Saleswhale Blog

Political campaigns are marketing campaigns

Written by Catherine Farley | October 23, 2020

Don't believe me? 

I started my career off in politics. I had some disillusioned idea that I could change the world if I could just make it to Washington, DC. 

Well, I made it, and I left it. 

But during my time in DC, I traversed through the world of marketing and politics. 

My first taste for politics was working for a Congressman. I can tell you with complete confidence that the entire office was run by marketing campaigns. Lobbyists were in the office speaking daily to staffers about their company's agenda (marketing), citizens would call and express their desires and concerns (marketing), and when the day was over, the Congressman would go to fundraising events to convince people he was the right candidate (more marketing). 

The only clear difference in politics and marketing is the campaign period. Politicians campaign for far longer than any marketing campaign I've ever worked on. 

In marketing, we work on an annual and then quarterly campaign schedule. Things always change, but we try to stick to a cohesive plan and message on an annual timeline. 

In politics, anything can happen. Congress has 2 year-long campaigns. Senate has 6 year-long campaigns. And presidential campaigns go on indefinitely. 

This upcoming presidential election is a great example. As of September 20, according to Forbes, 11% of voters were still undecided. That 11% is who each candidate is marketing to. Not the base, not life long party followers, only the undecided voters. While 70% of those undecided voters find organic marketing tactics like the debates unimportant for their decision making, each candidate has ramped up paid TV ads, direct mailers, and campaign hosted events. Millions of dollars and hours will be spent to swing that 11% of voters one way or the other.

Here at Saleswhale, we can't help politicians run their campaigns, but we can help marketers run seamless nurture campaigns. We don’t cost millions of dollars, and we can increase your campaign lead funnel by 2.5x. 

If you need help following up on your leads from webinars, bringing cold leads back to life, or launching new conversations, let Saleswhale help. Try for free today

And if you need a break from all the politics, check out our blog on Raising a puppy is like nurturing a lead. Why? Because if you scroll to the bottom, there is a photo of a puppy. You're welcome.