What is your political yard sign strategy?

Yard signs are a great cost-effective tool for public name recognition and can create some momentum for your campaign. There are a few tips that should be noted when planning out your yard sign campaign.

Planning

The first step is to actually plan out a strategy for this particular aspect of your campaign. So many candidates don’t take the time to consider the potential that yard signs could have, so, without a plan in place, they order signs and place them where all of the other candidate’s signs are. While this could be effective, many times popular locations become so inundated with signage that the constituents tune it out. With the proper planning, these yard signs can be a potential game changer in the race for office.

Targeting

A large portion of your focus when building your yard sign strategy should be targeted audiences. You know your constituents; you know the most traveled thoroughfares and intersections. These should absolutely be targeted locations, but don’t stop there. Find out who the opinion leaders in the influential neighborhoods of your precinct are. Target those opinion leaders in addition to your community leaders for endorsements on their lawns as well.

Organization

So you have your strategy planned out, and you have a good idea of where you want to put your signage. Now it’s time to get organized; to recruit a team to not only distribute your signs, but to ensure that your signs stay in place. This team can also be utilized to scour the district for additional supporters who will agree to place your sign in their yard.

Timing

It’s finally time to distribute those signs. You have your team in place, your signs on hand, and your locations chosen. The key to this distribution is timing. Many municipalities have laws governing yard signs and when they may be posted so check to ensure that your campaign is within the guidelines and post as soon as possible. Now, the average person won’t notice one or two yard signs on his commute to and from work, but he will notice a dramatic change in the streetscape. Have your team distribute those signs in the targeted areas all at once to ensure a dramatic, noticeable change to your constituents commute.

Unlike many other components of a campaign, political yard signs are often taken for granted and distributed without much strategy. The bottom line is that your campaign needs to be getting the most value for the dollars spent, so make sure your resources are not wasted by strategically planning the launch of your yard sign campaign.