Bum Political Marketing

Free and Low Cost Ways to Support Your Candidate

Not everyone has the ability to write big fat checks to their favorite candidate. I have created this lens to illustrate the many ways someone without deep pockets can make a significant difference.

You do not need to donate cash.

Ron Paul supporters have taken the notion of a "grassroots" campaign to a whole new level. While they raised record setting amounts of money, they did it basically without the official campaign. The money bomb idea didn't come from the top down, it arose from an individual's idea and acting on it.

Remember "All politics is local"

Here are a few ideas of how you can show your support for your desired representative without having to write a large check. While these ideas cost little to no money, they have great advertising value.

"Bum Marketing" refers to a type of advertising where you do not PAY to get your ads or views printed.

Write a Letter to the Editor

Write to as many papers as you can

The pen is mightier than the sword, so pick up your pens!!!

The national average advertising value of just one published letter to the editor (LTE) is more than $1,000. A LTE in the USA Today can be worth more than $10,000.

You can write to newspapers outside of your local area. You can write LTEs to most magazines, though it helps if you can tie your letter to something they had published recently.

Some radio stations have LTE sections on their websites. Write a good one and it might be read on the air.

I have had at least one of my LTEs read on the air. I wasn't around when they read it so I didn't get to call in and milk it BUT it caused other people to call in, and that was the idea!

Letter to the Editor Poll

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Write an Op Ed Piece

Only a little longer than a letter to the editor

If you are a good writer, ask your local newspapers if you can write an Op Ed piece for them to publish.

Most local papers love these. You probably won't get paid for it but in some cases it can lead to paid writing gigs.

Call Into a Talk Radio Program

Local and National Radio Shows

If they don't have an open mic type of call in show, many radio stations do have time set aside for listener feedback. Again, it helps if you can tie your comments into a news story but isn't always necessary.

In small towns you can often talk about anything, just to take up air time. They hope someone will say something controversial so it will get people to listen in.

This REALLY works! The other day members of my local MeetUp group was able to get about an HOUR of free air time for Ron Paul by calling into one of our local talk shows. We even got the on air personality to mention our meeting time and location several times that day but also the next. AND he came to the meeting!!!

Create a Free Site to Express Your Views

They are free so create as many as you can

Create a Squidoo lens, blog, hub page or similar free site to spread the word about why you plan to vote for a particular candidate.

People love hearing opinions instead of negative ads or fluff.

Create or Change Your Sig File

This will advertise your candidate with every email you send

Change your email sig file to promote the site you created.

If you aren't currently using a sig file, create one. You will help spread the word on your candidate with every email you send.

Be Active in Forums

It doesn't have to be a political forum

Start a discussion in the forums you frequent.

Sometimes the thread will be deleted for being off topic but many times moderators will let the thread alone if it is very active.

Local or community forums are great for this because it can help you locate other supporters to network with.

Many forums allow registered users to link to a website in your forum sig file, direct people to the site you created.

Free Classified Ad Sites

It only takes a few minutes to post an ad

Place a free ad at one or more of the NUMEROUS free classified ad sites. Link it to the site you created or directly to the candidate's site if that doesn't violate the site's terms of service.

Meetup Groups

Be active in your group too!

Join your candidate's local meetup group if one already exists or create one. There is a cost associated with starting a group but it isn't very expensive.

You can search for a local group at Meetup.com

When your group has a meeting, hold it at a local business. Often times other patrons of the business will listen in and you may get a few more members.

The other reason to hold meetings at a local business is because you are giving them business (especially if you have a large group) so ask them if you can hang a sign in their window. Most of the time they will let you do it.

Knock on Doors and Hand Out Flyers

Nothing beats just talking to people

If you are a people person, go door to door and tell people to consider your candidate. Many times they will ask you questions on the candidate's positions so make sure you are honest about how they have voted and such.

Are you shy? Then...

Hand out flyers on why you think other people should vote for your candidate. Put the URL to your site on it so people can view your site for more information.

Bumper Stickers

A political tradition

Put a bumper sticker on your car. The advertising value of a bumper sticker is said to be about $500, not a bad return for the buck or two it will cost to print or buy one.

You can make your own bumper sticker if you want to be creative.

Buy or Create a T-Shirt

Wear it often

You can buy a T-Shirt from the official campaign or you can create your own.

No matter how you get it, be sure to WEAR the T-Shirt with your candidate's message on it.

Political memorabilia can be very valuable so buy an extra shirt to sell years from now.

Window Signs - Yard Signs - Waving Signs

Signs, signs everywhere there's signs

Put window signs in your car as well in windows where there is a great deal of drive by or walk past traffic.

If you don't have any official signs, use spray snow to stencil a message on your windows. You can scrap it off later.

Ask your friends to allow you to put signs in their yards if they aren't politically active. Maybe including them will get them interested and kill their apathy.

Stand on busy street locations and wave your signs! This not only has HUGE advertising value to everyone driving past, many local news stations and newspapers will run a story on it. It is only going to cost you a few hours of time.

Candidate Business Cards

Hand them out

The next time you are at dinner or a sports event, hand out business cards for your candidate. You'll be surprised at how good this is for starting a conversation.

Create a Video

There are many free video sites

Create a video and submit it to the many free video sites on the internet.

Videos are all the rage online and they help reach the younger crowd.

Volunteer to Register Voters

Many people don't vote because they never registered

Help out the campaign by spending a few hours getting new voters registered.

Do you have friends or family who aren't registered or who are but don't vote? Tell them how important it is and ask them to do it for you. Sometimes all you have to do is ask people directly to get them motivated.

Dinner Parties

A long lost tradition

Have a dinner party and discuss politics. Don't just stump for your candidate, ask questions and discuss policies.

These aren't strangers, you are inviting friends, family, and neighbors so don't worry about some huge heated debate. Just talk about how everyone feels in regards to issues like the economy. (Probably is best to leave hot topics like abortion out of it.)

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The Cost of the War in Iraq

Politics Today NBC News

The US National Debt

This is why voting matters

Lens Feedback

McMick

Very Useful tips for an inexpensive political campaign.

I'm trying to tie in with 25-30 year olds who will start entering congress on a platform of ousting the spending mad porkmeisters in there now. Your debt clock is great. Entitlements have already given us future-long term-debt of $53 trillion dollars.(Government Accountability Office).

On your Iraq War clock, it is expensive. In total though, in does not reach even 1 year's amount of welfare-the real kind- food stamps, cash, housing subsidies, medicaid etc. when federal and state dollars are included.

So-called corporate welfare is not real welfare, because it only offsets the final "net tax" which in the case of corporations has reached as high as $367 billion.

Good job

Posted July 07, 2008

JanaMurray

This is Jana with Ron Paul Revolution on Squidoo, Ron Paul wants everyone to March on Washington, I hope to be there and wanted to share this video with you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryMliyeIDp4

Posted February 12, 2008

heartuvgold

Thanks for a great lens. This gives me a lot of ideas for marketing my business as well. it doesn't have to be just for politics.

Thanks again,
Becky Beasley

Posted January 25, 2008