With voters constantly searching for information online, it's important to stay ahead of trends and deliver relevant content that resonates with your audience. AnswerThePublic can help political campaigns by offering real-time data on popular search trends.
Here's how to leverage it for a political campaign.
Identify Trending Topics
AnswerThePublic gathers real-time data from autocomplete forms, showing what people are currently searching for. Political campaigns can use this data to identify trending topics for their voters.
Whether discussing voting policies, key issues, or even the candidate's name, the darker orange dots next to popular terms reveal which topics are getting the most attention. This allows campaigns to focus on the content their audience cares about most.
Restrictions on Financial and Political Topics
Political and financial topics, especially sensitive or heavily regulated ones, often face limitations within AnswerThePublic. Google’s advertising policies restrict certain keywords, meaning terms related to specific political figures, electoral reform, or controversial financial issues may show zero search volume.
Zero Search Volume in My Keyword Research
These restrictions aim to maintain a respectful online environment and avoid promoting harmful or inappropriate content. Similarly, content related to drugs, firearms, and highly regulated industries like healthcare can also be filtered, limiting access to data on these subjects.
This can present challenges for political campaigns, where these very topics are often central to discussions. Despite this, AnswerThePublic still offers ways to gain insights into voter interests while staying compliant with these restrictions.
Leveraging AnswerThePublic for Political Campaigns
To navigate these restrictions, AnswerThePublic allows users to explore related terms or synonyms. For instance, if "electoral reform" or a particular political figure’s name is restricted, switching to broader terms like “elections” or “voting” can still yield valuable data.
By using alternative language, campaigns can find popular topics that are politically relevant without triggering filters. Additionally, focusing on broader, less regulated terms ensures that your content can still address the same themes from a different angle. By zeroing in on the darker dots next to highly popular search terms, campaigns can focus their content on the most relevant topics.
Optimize Content for Popular Search Terms
After identifying trending topics, the next step is content optimization. Campaigns can increase their visibility and engagement by creating blog posts, videos, or social media updates around the most popular search terms. For example, if terms like "voting rights" or "campaign policies" are trending, tailoring content to these topics ensures your message aligns with what people are actively searching for.
Campaigns can quickly adapt their strategies to emerging voter concerns using the tool's real-time data, keeping content fresh and engaging.
Monitor Competitor Strategies
In addition to AnswerThePublic, Ubersuggest allows tracking and analyzing competitors by comparing the keywords gap, common keywords, number of backlinks, and organic traffic between different websites. More information here: How to Discover Your Competitors' Keywords
Political campaigns can identify gaps or opportunities to stand out by analyzing competitor content and keyword strategies. For example, if a rival campaign isn't engaging with a trending topic like "climate policy," your campaign can create content that fills that void, positioning your candidate as the authority.
Engage on Social Media
Social media is another powerful tool in political marketing, and insights from AnswerThePublic’s TikTok and YouTube reports can guide your campaign’s social media strategy.
TikTok Report in AnswerThePublic
YouTube Report in AnswerThePublic
By integrating trending search terms into your posts and hashtags, your campaign can tap into current discussions and generate more engagement. Additionally, monitoring real-time data ensures your content stays relevant and timely.
Stay Compliant with Advertising Policies
Given the sensitivity of political content, it’s important to stay compliant with advertising policies. By avoiding restricted keywords—such as terms related to weapons, controversial health issues, or certain political figures—your campaign can ensure that ads and content are approved quickly, minimizing delays in reaching voters.
By using AnswerThePublic effectively, political campaigns can stay ahead of the curve, delivering timely and relevant content that aligns with voter interests and drives engagement.