Our work for Surrey Connect
Surrey Connect needed a consistent website and set of creative materials for its municipal election campaign. We developed the brand presentation, campaign website, video and photography, with communications automation and reporting tools. The work connected event coverage and policy explainers with the campaign’s digital channels, giving the team material it could use as the campaign progressed. Reported outcomes included higher digital engagement, event attendance and volunteer sign-ups.
Campaign communications and volunteer coordination
We implemented communications automation for the campaign’s outreach and volunteer processes. It helped the team manage recurring messages and coordinate the work as the campaign developed, alongside the website and content production.
Video and event content for digital channels
We produced and coordinated content for the campaign’s digital channels, with reported engagement 180% higher than prior local campaigns. The results also recorded 250,000+ residents reached and 125,000+ video views across the campaign activity.
A consistent visual identity across campaign materials
The identity and templates connected event coverage, video and other campaign communications. Reported outcomes included a 200% increase in event attendance and 165% growth in volunteer sign-ups, alongside the creative and website work delivered for the team.
Digital and creative support for Surrey Connect’s mayoral campaign
Context & Challenge
Surrey Connect needed a website and communications materials for its municipal campaign. Several people were contributing to the work, including campaign leads, communications staff and volunteers. We needed to give the team a consistent set of digital and creative tools it could use as events and priorities changed.
Our role combined website development, branding, content production and communications automation. The materials needed to work across the campaign’s public channels and internal coordination, with a clear review process to keep them current throughout the election period.
Approach & Strategy
We held workshops with the Surrey Connect team to review the campaign’s information and production needs. Campaign leads, communications staff and volunteers contributed to the brief, giving us a shared reference for the website, templates and content work.
From there, we built an integrated political campaign marketing strategy, anchored by three pillars:
- Campaign Marketing Automation: Streamlining communications, personalizing outreach, and enabling the team to respond instantly as events unfolded.
- Authentic Community Storytelling: Using real photos, local voices, and video to highlight everyday campaign and community activity.
- Performance Tracking: Every campaign asset was tracked, from open rates on volunteer emails to conversion rates on sign-up forms, so we could pivot fast and double down on what worked.
Creative Process
We developed the branding and visual identity for Surrey Connect, including colours, logos and templates. The system needed to work across formats from yard signs to Instagram Stories, with the same design choices available to the people producing new material.
We scripted, filmed and edited more than 25 short policy explainer videos. Our video production team also covered live events, community rallies and behind-the-scenes activity, giving the campaign a library of current footage and photography to use in its communications.
We built a mobile-first website with event sign-ups, updates, bilingual content and donation processing. Marketing automation and analytics supported the communications processes around those features, connecting the site with the team’s wider campaign tools.
Execution & Deliverables
Over the course of the campaign, our team delivered:
- A scalable, bilingual campaign website optimized for conversions and accessibility
- 50+ community event photoshoots and live coverage, supporting real-time content releases on social media
- 25+ policy and impact explainer videos, each tailored to a key campaign issue
- 200+ pieces of branded content for organic and paid channels, including infographics, posts and shareable stories
- Automated email and SMS sequences for voter mobilization, volunteer onboarding, and donation reminders
- Performance dashboards with real-time analytics, campaign heatmaps, and engagement scoring
Tangible Outcomes (KPIs, Quotes, Business Impact)
The campaign reporting recorded engagement, attendance and volunteer measures alongside the city-wide turnout figure:
- 15% increase in voter turnout city-wide in the source reporting. This does not establish that Surrey Connect’s outreach caused the city-wide change
- 180% higher digital engagement than prior local campaigns, with 250,000+ Surrey residents reached and 125,000+ video views
- 200% increase in event attendance at campaign rallies and community forums
- 165% lift in volunteer sign-ups, during the campaign period
- Social media following grew by 300% over the course of the campaign
Lessons Learned
The work required regular coordination as the campaign changed. A shared identity, editable templates and current event content helped the team keep its communications consistent, while the reporting tools provided a place to review activity. Those processes supported delivery within the campaign’s fixed schedule.
After the mayoral campaign, Setsail Marketing continued to support Surrey Connect’s community engagement communications and digital strategy. The continuing work used the experience and materials developed during the campaign, with new content prepared for the team’s subsequent requirements.
Project FAQs
What digital work did Setsail deliver for Surrey Connect’s municipal campaign?
We delivered a bilingual campaign website, branding, photography, video, communications automation and reporting tools. The work covered public campaign content and the processes around events, volunteers and inquiries, with assets prepared for the team’s digital and physical channels.
What makes Setsail Marketing different from other agencies for political campaign strategy?
For Surrey Connect, the website, brand system and creative production were managed together. That gave the campaign a common set of templates and assets, with a review process for new material. The scope was organized around the team’s actual communications and production requirements during the election period.
What digital marketing services were most effective for Surrey Connect’s mayoral campaign?
The project included website development, creative content, video production, social material, event coverage and communications automation. Those services worked together across the campaign. The available reporting describes their combined activity rather than proving that one service alone caused the reported outcomes.
How did community engagement contribute to Surrey Connect’s campaign results?
We covered events and produced material for the campaign’s communications. The reporting recorded changes in event attendance, volunteer sign-ups and digital reach, alongside the delivery of photography, video and creative assets. Those measures provide context for the work completed during the campaign.
How do I get started with a political campaign marketing project at Setsail Marketing?
Book a Growth Strategy call with Setsail Marketing to discuss your organization’s website and communications project. We can review the scope, production requirements, channels and schedule before recommending the design, content and delivery work involved.
