Printed ads and campaign literature can be widely effective in today’s message saturated world, which speaks to how political printing can positively impact your campaign. While there are advantages to digital tactics that may work for email blasts and social media posts, the tangibility of political printing can be unmatched in unique ways.

Whether a candidate is running for city, state, or federal office, or even a local school board position, political printing through a reputable printing company has a definitive role in their campaign. Make printed material a line item in your campaign budget and discover the positive ripple effect from printing and distributing a variety of materials.

6 Ways Political Printing Can Positively Impact Your Campaign

To be truly effective, it is important to understand the top six ways political printing can positively impact your campaign:

1. Local awareness. Especially if running in a local city race for mayor, city council, or such, it is key to make sure your messages successfully reach the intended demographic of local residents who are able to vote on such matters. Although there are limited ways to do this digitally, many candidates are able to raise more local awareness through political print campaigns. The most common tools used for a grass roots type of outreach are typically postcards, direct mail, letters, yard signs, and door hangers. If campaigning or speaking at a local event, printed posters and banners can be utilized for photo opportunities.
2. Novelty. In a time in which Americans are estimated to be inundated with hundreds of messages each day across digital platforms, they begin to all blend together, becoming largely unrecallable. This digital inundation opens the door for how political printing can positively impact your campaign. With some campaigns focusing too heavily on digital messaging, tangible and printed forms of messaging such as letters, brochures, yard signs, banners, and even apparel may create increased effectiveness because they are more of a novelty.
3. Longevity. Printed campaign materials have a longevity that a digital platform traditionally does not. When scrolling through news or social media feeds, people usually see a political ad and then forget it as they move on to other items of interest. However, printed brochures, flyers, postcards, and letters can have more staying power because they are tangible. If a campaign brochure sits on the top of the stack of mail on a homeowner’s kitchen counter, they could potentially see it every time they pass by until they sort through the mail.
4. Increased visibility. With digital campaign ads, a constituent has to be in the right place (online) at the right time in order to see it, making it hit or miss at best, unless a candidate pays handsomely to saturate the market. However, simple printed campaign materials such as yard signs work well as a visible reminder to all who pass by. By simply engaging constituents in a candidate’s community to put a political sign in their yard, it allows for increased and repeated visibility of a candidate’s name and office they are running for, keeping their name in front of voters.
5. Tangibility. Particularly when it comes to those who prefer to hold information in their hand and read it versus continuing to be on a screen long after the workday is over, the tangibility of printed materials for a political campaign can be a welcome change. There is no rush to review the statements in a letter or brochure for fear that the next story or ad will be loading before you are finished reading this one. A printed ad will be there when the recipient is ready to look at it, and they may even choose to pass it on and share with another who has similar interests.
6. Ownership. When a person is wholly on board with a political candidate’s message and platform, they can become ambassadors of sorts for that individual. Providing or selling apparel or specialty items such as t-shirts, polos, caps, buttons, and even bumper stickers to constituents can be a great way for them to take ownership of their interest in the candidate’s campaign.

What to Have Printed for Your Campaign

Every campaign is different, from the name of the person running to the specific position it is for, however, many printed political items transcend these differences. In general, most campaigns will want to consider at least some, if not all of the following printed materials:

• Campaign Stationery. From official letters to special events invitations, candidates will require professional letterhead and envelopes marked with their logo and branding. Depending on the need, some envelopes can even be designed to have return mail included for donating to or volunteering for the campaign. And, of course, campaign themed thank you notes and envelopes will be needed as well to thank donors and volunteers for their contributions.
• Push Cards. These two-sided cards can be ideal for helping constituents learn about a candidate’s values as well as where they stand on certain issues. Basic information included on these cards can be the website URL, the campaign’s logo, and how to support the candidate. These can be handed out at rallies, special events, and speaking engagements.
• Yard Signs. One of the most valuable tools in raising neighborhood awareness of a campaign is by offering yard signs to residents so they can display them in their front yards or on their balconies. People in the community who drive by the sign will see it and be reminded of that person’s name and the office they are running for.
• Pop-Up Banners. Freestanding and portable pop-up banners are popular with political campaigns because of their versatility. They are ideal for events that offer photo opportunities with the candidate. These banners should come with a dedicated carrying case.
• Wall Banners. Great for both indoor and outdoor special events, wall banners make excellent decorations for stages. These are typically rather large and must be affixed to something so they can be displayed. Wall banners are often a favorite for parade signage and speaking engagements.
• Apparel. Whether it is a t-shirt, a polo, a button, or a ballcap, printing your campaign’s logo onto everyday apparel can help create a much-desired ripple effect in raising awareness. There are a variety of mediums to choose from, so a campaign can customize and personalize their message.

Not all printing companies know how to give political campaigns the respect and professionalism they are due. When determining how political printing can positively impact your campaign, choosing a high-quality printing company to work with is an important first step in success.