Political direct mail: Strategy and Tactics

In this age of technology, many campaigns are relying heavily on the Internet, Email, and Social Media to build momentum and name recognition for the candidate. While these tools should be a large part of any campaign (let’s face it, they work), there is a danger in relying solely on these tools of the technological age for your campaign’s success; by doing so you neglect the age old successful practice of using Direct Mail.

Effective Direct Mail Pieces

To most voters, political mail is just another advertisement, i.e. junk mail. In order to stand out against the many pieces of junk mail that is received by voters daily, there a few things to remember when designing your direct mail piece.

• Keep It Simple – Remember, clutter kills. If the message isn’t perceived almost immediately, chances are, the piece will be discarded.
• Graphics – Make sure the piece is eye catching, yet appealing, i.e. if it’s too boring it gets thrown out and if it’s too crazy it too gets thrown out.
• Consistency – One of the biggest compliments you could receive would be for the voter to immediately recognize the mailer as belonging to your campaign.
• Think Outside the Box – Be different, just not to the point of appearing untrustworthy or unprofessional.

Timing and Tactics

The general rule of thumb for the timing of a direct mail campaign is as far out as you can afford. In other words, figure out how long you can afford to send out the mailers, and then work backwards from Election Day to figure out when to start.

There are a few different types of mailers that typically get sent out for a direct mail campaign. They are as follows:

• Bio Piece – This is a brief piece on the candidate describing why they would be an appropriate choice for the position.
• Name ID Piece – Similar to the bio piece, but shorter and may contain brief information on their stance on particular issues.
• Issue Piece – This piece focuses on the candidate’s stance on cutting issues.
• Comparison Piece – One of the most effective types, this piece compares the candidate against their opponent(s) on qualifications or issues.
• GOTV Piece – This is a reminder piece encourage the voters to get out the vote when on Election Day.

When it comes to which mailers to send out, you need to sit down with an advisor and figure out a timeline, but generally, you would start with a bio piece and end with a GOTV piece with a mixture of the others in between.