Election season is in full swing in the run-up to Nov. 8, and with a top priority of every candidate continuing to be reaching voters, political direct mail continues to be a winning candidate when deciding how to invest your marketing budget.
That’s not just a sales pitch – studies by established groups such as the Direct Marketing Association continue to show that printed direct mail remains an effective, proven method of reaching your target audience.
Over the past 30 years, we’ve successfully handled hundreds of political mailings, and along the way we’ve learned some things that can help your political direct mail stand out to voters.
Targeting
When done the right way, direct mail empowers you to reach your ideal target audience. An experienced mailing professional can help you develop a list that reaches voters based on parameters ranging from party affiliation and voting frequency, to gender and geographic location. Your campaign can avoid overspending by targeting only those voters you need to reach.
Stand Out
It’s an understatement to say there is a lot of political direct mail showing up in mailboxes right now. So how do you stand out in a crowd? It’s key to have a clear message with a strong call to action, partnered with a winning design. It’s also worth testing different sizes that really stand out, such as oversized 6×11” or 8.5×11” mail pieces.
Reach Absentee Voters
Absentee voters contribute a large portion of ballots, and with a presidential election on this year’s ticket you can’t afford to ignore those votes. In fact, you’ll want to pursue those before making a “get out the vote” push in the final run-up to Election Day.
Here in California, the absentee ballot deadline is Nov. 1 and many voters submit their ballots even earlier. That means you’re in the prime period right now to get your message out to those voters. When you work with an experienced mailing firm such as Mellady Direct, the process of reaching those voters with a well-designed piece that’s printed and mailed to the right list is streamlined.
We’ve seen time and again how direct mail works for political candidates. Direct mail continues to see strong response rates across generations, even among younger people raised on technology. The response rate to direct mail among 18-21 year-olds – a key voter demographic – jumped from 4.1 percent in 2012 to 12.4 percent in 2013, according to a study by the Direct Marketing Association. Despite a technological revolution, studies continue to find people still respond to print marketing.
An added benefit of using direct mail for your campaign is that it offers an additional opportunity to stand out from candidates who may be ignoring traditional methods in favor of digital, web-based marketing.
If you’re a candidate who needs to get out the vote this election season, political direct mail can help provide the extra push you need.
Are you ready to give your vote to political direct mail? Mellady Direct Marketing is ready to help you stand out. Click here to contact us today and get started.
