Campaigning Tip # 5 – Work Smart Not Hard

Don’t work hard work smart, like most other daily responsibilities working hard does not always guarantee success, on the other hand working smart does. Most campaigns have limited resources therefore it makes sense to get the most out of your time and money. That means targeted campaigning, which also means being efficient, organized and always prepared, plus being honest with yourself and the team.

If you are well funded you will have an office to run your campaign from and if you are lucky you will have a strategy-room (war- room) but a ‘strategy – wall’ will do the job equally well. Cover the wall with a large constituency map – the larger the better (to protect the wall pin the map over cork sheets/boards). Outline the wards, polling districts and other important locations. Use colour draw pins to identify the different parties and their representations by density so it is clear which area needs to be worked the most. Canvass the best areas first because it will give you a good gauge of how strong your current support is, plus it feels great to know but most of all because you can not take anyone for granted – regularly update all results.

Create a data base of people that you can call on for help, regarding issues that come up on the campaign trail, also people who can support with teams – coordinating events and managing delivery networks. The data base should also have names of business and stakeholders that you might call on for support with issues and/or invite to events.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from others, learn and copy what worked in other campaigns but equally avoid what did not work in the past for other people or for you. Learning from others will save you time and gives you a launch pad to start from but don’t waste time in redoing or undoing what did not work before. Be personal and personable with the voters but allow yourself to be removed and unattached when it comes to managing what works best for the campaign (but remember to do it nicely and with warmth).

Different things motivate different people, and you need to stay motivated. Although I am good with figures and like numbers, I prefer to have a mental picture of things – as a visual person I find it easier and quicker to pull out a photo story from my memory bank – what type of person are you? Find out, and incorporate what works best on your wall, is it photos, stats and numbers, news paper cuttings (good and bad) or quotes from your favourite politicians and notes of encouragement from your supporters – whatever keeps you going have it on that wall.

Happy Campaigning!