How to prep your team for election season

When you work for a student media organization, election season is a team effort, on both the business and editorial sides. Whether you’re a business manager fulfilling campaign ads or a sales rep working with local candidates, a little work on the front end preparing your team for a busy few weeks can go a long way in making the experience better for everyone. This guide will share some practical tips on prepping your teams for an influx of political advertising leading up to Election Day.

Have a scene-setting meeting early

The beginning of the semester is the best time to make plans for the months ahead, because while your team is new, they’re also excited — and no one has too much homework yet. Sit down in those first few weeks of the new school year and talk about the plan for Election Day. Include the editorial team in the conversation so you can make plans together. Ask yourselves…

• What is our advertising policy for political advertising?
• Are there any plans for editorial products that an advertiser may be interested in? (For example, a voter guide or a politics-focused email newsletter)
• What does our team need to have or know to be successful? (Look for training gaps, missing resources, or processes that feel clunky or stressful) 

‍Set an advertising policy for political ads

If your team doesn’t already have a formal advertising policy in place, take a moment at the beginning of the year to set one, with specific attention paid to how you’ll handle political advertising.

[READ MORE: Political Ad Policies 101]

You don't want to be making policy decisions in the middle of a busy cycle. Resolve big questions before a client or Flytedesk is asking, so you’re not stressed out or missing out on potential revenue.

Assign roles before you need them

Think about all of the people on your team who will be there to support the sales and fulfillment process during the election season. Are their roles clear, and is there any confusion? A few key roles we suggest defining early:

• Your primary Flytedesk contact: This person will be interacting with Flytedesk regularly in the Flytedesk Ads Platform. It may make sense for this to be the business manager or even your advisor.
• Your lead local ad sales contact: If you expect a higher volume of local advertising for the election, as well, make sure someone else on your team has the ball for working with these clients.
• Someone to confirm ad placements are correct before publishing: This may require collaboration with your editors — but someone on the team should double-check email newsletters and print editions to make sure all ads are in place and look correct, to avoid mistakes.Once these products are out in the world, you can’t edit or fix a broken link or incorrect creative, and a client will likely not pay you for the ad or request a makegood.
• Someone to install OOH advertising: Out-of-home racks, screens, and billboards are popular with national buyers during the election season, but getting the ads installed is an important task that we recommend one person on your team take the lead on. That person should also keep the OOH racks clean and the area around it free of clutter and trash.
• Someone to handle street team logistics: You only need one person to run an effective street team, but even if you have several people working on street team activations, pick one person on your team to run point. That’s the person who makes sure the street teams happen, verification photos are taken, and there’s always plenty of tape on the supply shelf.

‍Prepare for higher volume

It’s easier said than done, but if you’re in a key state for this election cycle, try to prepare your team for a higher volume of advertising between Labor Day and Election Day. Higher volume means more revenue — but it also means more work and more chances for mistakes.

A few recommendations: 

1. Build in checkpoints for products like email newsletters and print editions.
2. Make sure everyone on the team understands key processes for ad placement, verification, and billing.
3. Normalize asking for help early, rather than waiting until it’s too late.

What’s next?

We recommend starting to talk about the election season sooner rather than later with your team, and we’re here to help. If you want support getting ready for a busy time of year, reach out to your account manager.