How to Win Your Campaign with Political Direct Mail
Today, there are more channels than ever in the political marketing mix, but one of the most reliable yet straightforward strategies is to launch a direct mail political campaign. Investing the time, money, and resources to develop and execute a political direct mail campaign is a big decision. However, it’s a great way to reach voters, especially locally.
Political mailing can bypass digital roadblocks in several ways, amplifying your voice and connecting your campaign to critical voters. Here is our guide for getting the most out of your political campaign direct mail in any election cycle.
Personalization
A positive feature of using direct mail for political mailing is tangibility. Your target demographic can feel the mailer in their hands—not through a screen, and a well-crafted piece of direct mail can sit in a voter’s home for days or weeks after it’s delivered, offering continued impact. Direct mail is harder to miss when it’s physically present compared to closing an email or changing the channel. People are more likely to read your mailer and process a subconscious memory of seeing your candidate’s name and their intended messaging.
You can use personalization tactics to increase voter interaction to make the most of this tangible moment. Variable data printing makes it easy to personalize direct mail political campaigns of all sizes with voter names, addresses, voting history, and various other data points to catch recipients’ attention. You can even make different versions of the same ad, increasing the versatility of your messaging by focusing on different important topics for varying direct mailings.
Personalized content goes the extra mile in the same way that a handwritten note feels more special. In a study from Epsilon, 80% of respondents said they were more likely to engage when offered personalized marketing experiences, and the same study supports that 90% of customers found personalized marketing appealing.
Using a prospective voter’s name rather than the generic “current resident” is a great way to grab a voter’s attention. It gives a personal impression of a candidate’s name and party recognition, even for those who don’t necessarily spend time reading through every piece of mail.
Budgeting
Direct mail campaigns continue to be one of the most cost-effective and efficient marketing tactics, especially for political campaigns and, despite the world moving in a digital direction. Integrating direct mail and digital marketing tactics into your political campaign budget is innovative and effective for reaching different demographics. Your direct mail budget depends on various factors, some of which a print provider can help you control and optimize.
Phoenix can recommend popular self-mailer formats that stand out in the mailbox and have a high impact with easy-to-read and retained messages. Oversized postcards and mailing “flats” are currently seeing huge success. These formats require paper that has a minimum thickness of 9 pts, and we believe this kind of paper will become hard to acquire leading up to the general election. By using high bulk paper now, we can save you money on paper and postage in advance—allowing you to reach a larger audience and mail more frequently.
Additionally—you can add soft touch coating to your postcards and take advantage of a 5% postal discount. The special USPS promotion encourages the use of tactile or sensory interaction and runs from Feb 1- July 31, 2024.
Our experts are here to help you plan ahead for primary and general election mailings.
Details
The look and feel of your mailers can also influence interest. Using paper with a unique feel, color scheme, or heavier weight is enough to stop people in their tracks while sorting through their mail.
If one of the causes you care about is environmental conservation, you may want to consider prioritizing using environmentally friendly mailers. Phoenix offers printing powered by wind-generated electricity and uses vegetable-based inks and recycled papers. Exemplifying your campaign promises through action is always a good look. Find the intersection of what main issues you and prospective voters are passionate about and consider how your direct mail messaging and physical composition can align with these views.
Unlike TV or radio, you can precisely target voters and deliver messages that speak to their specific hot-button issues. Polling data combined with sophisticated consumer lifestyle databases can be used to target and engage voters by creating relevant segmented political messages tailored to the recipient’s interests.
By October 2020, less than one month before the previous Presidential election day, over 417 million mail pieces had been delivered leading up to the contest. In 2020, voting by mail had become the most popular voting method. It’s safe, secure, and convenient. Coincidentally, direct mail ranked as one of the most credible sources of outreach by voters.
Rapid Response is Critical
New hot topics, political missteps, or speaking blunders can emerge with every news cycle. Political marketers want their candidate’s message to be fresh and respond to current news as well as strategic campaign platform points.
Therefore, the printer needs to produce and mail 100’s of thousands or millions of mailers very quickly. Phoenix can print 75 million pages per day and is a detached USPS mailing unit with seamless acceptance—meaning your mail goes directly from our facility in the mail stream. We also work with USPS logistic specialists to create a mail plan for dropping mail at NDC and SCF destinations for faster in-home dates and lower postage rates.
You’ve Got Mail
Do you have an idea for an exciting mailer that can reach your local voters in the next election cycle? The Phoenix Group is one of the country’s top direct political mailer companies, and we have the equipment and capabilities to build an effective direct mail program that boosts awareness for your political campaign.
Let’s discuss project details! Learn more about winning ways to incorporate direct mailers into your political campaign.
