message

A campaign without a well-focused message is often unable to gain traction with voters, just as a blog without a well-focused message won’t get many subscribers or repeat visitors.

While it’s your prerogative to focus on whatever you want in your posts, you’ll find a much more receptive and interactive audience if you limit yourself to a specific niche. No one likes to read a blog about nothing. By focusing on a topic that you are passionate and educated about, you’ll quickly build an audience that appreciates your authenticity.

Don’t be afraid to stray from your blog’s main focus and have some fun every now and then, but always keep in mind what your audience wants to learn about. The same can be said for campaigning, as well!

Phil Van Treuren blogs about political campaign advice on Killer Campaigning.

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22 Responses to “Three Ways That Political Campaigning Taught Me To Be A Better Blogger”

  1. By ferforje on Dec 21, 2009

    i’ve visited the site.there’re interesting campaign strategies that bloggers need to learn.

  2. By GDI Blog on Dec 21, 2009

    Interesting campaig strategies ades. as you said, well-focused message is the most important thing in blogging :)

  3. By work at home jobs on Dec 21, 2009

    Thats great that you have learned about blogging from politics. We can learn from every source, just we have to be curious to learn.

  4. By fdcenture on Dec 21, 2009

    Thanks very much, your informative article is really helpful for the people who’re seeking to make money online. Most people fill their articles with stuffs but you have given something really important for others while presenting ideas very clearly and more accurately.

  5. By PS3 on Dec 21, 2009

    it’s a good comparioson,blogging is also a kind of strategy and bloggers should remember its rules of effectiveness

  6. By living room furniture on Dec 21, 2009

    I like what you said on the first. Truly success doesn’t come overnight. It takes time, patience, and effort to have all that you are wishing for.

    Thanks for this Tips Ades.

    Jp @ living room furniture

  7. By DoFollow Blog List on Dec 21, 2009

    That’s a great comparison. You also have to be willing to lose in order to learn how to win. I’ve always learned best by making mistakes and having to figure out how to correct them.

  8. By grafiker on Dec 21, 2009

    I’ve always learned best by making mistakes and having to figure out how to correct them.

  9. By Laptop Briefcases on Dec 22, 2009

    That is interesting how similar blogging and political campaigning can be. I’m sure blogging taught you just as much about how to run your political campaign. Perhaps new politicians should be getting their feet wet with blogging. A politician does have to be quite careful about what they say online. Some statements can later come back to haunt them.

  10. By Marketing Man on Dec 22, 2009

    This was a refreshing and insightful guest post from Phil Van Treuren. It was simple and concise, and really got the message home. I wish all politicians would be as straight talking as you. Phil.

  11. By titan on Dec 22, 2009

    i guess you are right. Seems like we learn something today.

  12. By jam@ps3 modern warfare 2 on Dec 22, 2009

    Thanks for giving this awesome and astonishing tips for the good blogging comment. And the most important thing is this that in this blogging all the tips which has been provided really immaculate and prolific.

  13. By Young on Dec 23, 2009

    The last sentence should be highlight, no need to too care about your niche, just have a look at what TechCrunch had posted, it even talked about porn search engine.:-)

  14. By Jose Anajero on Dec 24, 2009

    Thanks Phil for sharing with us some of your experiences in the campaign trail. It’s like giving us, who can’t or won’t go into politics, a vicarious experience in political campaigning.

    I think the principles in political campaign are basically the same as in marketing campaign.

    Jose

  15. By Pinoy on Dec 28, 2009

    This is a very timely post. As we all know, Election here in the Philippines will took place this coming May 2010.

  16. By car hire New York on Dec 28, 2009

    This is really great blogging experience. Political campaigning is always complicated and tricky thing. Well made blog can give a significant contribution while from one superficially done you most likely won’t gain anything. It’s really delicate work and requires to consider the smallest details to gain success.

  17. By pen tablet on Jan 7, 2010

    There is something about the sentence that Take time to lay the groundwork. Every big and innovative way of getting success need a lot of time to start becoming really huge.

  18. By Link Wheels on Jan 8, 2010

    It is surprising the similarities between blogging and a political campaign! “1. Take time to lay the groundwork, and work incrementally” - This is a must for blogging.

  19. By Essays on Jan 10, 2010

    We must stick to the central idea while write a post for blog. Don’t jut insert text to fill the gaps.

  20. By vektör on Jan 12, 2010

    Every big and innovative way of getting success need a lot of time to start becoming really huge.

  21. By vektör on Jan 12, 2010

    Interesting campaig strategies ades. as you said, well-focused message is the most important thing in blogging

  22. By Bidet on Jan 16, 2010

    Interesting analogy , who knew you could learn so much about blogging from a political campaign.


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