Political Mailers: Will They Work for You?
As I wrote a couple of years ago, political mailers haven’t gone the way of the dinosaurs – they’re still a very effective method of communication for both persuasion and GOTV efforts. Political mailers may not be as sexy as the world of digital, but here are a few reasons to hang onto mail a while longer.
Political Mailers Work
First and foremost, political direct mail is a tried and true method of communication. Test after test has shown that mailers can and do have an impact on persuasion, message recall and voter turnout. Obviously, there are a variety of best practices that should be followed and mail needs to make sense within the context of your election or advocacy campaign, but the bottom line is that political mailers do yield statistically significant results.
Integrated Communications Strategies Are More Important than Ever
We all know that it’s harder and harder to point to a single TV station, website or radio station and know that people will hear your message. People are getting their information across multiple platforms, and it’s tough to catch and hold voters’ attention. This means that diversity is more important than ever when it comes to delivering a campaign message. Political mailers provide a message delivery system that’s different and tactile, which is actually kind of unique these days.
Strong Voting Histories and Mail Readership Both Skew Older
Broadly speaking, older voters are the largest bloc of consistent voters you’re going to find. Older people are also more likely to maintain a consistent address and to see going to the mailbox as a daily ritual. This all means that older voters are likely to be a big part of your targeting and a prime target for political mailers. Matching your medium to your targets is common sense.
There Is Plenty of Room for Creativity
It’s easy to see political mailers as a stale medium left over from another era. Don’t get caught in that trap. Yes, we’ve all seen direct mail that’s covered, top to bottom, in 11-point font and grainy, unattractive photos. That doesn’t have to be your political mail, nor should it be. From die cut designs to interesting font choices and custom photography, you can absolutely produce eye-catching, interesting mailers that will deliver your message effectively. You don’t have to produce political mailers that look a certain way just because that’s the way it’s traditionally been done – think outside the box.
Political Mailers Are Cost-Effective
Political mail allow for one-to-one targeting, meaning that each piece will be addressed directly to the person or household you choose. You can achieve one-to-one targeting through the digital realm, but generally (and even with digital to some degree) other mediums available only allow you to blanket an area, hoping your message airs enough times to reach your targets and achieve a certain level of saturation. What’s more, it’s a comparatively cheap mode of communication that allows for economies of scale that you just don’t get with other mediums.
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