A Digital GOTV Strategy for Every Budget

You’ve spent the last year campaigning, talking to constituents, and making headway in the polls. Now you’re in the final sprint to Election Day, and it’s time to translate all that hard work into votes.

It’s GO(TV) time.

A robust GOTV – or get out the vote – strategy is the crucial final piece of any campaign. It lets supporters know all the important details about how, where, and when to vote with plenty of reminders as those important dates get closer.

The question isn’t IF you need a GOTV strategy, it’s HOW you will execute it.

Digital marketing is a valuable tool for GOTV because there are options to fit campaign budgets of all sizes. Want to learn more? Then keep reading.

What’s a zero-cost way to reach voters ahead of Election Day? Social Media.

It’s no secret that social media is influential when it comes to forming opinions about public figures. In fact, 71% of Americans rely on social media for news at least some of the time.

You are probably already using social media to communicate with constituents and make your campaign feel more personal. Including social in your GOTV strategy is the natural next step.

And don’t limit yourself to Facebook and Twitter – be sure to engage with voters on emerging platforms like Parler, GETTR, and Truth Social as well.

This is an easy way to mobilize your followers without having to spend big bucks. That means every campaign can reap the benefits of social media for GOTV – even those that are working with a shoestring budget.

While executing a $0 GOTV plan isn’t impossible, it certainly isn’t the most effective strategy. If you have a little room in the budget, incorporating email and SMS in your GOTV blueprint can help maximize your efforts to drive voters to the polls on Election Day.

We’ve all been guilty of doom scrolling – paging through endless social media posts without reading a single one of them. If a voter missed your latest tweet or Facebook post, sending an email or text message improves the chances that they will actually see your message.

SMS is especially effective in this regard. Because of limited regulations and the more personal nature of text messages, SMS marketing averages a 95% open rate across sends.

Even if a constituent DID see your latest social post, chasing that with an email and text will help reinforce key messages and deadlines ahead of Election Day. That could make a major difference when you are reminding people to register to vote, submit their absentee ballots, or hit the polls before they close.

GOTV doesn’t have to cost your campaign a fortune, but spending a little on email and SMS can really go a long way…if you do it right. And we have the data to prove it.

You’ve spent a lot of time and money building a grassroots campaign and already plan on pulling out all the stops to get them to the polls on Election Day. Kudos!

But what about all the likely voters who are NOT on your campaign’s list?

Investing in digital GOTV ads can help you mobilize the voters you already have a relationship with, and reach those you don’t. Running ads costs more money than sending emails or text messages, but it also casts a much wider net.

Want a deeper look at how digital ads can impact election turnout? See how we helped a nonprofit inspire constituents with no voting history to request and submit absentee ballots in Virginia.

It’s no secret that Secretary of State websites aren’t always easy to navigate. Tap a custom development team like IMGE’s to build out the ultimate voter hub and walk your voters through large chunks of the voting process.

On one webpage, you can provide all of the information your voters need, plus a user-friendly interface that auto-populates the required form to request an absentee ballot.

Depending on your local election rules, you may even be able to submit these requests to election authorities electronically.

Not only that, you can synchronize that data with your housefile so you can follow-up with voters via email, SMS, calls, mail, and more to ensure those votes are completed and mailed before Election Day.

When it comes to GOTV, more is better. The smartest strategy is an all-of-the-above omnichannel approach that utilizes every tool, platform, and tactic at your disposal.

If you have the budget, investing in omnichannel marketing is your best bet for reaching, informing, and mobilizing voters when it matters most.

An omnichannel digital strategy is an essential part of a winning campaign. Not convinced? Check out how we implemented it to help an underdog candidate outraise his opponent and come within an inch of flipping a pivotal Senate seat back in 2020.

So you know you want to implement an effective GOTV strategy, but you aren’t quite sure how to do it? Let the pros at IMGE do the heavy lifting. Send us a note and find out how our team of experts can help you take home a victory on Election Day.