crgweb rules

The-Tory-Digital-Political-Age

I wrote a post in the fall giving my top ten reasons your MP office should switch to CRG’s website program.

[quote style=”boxed”]4. The Operative The niche approach is collapsing in the consulting world, and it needs to collapse on campaigns and committees too. It’s time the Republican political establishment started placing a premium on digital acumen. The GOP doesn’t need more operatives who are defined narrowly as the “political guy” or the “internet gal.” Today’s political environment requires a new breed of operatives who can do both, hand-in-hand.[/quote]

The above is from the article about Republicans needing to make a cultural change. The first three points are interesting and to varying degrees applicable to Canada, but the fourth point on the need to breed a species of digital campaigners is essential. In order to fight the campaigns of tomorrow, we need to have campaigners who understand how to run a poll canvas, but also campaigners who know how to organize and plan it using the digital tools at hand.

That’s why I am calling this Reason #11 for joining the CRG website program. The websites run on WordPress which provide you with a very easy introduction to digital, and at the very least, give you power over one of your most important communication channels.

Total Control Over Content
After attending the first seminar, I immediately saw the benefits of the office having more control over how the MP website would represent her and her constituents. It could be set-up to have a custom page to highlight an issue, a PMB, a riding industry or community. Whether it’s a news release or an op-ed it is easy to control which updates show up where, or even to have the same update show up in several different places.
A ReposiTORY for Your Content
Along with custom pages, you can create custom categories allowing you to create category pages which only display certain types of updates. This is handy to display all your speeches in one place and news releases in another, but by creating your own categories you can have your own pages to store whatever type of content you may want to sort, categorize or display.
Easy to Learn & Easy to Maintain
There is an expression, “If you can use Microsoft Word then you can use WordPress”. It is true. A year ago I would never have imagined I could update a website, and now I own the domain name www.yourwebsitehere.ca. I would encourage every member of an office to be introduced to the website, because it can be of use to everyone on your team.
Extensive Customization
Once I began setting up my first MP site (without any previous web experience) it quickly became apparent that the website could do so much more than just display the latest news and updates. Obviously, a visitor to your site should be able to order a certificate, request a pin, or plan a trip to parliament, but every riding is different, so each site should be set-up differently based on the needs of the riding.
Plugins to build a Digital Office
Right out of the box the CRG Website has everything you need, except a good biography (you have that right?). But the greatest part of WordPress is the plugins. There are hundreds of thousands of plugins and they can transform your Website into a Digital Office. You can create endless forms for surveys, certificates, or process regular routine requests quickly.
Automated Plugins to Run a Digital Office
Even better, the plugins can be configured to make your staff’s lives a little easier by automating actions like adding (and removing) emails to mailing lists, preparing certificates, or even updating all your social sites at once.
Supports the inventory
Not only did CRG make an incredible website for MPs, they custom built a multimedia gallery for your constituency offices or events. If you have a CRG Website or switch to one, then you are already configured to run the invenTORY.
Theme-able
I am obviously a huge fan of CRG’s Web Program and their theme Blue Victory, but the beauty of WordPress is how easy it is to completely change the entire look of your site without changing any content. Different themes can not only change your style, they can add new features. There are thousands of free and commercially supported themes to choose from, but the most important thing is that your site reflect you.
Save your M.O.B
If you and your staff are updating your website, the only costs are your domain and your hosting.
Network-able
We all know that an MP site cannot link to the EDA Association site, but they can make each other “smarter” if they are on the same network. If you have a WordPress Website like the one CRG offers, it can run on a WordPress Network. I wanted my MP to have a smarter website to help make smarter decisions for the next campaign I manage, and I wanted my EDA to have a website. So I left my job to build an EDA WordPress Theme and a WordPress Network just for Conservatives.