Demystifying Field Strategy - Part 2: Dos and Don’ts for Your Campaign
Field is all about ID’ing voters: you need to know who will vote for you, who needs to be persuaded, and who isn’t worth your time.
In Part 1 of Demystifying Field Strategy, we set the foundation: basic terminology and core tactics. Next step: develop your strategy.
Which tactics you use are dependent on three major factors: the size of your race, budget for field and voter communications, and human resources. For example, if your district is large and human-power is limited, knocking on doors may not have enough of an impact – you’ll need to rely heavily on phones and texting. (Need help? Let’s chat.)
While strategy can be highly variable when it comes to tactics, there are some solid best practices applicable to most field programs. Follow these best practices to avoid wasting your most valuable resources: money and time.
Start early: Before you even announce the campaign, you should be identifying who you want on your team. From which community leaders and activists do you want to ask for support? Who is reliable in your inner circle that could be a leader on your field team? Make a list and secure your team early. (Pro tip: The campaign launch event is a great place to get volunteer sign ups!)
Know your numbers: As mentioned in Part 1, having voter data is crucial to execute a well-informed field plan. And step 1 is knowing the numbers relevant to your district or jurisdiction. Specifically, what is the breakdown of registered Democrats, Republicans, and Decline-To-State voters (also known as No Party Preference/NPPs) in your district or jurisdiction? Who tends to vote in almost every election vs who only votes in Presidential elections? There is a lot of helpful information in the voter data – use it as a starting point to inform your targeting.
Set and track clear metrics and goals: Track everything: voter contacts, voter IDs, volunteers recruited, events held, and more. This is a no-brainer: it’s not a strategy unless you are setting goals and tracking progress. And – this is very important – use the data! Information you gather along the way should be used to adjust the field plan and pivot as necessary. Don’t just compile metrics to check a box.
Invest in training: It’s simple: well-trained team members are more effective. Make sure your field team is trained and regularly working with new volunteers at phone banks and canvasses. We highly recommend your campaign manager and/or most reliable inner circle team members do a comprehensive training like SOAR Academy for Operatives.
Target persuadables: As the candidate, your focus should be on undecided persuadable voters. Ignore the opponents and let your volunteers connect with likely supporters. Time is a finite resource and yours is especially valuable – get people off the fence and squarely behind you.
Make data-driven decisions: Data is gold. As tempting as it may be, don’t let feelings about certain clubs and cliques or preferences for certain geographies decide who you talk to and when. Dive into the data and use it! Voter data and analytics can optimize strategy and make the most of your resources.
Build an inclusive and kind campaign culture: This one is often overlooked and can have life-long impacts for your team members. We’re people first. Every member of your team should feel seen, heard, and welcomed. This requires intentionality and thoughtfulness on your part – ask how they’re doing, what they need, and do they feel supported on the team. And if you ask for feedback, use it!
Take care of your volunteers: Even the most well-intentioned campaign teams can (and do) neglect volunteers. Volunteer management is HARD. Finding the right tasks for their skillset, scheduling and reminders, giving them attention, training, and support – it’s a lot. But the consequences for doing this poorly cannot be understated. Put frankly, you’ll lose them. And you may even turn them off from wanting to help you or other campaigns in the future. Do it well or don’t do it at all. Recognition, accountability, competition, and food motivate volunteers. Make it fun! (See this blog post for more.)
Consistent messaging: Field, voter communications, and digital should be communicating the same core messages. Make sure messaging aligns across platforms like canvassing and phone scripts, mailers, social media, and ads.
Embrace authenticity: Be yourself! If someone tells you to change something about yourself for the campaign, they’re wrong. Period. Our most meaningful connections are with people we perceive are being honest, thoughtful, present, and vulnerable. Inversely, if it feels gross it probably is. And voters will notice.
Avoid scripting interactions too much: Similar to above, authentic voice matters. And voters can tell if you’re reading word-for-word from a script. While scripts are great for everyone else, you’re the candidate – you don’t need a script to know your message and you run the risk of sounding robotic or insincere. Find balance between prescribed messaging and authentic conversations. (Point of clarification: very few people should be allowed to go off script on the campaign. There is a high risk of misinformation when people go off script who don’t truly know or understand your message inside and out.)
Have systems for follow through and quality control: spotty follow-up and inconsistent messaging with voters breaks trust. If you say you’re going to send some information, have systems in place to make sure it gets done. When the pace gets faster and hectic, it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks.
Implementing a strong field strategy can be make-or-break for most campaigns. Successful campaigns mobilize supporters and persuade swing voters. It is hard work and often thankless, but it generates the direct voter contact and enthusiasm needed to get out the vote on election day.
A field strategy becomes a field plan the moment you execute. And the campaign willing and able to knock the most doors, make the most calls, send the most texts, and drive the most voters to the polls will have an advantage. Make no mistake - field is where elections are won and lost.
Need help crafting a field strategy? Book a FREE 15-minute consultation call with us to see how we can help your campaign.
