Are you ready to take the next step and launch your political campaign website, but you know that you need to share photos with your web designer? At Local Vote, we talk with clients often who want the best political website design about how important their campaign photos are to their design. Political campaign website design is about more than colors, fonts, and layouts. It’s also about photos and the more compelling your candidate photos are, the more compelling your online campaign will be.
These are our digital campaign photo tips for your political campaign website to take you to the next level:
You Must Have a Candidate Headshot That is Clear and Vibrant
Your candidate headshot is your most important political photo that you will need for your local election strategy and online political campaign website. This photo will appear in several key places on your political action committee website and will appear in press releases on news websites as well as in print. You want to take the time to get this shot right.
Your political candidate headshot needs to be both clear and vibrant. You want a clear and clean background. Do not allow your photographer to place you in busy settings. You need to be the focus of this photo. You also need to be in close view. Ask for a head-on or a three-quarter headshot so that you are the focus of the shot. Voters want to see what you look like. Make sure that your headshot shows both of your shoulders to portray a look of confidence and professionalism. We also recommend smiling because a smile conveys a sense of warmth and that is valued among voters.
When we say that your photo needs to be “vibrant,” we mean that it needs to look active, lifelike, and have strong colors. We don’t want to use a photo that appears faded or flat. We want photos that are easy-to-see and stand out. We recommend choosing a solid background that contrasts with what you are wearing. A solid background is easier to crop on our end for your site. You also need to make sure that you are given a high-resolution image that you can share with your website designer. A low-resolution image is difficult to work with because there is little we can do to improve clarity.
Informal Photos Add Character and Specificity to Your Political Campaign Website
As a candidate, you want to stand out. We recommend taking additional informal photos to add character and specificity to your political campaign website. If you have a family, we recommend taking a photo with your spouse and children. This photo should not be too gimmicky and should appear in a professional sense. We recommend standing next to one another and wearing formal attire. We also recommend getting informal character shots that show who you are in non-staged settings.
An example might be getting photos of you at your campaign office or at campaign events. Another example might be getting photos from daily activities such as sitting in a coffee shop or sending out campaign letters. These “slice of life” photos can add character to your campaign and give voters a chance to see you as a human. You want to appear professional and poised at all times, but also approachable and human. Voters want to see both strength and warmth in their political candidates.
This is also an opportunity to show voters that you interact with a variety of people. You can get photos where you talk to students at a local college campus or interact with seniors at a local nursing home. Maybe you visit specific work organizations or veteran groups. Have photos that showcase your ability to talk to people of all ages, races, genders, socioeconomic groups, and walks of life. This can help to instill the belief in your voters that you care about all kinds of people and will not be focused on a particular subset of people.
Endorsement, Notable People, and Notable Local Landmark Photos
As you have your photos taken, we also recommend taking endorsements and local landmark photos seriously. If you have been endorsed by a notable figure, have a photo taken with that person so that you can showcase that endorsement on your political campaign website. If you have any endorsers who are considered prominent members of the community in any way, make sure that you get a photo with them and share it with us so we can include it on your site.
We also recommend visiting prominent local landmarks and getting photos taken onsite. When voters see you in their neighborhood spots such as coffee shops, landmarks, parks, schools, waterfronts, and favorite diners, they will begin to associate you with the community. They will also have greater confidence that you understand who makes up the community and that you truly want to help the community. Too often, candidates appear professional but detached from their community. When it comes to local political elections, this detachment is dangerous. Make sure that your voters see you as someone who lives in their community and who is “one of them.” Always check to see if you need permission to be photographed in that particular location. Some locations require permission in order to be photographed.
Interested in learning more about how we will use your digital campaign photos as part of your political campaign website design strategy? Contact us today to start building your campaign website and move forward with a digital campaign strategy that works for you. We are excited to begin working with you.
