Rallies and Public Events In the Age of Coronavirus

Are they possible? You betcha they are. Many live audience TV shows rely on excitement and emotion to attract supporters. Late night shows, The Voice, and others have massive technical hurdles to overcome the lack of a live crowd. They have technicians to solve those problems but so do political candidates and their campaigns.

Simple, but effective for the campaigns who have limited budgets, are apps like Zoom to go live with their voters. Like public appearances, political candidates can generate enthusiasm and new supporters.

There are challenges for candidates and team to create a digital campaign environment. How do I attract voters to a rally in the cloud to hear my messages? How do I raise funds? There are solutions. Podcasts on Facebook, campaign websites, Zoom live meetings are all ways to spread the word, raise money and attract voters to their campaign website.

These efforts are not replacements for ads. Nor should ads replace rallies and public appearances that are also digital.

Take advantage of the technology to speak to the voters directly as if you are speaking to them one-to-one. You can generate enthusiasm of each viewer as each viewer realizes that are being part of something larger than themselves. Take Zoom for example. You can show yourself on the screen but you can also toggle the view to show all the viewers as well as individuals who are watching. Help prepare viewers who may not be used to the technology by prepping them before the meeting with instructions. Make them feel comfortable about the technology, so they are focused on your message.

Rallies of most candidates and now President Trump's are going digital. These campaigns are showing great success and so should your campaign. This is not only an opportunity; it is now a necessity. The obvious is the opportunity to gain supporters who will vote and donate. There are also many other opportunities. Voters will notice the candidate who understands technology, is aware of daily events and see them act as a successful leader who wants to reach out to their voters, listen to them and answer their questions. Leaders win while others follow.