Click here to view a basic layout of a campaign website

In this day and age, it is vital for a candidate for office to have a strong online presence. To get started, you need the following three: a domain name, web hosting, and a website.

* The domain name is the name of where your website is located, for example: ahmedkokon.com
* Web hosting is where your website actually is physically located and where files are stored.
* A website is your online presence branded with your website's design.

For a candidate to reach out to voters, they will actually need much more than this, though. Online advertising, email marketing, blogging, and database management are the true keys to success.

Online advertising allows you to tap into specific segments of the voting electorate. Through various websites, you can display your campaign ad and target voters based on income, gender, zip code, etc. quickly and effectively. Viewers can click on that campaign ad and be directed to your campaign website and a page having to do with that campaign ad.

Email marketing lets you build a relationship with voters interested in your campaign. You can send them breaking news, campaign updates, and fundraising emails that they can read and forward to friends and colleagues. Building a clean email list and writing the proper messages is absolutely vital to achieving a high open rate.

Blogging has reached new heights of popularity in the last couple of years. Many have heard of the word "blog" and many of us even read blogs but there are some who have questions lingering. How do I start a blog? What do I write about? Is there a way I should write? Depending on who your audience is, the answers to these questions differ. Generally speaking, a campaign blog is important as it offers readers a personal take on the campaign and a behind the scenes look on the action. It also involves them by allowing them to discuss the issues. Blogging is part of building a greater online coalition.

Database management is the most important and most difficult out of all these. By having one unified database, campaign staffers and volunteers can use this database and make it the heart of the campaign. This is where your voter lists go and this is where you enhance them using phone numbers, email addresses, voter history, and consumer information. Once you have as much information as possible, you can properly segment these voters and target each different segment appropriately - through direct mail, lit drops, online advertising, or email blasts. You can even base an entire campaign strategy on the information you receive. This is called microtargeting.