Database Usage Is Key To Successful Campaigning

Regardless of the level of the election being run, proper mining and utilization of databases is key to success in a political campaign. While mass media can help with generation of awareness of the candidate and the candidate's positions, specific and targeted marketing must occur for the candidate to be successful unless the candidate already enjoys widespread name and position recognition.

To be successful at marketing and managing the campaign, a campaign manager will need a database of information. Having that database will not be enough to succeed, though. Harvesting the database and converting those leads into votes will be a critical success factor for the campaign.

The following are necessary to generate, grow, and harvest a political database:

• Appropriate database structure. Irrelevant data or data from which the campaign team cannot take action is a waste of the campaign’s time and effort and wastes scare resources.
• The widest possible contact list. It is easier to cull out names from a large list than it is to start from nothing and attempt to grow the list organically.
• A team of motivated volunteers. Naturally, the backbone of any campaign is its volunteer base. Using the volunteer base to refine the database saves the time and effort of the campaign staff and can focus the candidate on important swing blocks.
• Appropriate contact with names in the database. Nobody likes to get spam. Bombarding the contact list with e-mails, fliers, and phone calls will only serve to alienate undecided voters. Rather, the list should be used judiciously to establish rapport with the list and to communicate the salient points of the campaign.
• Constant revision. Through the use of knowledge of the campaign and party organizations, the initial screening process can begin, to identify party loyalty and campaign loyalty. Over time, more information can help focus efforts, both in voter turnout and in fundraising.

A series of articles will discuss in detail each of the above points and how a successful campaign can optimize its efforts in maximizing votes.