We’ve been talking about the many ways of communicating and disseminating your message. Today we’ll discuss posters and yard signs.
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Most candidates waste money on their posters and yard signs. They slap their name and the office they are running for on an ugly piece of colored cardboard. And they send their volunteers or their children and spouses out to put them up along roads and highways.
How is a voter supposed to get something out of that? They answer is they don’t and they won’t.
Candidates will say they generate name recognition. Really? Two days ago I drove a 150 mile journey through a suburban area. I must have seen 250 different yards signs. I can’t remember a single name I saw, except for three.
This is why I noticed them, and this is why they were good. One had a very distinctive color logo, surrounded by white space. Obviously it had been done by a professional artist. It was so distinctive and interesting that it immediately stood out at an intersection crowded with yard signs.
Another had a simple slogan. “Fix Our Streets.” I immediately knew why this candidate was running for Mayor. And the slogan resonated with me as I tried to navigate the potholes in the streets he wants to fix.
The third one? It had a picture of the candidate right next to the name. Very Smart. I’m sure they paid extra money for the picture…but it was a stark contrast with the other boring yards signs surrounding it, and it was therefore one that I noticed.
Do you need to do yard signs? If you don’t you’ll catch endless grief from your volunteers, contributors, friends and family. Because if they don’t see your yard signs and posters they’ll think your campaign is falling apart.
So yes, for that reason they are a good idea. If you are going to do them, you might as well do them the right way. Distinctive logo. Three words that say something about you or why you want the job. A picture.
And remember this. A yard sign in someone’s front yard means a lot more to a voter than a yard sign along a busy highway.
Have questions? Call me at 845-458-1210, or email me at Jay@JayTownsend.com.
Last Week’s Video: Running for Office? The Best Way to Use Volunteers and How to Keep Them Coming Back
Political consultant Jay Townsend works with smart, passionate candidates who want to run for office, win elections and make a difference. He has successfully helped candidates learn how to run for the U.S. Senate, how to run for Congress, how to run for Mayor and develop a winning campaign marketing strategy.
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