INSIGHTS

Essential Campaign Tools: Direct Mail

Invest in a proven tactic. Here’s why direct mail is a valuable tactic for your campaign.

Year after year, direct mail continues to prove itself as an essential tool for winning campaigns. It is the most persuasive and cost-effective messenger for candidates trying to reach swing voters. Here’s why:

• You make the decision: Direct mail allows candidates to decide exactly when they want their messages to be received by their target audiences. Ninety-eight percent of consumers bring in their mail the same day it’s delivered.
• Mail allows you to integrate, repeat, and validate: Multiple pieces to a target audience allow candidates to reinforce their messages and gain name recognition. Direct mail’s effectiveness can also be boosted by layering it with digital.
• Mail is powerful and targeted: It has eight seconds from the mailbox to the trash can. Effective direct mail will catch the voters’ eyes with quality photography and engage them with concise and targeted messaging.
• Mail drives voters to take action: Over half of Americans said that they are more likely to search for information on a candidate after receiving mail. Candidates can direct voters to visit their websites for more information or to donate to the campaign.

At JVA Campaigns

We cut our teeth on high-stakes electoral politics in some of the country’s most pivotal states, where agility and the ability to shift tactics at a moment’s notice can mean the difference between failure and success. Get in touch with us. 

Get the Facts on Direct Mail

• 6 out of 10 swing voters say political mail is helpful in their voting decision
• 86% of registered voters check their mailboxes at least five times per week
• 86% of heads of household pick up the mail at their first opportunity and 79% sort mail at their first opportunity
• 57% of millennials and 54% of non-millennials say that direct mail helped them decide how to vote
• 70% of younger millennials say political mail drives them to websites

Effective Direct Mail: Make Your Investment Worth It

In order to create effective direct mail, consider the following: 

• Start sooner than later: Research shows that 41 percent of voters decide two to six months out from Election Day. The sooner you communicate with swing voters, the better.
• Tell a story: One or two mail pieces are NOT a mail plan. To remember your candidacy and story, voters need to see at least three or four direct mail pieces, and six to eight pieces are ideal. Each piece should build on the common theme of your campaign and reinforce repeating messages.
• Less is more: Not every voter will read every word on your direct mail piece. It is important to convey your message through strong headlines and short subheadings. Voters will absorb your story and positions through multiple mailings. You don’t need to cram everything into one mailer.
• A picture is worth a thousand words: Photos can make or break a direct mail piece. It is important to get professional photos taken in multiple locations in different attire and with different people. Voters are drawn to quality photography. It shows that you are professional and serious about your candidacy.