The next U.S. presidential election may be over a year away, but the race to select party candidates is on. On the left, Hillary Clinton seems to be the most-likely contender for the Democratic party's nomination as of yet. On the right, the story is a bit more complicated. Donald Trump has said that he may end up running as an independent, but he certainly is making the most noise of any conservatives running.

I know that running for office, any office, is hard. If you want to win, your online campaign needs to be effective, and, for that to happen, there are five things you must do right now.

Donald J. Trump has skyrocketed to dominance of the presidential campaign conversation and a big lead in the Republican polls. This past Sunday, he began phase two of his campaign with the release of his first policy paper. You want specifics along with the insults and braggadocio? You got 'em.

I Like Ike! This was the cornerstone slogan of soon-to-be President Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower's 1952 campaign. As one of the earliest and most effective election TV spots, it also launched the now-critical component of television advertising for any serious candidate.

Like tailgating at a college football game, the pre-primary crowds of presidential politics are small, but the energy level among true believers is off the charts. Positioning on issues doesn't matter. Substantive policy solutions don't matter. The closest thing to a qualitative review is counting "likes" on Facebook and selectively embracing whichever one of the ten national polls confirms the popularity of your favorite candidate.

It's getting harder to break through the noise. With 16 Republicans vying for a spot on the final party ticket, what would traditionally be a time of quietly stuffing the war chest to create fear among rival candidates has become open season.