Why do politicians need to have an online presence?

So you’ve just been selected as a candidate or elected as an MP? Congratulations! But what do you do now? Where do you start getting your message across to your new potential constituents? With a website of course! It is the easiest place to start with your campaign or to get your message out to your constituency- and quite possibly the essential place to start.

The internet and “new media” are newcomers to the political campaigner’s arsenal, but just as essential. This coming general election will probably not be won or lost online, but the one after may well be – and that is no reason to delay. Young people especially use the internet to find out more about everything they do – many live online and get everything through it. If you can get your message out to them, you stand a far greater chance of winning.

Especially in marginal constituencies where every single vote counts, an online presence must form part of the campaign.

If you have a website, you can out the address on every piece of literature you produce. Not only do you then give them a leaflet through the letterbox, but you can entice them to go and find out more. Every leaflet and canvass can be followed up with a visit to your website and the voter can find out more about you and your campaign.

Central Party website systems such as MyConservatives are also best used in conjunction with a campaign website of your own.

A website does need setting up and a certain amount of maintenance, but this can be minimal. But the benefits can be exponential if the website is good enough.