Easy ways for you and your team to keep the momentum going.

Author: Jaegar Laird, Social Media & Political Consultant

Contact: jaegar@rogueconsultingco.com

Note: Rogue Advantage (www.rogueadvantage.com) is a digital political consulting firm based in Atlantic Canada. We’re proud to serve and support the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, the Conservative Party of Canada, and related organizations.

Table of Contents

1. Simple, Personal Pictures and Videos–They Go A Long Way!

   Take advantage of personable moments to always have content.

2. Use Videos to Get Quick Hits

   A quick 20 second hit could reach thousands of voters!

3.  Keep Feeding the Algorithm

Consistency is key for getting recommended higher. Especially during elections.

4. Small Dollar A/B Message Testing

   Test drive different messages while there's not so much competition.

5. Watch and Learn

   Still unsure where to start? See what others are doing first.

Introduction

Summer is a slow time in politics. With legislatures in recess and politicians on the barbeque circuit, there’s not much of a message to drive day-to-day.

That doesn’t mean that your personal branding and marketing needs to take a vacation. People in your riding live on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, so it’s important to maintain your presence and remain visible. It’s important for you to be seen physically during the summer; it’s equally important to be seen digitally. 

Luckily, it’s cheaper and easier than ever to take advantage of digital tools like social media and small ads.

With many politicians taking it easy on social media during the summer, there isn’t so much noise. That means the airwaves are open for you. I’m going to share 5 ways you can take advantage of that over the summer months to get ahead and do your best.

1. Simple, Personal Pictures and Videos–They Go A Long Way!

If you’re wondering where to start, personal pictures and videos go a long way. Seeing the personal side of a politician is a refreshing touch when mixed in with legislature clips and infographics. 

It doesn’t have to be staged or complicated. If you’re walking your dog, take a picture with your dog and put “good morning” in the caption. If you want to go a bit further, record a good morning message from the trail with your dog (this would perform the best in the Facebook algorithm). These simple encounters are great opportunities for quick updates. 

Regardless of what you choose to capture, get in the habit of collecting content even if you don’t end up posting it. That way you can build up a content bank for slow days.

This is important for when you need attention during elections. I’ll explain this further in #3: Keep Feeding The Algorithm, but in short, Facebook rewards accounts that post frequent, high-engagement content with a higher position on the home page. Consistency is key and personal posts are a way to keep momentum throughout the summer without political content.

2. Use Videos to Get Quick Hits

Short videos do really well on social media. You can personally get your message across, and they appear when people scroll through “Reels”; those short, addictive videos all over Facebook and TikTok.

This is a separate algorithm from a person’s home page. The Reels algorithm will recommend your content to more new people, but on home pages people will be shown content from accounts they already follow. Instead of just posting pictures, take advantage of the reach from Reels.

You don’t have to be an influencer by any means to start recording on your phone and have a 20 second hit. Whether it’s news, highlighting a constituent, routine door knocking, or whatever you come up with, it has the real potential to reach thousands of people and leave a positive impression.

By comparison, physically reaching thousands of people and leaving a positive impression will take all summer!

Don’t be afraid to try something new and find your style. Making a social media post is different from speaking in the House, but you’re just communicating with different audiences. The key is practice, and over time your videos will become more natural.

3. Keep Feeding the Algorithm

I’ve touched on this point, so let me be clear about social media algorithms.

Social media companies are in the attention business, and they make money selling ads. In order to keep people's attention and show more ads, they want users to keep scrolling. Users are more likely to continue scrolling if they’re shown content that keeps them engaged. 

For platforms like Facebook and Instagram, that means:

a) The post was viewed for a relatively long time (not scrolled past instantly); 

b) Users are engaging with the posts by liking, commenting, and sharing.

The key is consistency. Posts don’t need to be home runs, they just need to have some substance. When successful, your posts will be recommended higher on people’s home pages. This isn’t hard for politicians with pre-established credibility in the community if they remain consistent.

This is especially important for elections. With a pre-established following, you’ll be way ahead of your competition. Most campaigns start thinking about consistent social media posts after the writ drops, and it’s hard to build momentum and gain a meaningful following in such a short period of time. Do your future self a favour and keep feeding the algorithm.

4. Small Dollar A/B Message Testing

In preparation for Fall, why not road-test different messages? Facebook has a cheap and easy way to A/B test different ads, which will give you valuable insight for the Fall.

Facebook ads are growing in popularity due to their reach and cost-effectiveness. Using ads for political clients as an example, we usually target $3-$7 per 1,000 people reached. This is even cheaper during the summer months when there is less competition for limited ad space.

Facebook ads are just like posts, but with the added bonus of precision. I’ve written all about ad strategy for campaigns here, but if you’re looking to take it easy and try out ads this summer, small A/B tests are a good way to do that. You can accurately target different demographics, interests, occupations, and geographic locations in your riding using Meta’s expansive database.

It’s a powerful tool to use during quiet times like now, and an even better tool during elections. Now is a great time to get comfortable with running small, targeted Facebook ad campaigns.

5. Watch and Learn

If you’re still not sure where to start, you can always watch and learn from other political accounts. Take a look at what accounts are doing in your province, federally, and from the opposing party to get a better understanding of what you could do best.

It is important to remain authentic on social media. Compared to traditional media, social media offers you a direct line of communication with voters. Every like, comment, and DM is like a digital door knock, and it’s important to get it right. The truth is that far too many political accounts don’t take advantage of social media, and if you sit back and watch you’ll see it too.

Lots of people are trying different things, so experiment yourself with how you present best on camera. Politics is always changing and it will naturally become more integrated with social media. Get ahead of the curve now to best prepare yourself for the future of both elections and governing.

Our Expertise at Rogue Advantage

These strategies aren’t industry standard for a reason: they take time, skill, and precision. That’s what Rogue Advantage delivers.

Rogue Advantage gives your campaign the digital edge to win. Unlike traditional agencies, we bring private-sector expertise, AI-driven insights, and real-time strategy without the bloated costs.

When it comes to having a digital advantage and winning, the numbers speak for themselves.

• 15 custom-built political websites launched.

• 230,000+ engaged voters through precisely targeted ads.

• 83% of our retained clients won their elections.

What We Offer

Get in touch with us today.

If your social media strategy ends with a post, you’re leaving votes on the table. We help you win online—before, during, and after election day.

Wade MacCallum, Founder

Email: wade@rogueconsultingco.com

Phone: (902) 401-9775

About Jaegar Laird

Jaegar is passionate about politics, communications, and strategy. He has worked as a Page in the Nova Scotia Legislature and as a Political Assistant to an MLA, gaining firsthand insight into politics and government. He's been a key member of campaign teams where he has implemented digital strategies, crafted targeted ad campaigns, and pushed a winning message. Jaegar studies Economics and Political Science at Dalhousie University. In his spare time he enjoys photography, and playing guitar, bass, and drums.