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Building your Strategic Plan

Building your Strategic Plan. Bert Ralston Vox Populi Communications, LLC. “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat .”. The Strategic Process. Initial Assessment/Research Strengths and Weaknesses Assumptions Strategic Hypothesis Consensus Strategic Statement Strategic Grid

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Building your Strategic Plan

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  1. Building your Strategic Plan Bert Ralston Vox Populi Communications, LLC

  2. “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

  3. The Strategic Process • Initial Assessment/Research • Strengths and Weaknesses • Assumptions • Strategic Hypothesis • Consensus • Strategic Statement • Strategic Grid • Unifying Message

  4. Initial Assessment/Research • Maps and Geography • District History and General Narrative • Demographics • Election Data/Voter Turnout • District Economy • Centers of influence • Party Organization • Political History—Prior Elections • Community Profiles • District Media • State/National Environment • Impact of special coalitional groups and organizations • Economic conditions • Key issues • Other uncontrollable issues

  5. The Candidacies Strengths and Weaknesses • “Campaigns are about maximizing your candidate’s strengths and neutralizing your weaknesses while neutralizing your opponent’s strengths and exploiting their weaknesses.” Ed Goes—The Tarrance Group

  6. Strengths and Weaknesses • A strength can also be a weakness • Assessment must be done objectively • Areas to evaluate • Personal • Business • As a candidate • Past campaigns • Promises made/kept • Resources/Finances • Appointed positions

  7. Key Assumptions • Assumptions must address the following key points: • Voter turnout • Political environment • Issues Matrix • Fundraising Capabilities • Impact of other races • Opponent(s)’ strategy • Your base vote

  8. Key Assumptions • Campaign strategy is based on a series of assumptions—if your assumptions are wrong—so is your strategy, so… take the time to write them down and think them through!

  9. The Strategic Hypothesis • At this point a strategic hypothesis should be starting to take shape from the initial assessment. • Write this down—It is now time to draft a first cut strategy statement for both you and that of your opponent. Opponent's Weaknesses +Candidate's Strengths District History + Political Environment =Reason

  10. What must strategy be capable of answering? • Who could/should vote for you and Why • How do you prevent the opponent from ultimately reaching 50% + 1 • What image will you project of your candidate—how do you want him/her to be perceived • What image will you paint of your opponent—what image do you want to allow him/her to develop

  11. The Strategic Grid

  12. The Unifying Message • Now that you know who you are going to talk to, you must decide what you will say to the total universe of voters • Campaigns are about contrast, whether positive or negative, your message must contrast at some point with what your opponent is saying • Name ID is elemental, no one cares about what you are if they do not know who you are • What sort of candidate image are you trying to develop? • Pick issues that help to portray that image • YOUR MESSAGE IS NOT BEING DELIVERED IN A VACUUM

  13. Tactics • You know who you want to talk to… • You know what you want to say… • Now, how do you get the message out? • Paid Media—Television, Cable, Radio, Direct Mail, Print, New Media. • Earned Media—Press Releases, Ed Boards, “Events”, Debates, Town meetings. • Organizational Contact—Phone Banks, D2D, Yard signs, Lit drops, Special events, Coalition development.

  14. Tactics(Key metrics) • All tactics require resources—financial and personal • Success must be defined per each tactic in advance (does it move numbers?) • Tactics must be measured on an ongoing basis • Tactics must reach selected target groups • Have the most effective tactics reached saturation before new ones are added? • A great strategy, with poorly implemented tactics, will lose.

  15. Building the Campaign PlanFrom the Strategic Process • Political Environment • Strengths and Weaknesses • Assumptions • Strategic Grid • Unifying Message

  16. Building the Campaign PlanFrom the Planning Process • Candidate's Schedule • Paid Media Plan • Earned Media Plan • Organization • Coalitions • Timetable • Fundraising • Budget • Volunteer Program • Vote Goals/Targeting • Voter ID Program • Absentee/Early Voting Plan • Election Day plan

  17. Vox Populi Communications, LLC Bert Ralston voxpopcomm@comcast.net 904-234-9623

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