Electors, the people who ultimately decide who get elected, are a fickle bunch. Long gone are the days when a family all voted the same way in every election and people increasingly switched their allegiance between parties, between elections in a reflection of the national mood or over a local issue important to them. 

Some professional campaigners believe that information gathered only within the three months before an election is truly valid, whilst others believe there are patterns which hold firm for much longer. In truth, both propositions may well be true, but only to a limited degree. 

One thing that does remain constant is the need for campaigning. In the broadest sense this means engaging with the people who you are seeking to represent, understanding the issues which concern or motivate them and trying to advocate or promote a position which will gain their support. 

But how to “campaign”? Leaflets go, pretty much, straight in the recycling bin, people are not in when you knock on their door, phone numbers are barred by TPS registration and the GDPR stands in the way of you having a digital conversation as well. 

In most cases, someone seeking election as a Councillor will have the support of a political party. They can draw on their resources, but in these challenging times, these may be limited both in terms of financial, but also physical resources too. Every campaign needs money, members and it needs a strong message. Together these add up to votes if deployed correctly. 

College Green Group is a campaign specialist with a team drawn from a wide background in both digital and on-the-ground campaigning. We pride ourselves in being up-to-date with the latest campaign techniques – we’ve even developed some of our own – and we are able to deploy them to get our clients elected. 

Our one-day training course – Getting Elected In 2022 – is the perfect opportunity for those who are seeking election, and for us to impart some of that knowledge. Over the course of the day we will:

• Take you through the formal process that elections follow, so you can gain an understanding of the framework you are operating within
• Go through the structure of a campaign, the fine details of the electorate you have to work with, who to speak to and when you should speak to them 
• Discuss how you can build the team you need to help you win and what they need to know
• Run through the latest digital campaigning techniques, with a view to reaching out to the people you need to speak to, who you need to vote for you, and getting around the issues which make engagement so very much harder today

Whether you are a newly selected candidate or want the best chance of winning again in 2022, please feel free to contact us today. More information about our councillor candidate preparation services are here, and a full overview of the Getting Elected in 2022 course is available here.