Direct-Mail Tips That Work For Political Winners

Direct mail is an important part of any political campaign. Direct-mail pieces serve as an express connection to voters and can deliver your message clean, concise and controlled.

Here are some direct-mail techniques that work for political winners:

Highlight your message

More than anything, voters want to know what you stand for and what you intend to do if elected. Make sure your values are highlighted by your copy and that you use big, bold headlines to grab attention fast.

Target your campaign

Send different postcards to voters who prioritize different interests. Emphasize what is important to each voter segment. Rural voters might be interested in protecting farming rights, for instance; while urban voters in the same district might be more interested in cutting taxes. These ideas do not conflict, so you can cater to both parties on your platform and in your direct-mail postcard campaigns.

Polish your image

Excellent direct-mail postcard and brochure design goes a long way toward establishing your image to voters. You don't want to look like all the other candidates, so don't be afraid to try something different. You don't need to stick to red, white and blue — bold black on yellow will turn heads and get you noticed.

If elected, you've got a big job ahead of you. Show voters you understand the size of the workload with an oversized postcard or brochure. A 6-inch by 11-inch postcard in the mailbox will certainly make you stand out against your competing candidates.

Get an immediate response

The ultimate goal of political direct-mail campaigns is to persuade a particular vote on a later date. You can increase your chances of being elected and collect valuable information by driving traffic to your website with a direct-mail postcard. Ask voters to weigh in on the issues in an online survey, and include questions that yield demographic information. Better yet, you can determine who is already going to vote for you and who has not yet decided so you can develop more-targeted campaigns as the election date draws near.

Print quality

High-quality political printing showcases a high-quality candidate. For direct-mail political postcards, opt for a 14-point gloss stock or a 13-point matte paper. If you have a green agenda (as many voters do), you should go with eco-friendly 100 percent recycled matte stock. Brochures should be printed on 100-pound or 80-pound gloss text or 70-pound recycled matte text stock for optimal impact.

Your political campaign says everything about who you are, what you stand for and what you're going to do. Target your voters, highlight your message, showcase your image, be different and drive immediate response — all wrapped up in an effective postcard or brochure — and your next political direct-mail campaign will be a hit with the voters.