Deep Canvassing

Deep canvassing: A Medium for Voter Mindset Change

Deep canvassing adopts the simple method of learning what truly matters to voters through having authentic conversations. 

Deep canvassing places its emphasis on building relationships with voters. By being conversational with voters you gain more significant insights into issues that voters truly care about. This differs from traditional canvassing which often follows a script and definitive talking points when door-to-door canvassing. 

Deep canvassing is a technique that generates belief cut through and moves away from staunch views. Deep canvassing should be implemented outside of the election cycle to generate insights into issues affecting the electorate, inform a cohort of voters who do not agree with your campaign and create long-lasting relationships with the electorate. 

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Deep Canvassing Vs. Traditional Canvassing

Deep canvassing is often used as a means to reach voters on a different level than traditional canvassing would.

Deep canvassing often requires more time than traditional door-to-door canvassing. Deep canvassing's primary concern is to change people's minds on issues, facilitate influential conversations, and gather insights. 

Here are some of the differences between deep canvassing and traditional canvassing:

Deep Canvassing:

1. Canvassers have a guidance script to establish the initial relationship with voters. Canvassers are educated on the policy of the campaign and can have deeper, meaningful conversations with the electorate. 

2. Canvassers initiate a two-way conversation with voters, instead of stating hardened policy facts during the doorstep interaction. Deep canvassing navigates toward an issue that the voter feels strongly about and begins their voter persuasion conversation at that point. 

3. Deep canvassers do not utilize historic polling data to influence swing voters. Their canvassing tactic is to understand the true reason why voters did not previously vote for their candidate or party.

4. A deep canvassing interaction can last from 15 minutes onwards. 

5. Deep canvassing should begin approximately 11 months before the election campaign. As a result, your political campaign software and campaign team should be implemented at least 7 months before deep canvassing commences. 

Traditional Canvassing:

1. Canvassers are issued a campaign message and script that is followed for each door-to-door interaction. 

2. Canvassers are factual with their points and pinpoint areas of a candidate's policy to support their argument.

3. Traditional canvassers are often supplied with polling data to understand which voters are swing voters.

4. A traditional canvas is typically fast and is often conducted between 5-15 minutes

5. Traditional canvassing is used in the run-up to election day and throughout your GOTV strategy.

Tactics for Deep Canvassing:

Active Listening and Processing:

All canvassers and campaign team members must have active listening skills in order to accurately deep canvass. This allows for trust-building, follow-up questions, and further data gathering. 

Real Relationships and Conversations:

Generate real relationships by exploring a voter's opinion through in-depth conversation. This involves pinpointing the personal experience that generated this opinion. This type of canvasser needs to reflect voters' concerns back to them in a conversation while connecting their personal experiences to the voter's views. 

Personalization: 

Generate campaign personality on a macro and a micro level. Showcase that your campaign is more than just policy, rather it is the individuals within. Allow voters to connect with canvassers by sharing narratives and personal stories relating to their concerns. 

Benefits of Deep Canvassing:

There are many key benefits to deep canvassing. These include but are not limited to

Data and insight gathering:

Through actively engaging with your voters,  you can gain insight into concerns and issues that are truly impacting your electorate. This understanding will allow you to adjust your campaign strategy and amend your traditional canvassing script to address these issues. 

Creating lasting voter relationships:

The impact of deep canvassing is believed to last upwards of 8 months post-canvass. This method of canvassing gives voters the space to think and ask open-ended questions and expand on previous political beliefs. This time invested into deep canvassing has the power to alter mindsets and ultimately increase your vote count on election day.

Pinpoint a Voter's Cognitive Dissonance:

This method of canvassing allows the canvasser to pinpoint if a voter's actions and beliefs do not align. This is otherwise known as cognitive dissonance. Voters can be aligned with your party and policies through action, however, they still view their beliefs to be otherwise. 

Deep canvassing allows a voter to come to this realization in a positive capacity. In turn, this may urge them to vote for your party on election day, turning the ballot in your favor. 

How to Deep Canvass with Ecanvasser:

Deep canvassing has a long-term impact on your political campaign and has the power to change your voter mindset. 

This canvassing method requires a significant investment in your campaign team, your voters, and the canvassing app you use. 

With Ecanvasser, you can calibrate your intuitive dashboard and mobile apps to echo this method of working. 

To do this, take these simple steps:

To start, create a Campaign Effort in the dashboard called ‘Deep Canvass’. This outlines clear separation from other ongoing outreach campaigns and supplies a more focused view into insights gatherers and interactions created. 

Customize your canvassing screen with the correct data points that need to be captured. Create customized surveys using our intuitive drag-and-drop interface. This allows your campaign team to gather the deeper insights you require to help your campaign excel. 

Fully onboarded and train your campaign team in how to effectively use Ecanvaser and the core strategies of deep canvassing. 

Create talking points to direct canvassers' mobile apps in the field indicating how to elicit information.

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If you are interested in deep canvassing, then get started with Ecanvasser experts today!