With the news and advertising filling your feeds and phones, election season is in full swing. Many mission-driven organizations have already been planning, waiting, and watching for November. Even for those organizations that don’t engage in politics or advocacy, this fall will require a different kind of playbook to succeed.

So, how should you adjust your digital strategy over the next few months? As we get closer to Election Day, here are some key things to consider:

Don’t take a big pause from now until December 

If your organization has big fundraising goals or missions to accomplish this year, the election shouldn’t stop you. Even in contentious elections, life goes on. For example, we know that people still donate to nonprofits during an election year, with fundraising in 9 of the last 10 presidential elections actually increasing year over year.

But be smart about timing and targeting 

More than $16 billion is expected to be spent on advertising for the elections this year. That’s a lot of noise! It will be particularly acute in swing states. So, especially if you’re trying to reach people in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, or Georgia, launching a new campaign in October or a new website the first week of November might not yield the best ROI. You may also face restrictions on where and how you can invest your marketing dollars due to both competition and rules imposed by social media companies in the lead-up to Election Day.

Focus on solutions

Much of the noise caused by election coverage and advertisements will be focused on the problems we experience in the US and which side is to blame for them. People are desperate to hear solutions, and mission-driven organizations are often the ones at the center of providing solutions. Use the moment to connect with your audiences and demonstrate what that solution is.

Look at your data and listen to your donors and constituents

This is true for non-election years too, but the best way to understand how to move your audiences is to listen to them. Find a way to connect one-on-one with audience members. Build a survey, do user testing, or engage on social media and ask them how and what they want to hear from you during this time. You can also dive into your data from four years ago to give a picture of what to expect from your audiences. Though some online user behavior has changed since the last election, looking at whether (at all) the last presidential election had an impact on traffic or engagement can help you anticipate how your audience might react during this election cycle.

Remember that there’s a lot more than the election going on

We are experiencing big changes in how people engage with mission driven organizations. With the rise of AI,  shifts in institutional expectations, and fewer people engaged with and donating to nonprofits, there are more reasons than the election that you’ll need to be taking a close look at your digital strategy. 

Have questions about how to optimize your digital strategy during the election season? Let’s chat.