Untitled Document

The Campaign's in the Mail

by Paul Croshaw

The most important thing in most if not all local races is mail. Simple put, if you don’t mail, you will not win. Yes, all that election junk from your mailbox that is sometimes bad, boring or patronizing does have an effect. Hopefully you can make yours better.

Mail in local races is even more important than walking. Now, walking is extremely important. As a matter of fact, it’s the second most important thing you can do. But walking without mail will generally not win you the race. Where as mail by itself can get you elected. If you mail and walk, that’s a dynamite combination.

Think about the last Judge you voted for. Don’t know anything about him except for the one card you received in your mailbox before election day. I bet it was an distinguished photo of him sitting behind a desk with a shelve of books and the American flag in the background. On the other side of the card it lists the schools he went to and the degrees he has earned. It probably also listed his community involvement and a little about his family.

Now, this judicial candidate’s opponent did not send out any mail at all and you never heard of him before. Who are you going to vote for? You may have no idea that the candidate who sent you the card may be despised by his co-workers, runs a liquor store and has never practiced law a day in his life even though he maintains his law license.

With mail you get to tell your story, your way. Mail also gives you credibility, gives the voter your message and ideas, and it helps people remember your name. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Little League coach for 20 years in the same city and every weekend for fun you like to paint over graffiti, your neighbors don’t know who you are.

As a general rule, 20% of the people who get political mail will throw it right away. The next 20% will look at the front headline, then throw it away. The next 20% will look at the front & back headlines, then throw it away. The next 20% will look at the front, back and inside headlines, then throw it away. The last 20% will read every word, and may not throw it away until after the election.

5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Postcard

In April, we put the spotlight on the Jumbocard, and this month we would like to introduce you to its cousin, the Postcard.

So What Is It? In political mail speak, when we say postcard we don't mean the thing you send to grandma, but the 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card that is half the size of the Jumbocard.

The Benefits:

- Affordability: Usually, this is a good choice for the smaller sized race and a candidate with a smaller budget. There have been some races won by black sheep candidates who knew that the campaign is won in the mailbox (see article to the left), and put money into postcards and likely squeezed out an extra mailer or two from their budget.

- Noticeability- If you are lucky, then the postcard will fit nicely in the middle with the rest of the letters that voters will receive. (There is a down side though, see below)

Obstacles to overcome:

- Limited Space: Since it is half the size of the jumbo card, you have to be prudent in what you include in this piece. This may be advantageous by putting limits on candidates who tend towards putting too much stuff in each mailer--or a curse.

- Noticeability: On the flip side, the mail carrier may not put your postcard next to the letters, and instead with the other advertisements.

For more examples of political mailers, click here to go to our website, or give us a call if you are interested in some free samples.


	Issue 3 ___________________ June 29, 2007 Publisher: Randy Terrell

The Campaign's in the Mail by Paul Croshaw The most important thing in most if not all local races is mail. Simple put, if you don’t mail, you will not win. Yes, all that election junk from your mailbox that is sometimes bad, boring or patronizing does have an effect. Hopefully you can make yours better. Mail in local races is even more important than walking. Now, walking is extremely important. As a matter of fact, it’s the second most important thing you can do. But walking without mail will generally not win you the race. Where as mail by itself can get you elected. If you mail and walk, that’s a dynamite combination. Think about the last Judge you voted for. Don’t know anything about him except for the one card you received in your mailbox before election day. I bet it was an distinguished photo of him sitting behind a desk with a shelve of books and the American flag in the background. On the other side of the card it lists the schools he went to and the degrees he has earned. It probably also listed his community involvement and a little about his family. Now, this judicial candidate’s opponent did not send out any mail at all and you never heard of him before. Who are you going to vote for? You may have no idea that the candidate who sent you the card may be despised by his co-workers, runs a liquor store and has never practiced law a day in his life even though he maintains his law license. With mail you get to tell your story, your way. Mail also gives you credibility, gives the voter your message and ideas, and it helps people remember your name. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Little League coach for 20 years in the same city and every weekend for fun you like to paint over graffiti, your neighbors don’t know who you are. As a general rule, 20% of the people who get political mail will throw it right away. The next 20% will look at the front headline, then throw it away. The next 20% will look at the front & back headlines, then throw it away. The next 20% will look at the front, back and inside headlines, then throw it away. The last 20% will read every word, and may not throw it away until after the election. Click here to read the rest of the article...		5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Postcard In April, we put the spotlight on the Jumbocard, and this month we would like to introduce you to its cousin, the Postcard. So What Is It? In political mail speak, when we say postcard we don't mean the thing you send to grandma, but the 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card that is half the size of the Jumbocard. The Benefits: - Affordability: Usually, this is a good choice for the smaller sized race and a candidate with a smaller budget. There have been some races won by black sheep candidates who knew that the campaign is won in the mailbox (see article to the left), and put money into postcards and likely squeezed out an extra mailer or two from their budget. - Noticeability- If you are lucky, then the postcard will fit nicely in the middle with the rest of the letters that voters will receive. (There is a down side though, see below) Obstacles to overcome: - Limited Space: Since it is half the size of the jumbo card, you have to be prudent in what you include in this piece. This may be advantageous by putting limits on candidates who tend towards putting too much stuff in each mailer--or a curse. - Noticeability: On the flip side, the mail carrier may not put your postcard next to the letters, and instead with the other advertisements. For more examples of political mailers, click here to go to our website, or give us a call if you are interested in some free samples.