Campaign Trail

When an election is approaching, the candidates take to the streets in an effort to drum up support for themselves. Some even travel across the country in their own campaign airplanes spreading their message among the people. This is known as the campaign trail. If you want to run for office, here are some of the things you need to think about when you're going on your campaign trail.

Platform

Before you can go out into the word and spread your message among the populous, you need to have a message. It needs to be clear, concise, and easy to understand even by those who are not highly educated. You should have definitive answers for questions that are likely to be asked by people you meet, such as 'what are you planning to do to help the people who were laid off at the brake parts factory?' and 'what will you do with the art program at my child's school?'

Handouts

There will be other candidates who are also on tour during this time, so to avoid having your message confused with someone else's, you should have some handouts printed for people to take home in case any employees are wondering about your platform. Use your image, campaign slogan, and a short description of your platform to entice them to visit your website for the full story.

Speaking Engagements

It is possible to roll into town and get up on a soap box in the middle of the town square to start spreading your message, but it's much more effective if you have speaking engagements lined up. Giving a speech to a conference of real estate agents or having a town hall debate with other candidates is much more effective and allows you to target your audience. A good campaign manager should handle these bookings for you.

Media Coverage

And of course, the tool that will allow you to reach the most people is the media - TV, radio, newspaper, and internet. Invite local and national media to follow you on your campaign trail and to report on your speeches so that even the people at home who have not come out to see you or whose towns you won't be visiting can get to know you and your platform.