5 Reasons Why Voters Don’t Trust Your Online Campaign

Trust. It can be hard to gain and very easy to lose. Here are five reasons why voters might not trust your online campaign – and they have nothing to do with your existing online reputation…

Poor Grammar and Spelling

If your website, press releases and social medial posts are full of grammatical errors and typos, it shows a lack of professionalism. On local campaigns, voters may even question your literacy of the candidate, since they figure it was probably written by the candidate.

For social media, Twitter has its own shorthand. For everything else, keep it professional.

Lack of Personal Information

Who are you? What is your background that qualifies you for office? What history do you have with your community and its happenings? What obstacles have you overcome to help you get to where you are today? Your history and life are unique and should be incorporated into your campaign.

[bctt tweet=”In most jurisdictions, it’s criminal for candidates lie in voter materials. http://ow.ly/WDsl30gBj8n”]

And whatever you do, don’t embellish your personal history. In most jurisdictions, it’s a crime to make false statements in voter materials.

Pictures help, too. Maybe the traditional family shot is a political-brochure cliche, but even if nothing else about a candidate’s personal life is mentioned, that one image will at least tell voters that 1) the candidate is involved with their family, 2) everyone in the family is happy, and 3) maybe they love dogs/puppies.

No Social Media Presence

This one varies depending on the campaign or elected position. Will voters think less of you because they do not have a Facebook or Twitter account? Perhaps. But if an opponent is using social media to bash you, not making a stand will eventually take its toll.

As we always say, if you don’t define yourself online, someone else will.

[bctt tweet=”If a political opponent is using #socialmedia to bash you, ignoring it won’t help. http://ow.ly/WDsl30gBj8n”]

Written By Robots

Ever visit a business web site where the business description reads as a meaningless jumble of complicated jargon? Some campaigns suffer from the same problem, especially where the website is packed with platitudes and PC mumbo-jumbo. You are trying to connect with voters, not to lay out a political treatise. Keep your language plain and your ideas succinct.

People Just Don’t Trust The Internet

Politicians in general may not be considered particularly trustworthy, but most people don’t trust what they see or read online, either. With that in mind, unless you are catering to your base, you might want to keep away from hyperbole and overly-broad generalizations. It can weaken your credibility.

A great campaign presence begins with Online Candidate. Learn how we can give your campaign the winning edge!