An Essential Guide to Election Campaign Marketing

Election campaign success comes down to one thing: making a connection with the voters, recognising that they are real people with real concerns and problems and figuring out a way to show them that you can help. And the best way to do this? A winning election campaign marketing strategy that sets you apart from the other MPs and shows voters why they should choose you.

As voters ourselves (but also experts in print marketing), we’ve created this guide to help you look at the best ways to get your message across in a transparent but also exciting way that’ll make voters understand and take action following your marketing materials.

What Makes Successful Election Print?

First of all, let’s take a look at your election marketing materials. There are certain checkboxes you should always tick with your election print. Here’s a quick list to help you check you’ve nailed your political flyers, brochures and more.
 

1. A Strong Brand
   Whatever party you’re a part of, each has got a very distinctive brand – from the colours they use right down to the messages they’re trying to get across. Successful branding is enough to evoke feeling and emotion, it can make voters put their trust in you, like you, feel like you’re empowering them.
   
   The design you go for communicates all of these things and more, so make sure you pay particular attention to the kinds of images, colours and layouts you use to get the most out of your election printing materials.
   
    
2. Memorable Policies
   Research is the real name of the game when it comes to running for an election. Our biggest piece of advice is, before you even think about ordering your marketing materials, is to just go and get your hands dirty. Knock on doors, talk to people in the street, ask people to fill in surveys online; whatever research you do can only help your campaign.
   
   Then, once you’ve got a steady list of common concerns in the local constituency, you can set out the problems you’re going to tackle. The more relatable the issues, the more impressed voters will be, which means they’re more likely to remember your name when it comes to the ballot.
   
    
3. A Repeated Message
   Remember when you were at school and you had to revise for a test? The best way to make something stick in your mind was to repeat it over and over until it was just something you knew. The same approach applies when it comes to getting across a political message too!
   
   When you go campaigning door-to-door, you engage in conversation with the potential voter. If you then leave them with an election brochure or leaflet, they’ll be able to read your message again. You could follow this up with another call or flyer drop to help your message really sink in.
   
    
4. Communicate Your 'Why'
   Why should they vote for you? You need a strong argument to sway voters who may be on the fence. By following all the advice here, e.g. aligning your policies with local concerns and engaging with voters, you can position yourself as the best possible candidate for the job and show people why they should give their tick to you on the big day.
   
    
5. High Quality Materials
   Not only should your flyers, brochures and signs convey your message well, they should also look and feel impressive. Print is a tangible form of marketing – there are so many messages a certain texture or weight can send. That’s why you should always opt for thicker, higher quality stocks. That way, you’ll come across as a reliable and trustworthy source – which especially counts for something in this line of work! 
   
   Find out more about why flyers are the most trustworthy form of marketing here.

What Election Print Should You Use?

Running a successful campaign comes down to making sure you’ve got the right marketing materials to promote your cause, message and spread awareness of the two. Here are a few options your party shouldn’t be without this election time and how best to use them.

Flyers

Not only are flyers one of the cheapest forms of marketing, they’re also one of the most effective, especially for spreading political messages. This is because you can print thousands – enough for everyone in your target district – without it costing the world. Our recent survey also revealed them to be the most trusted form of marketing, making them a must-have for your election campaign print arsenal.

Letterheads

Send a letter to your constituents and it’s sure to get noticed! 56% of people open their letters, compared to just 22.87% for emails (CMO Council). That can make a massive difference to your campaign efforts! Including your branding (your party logo and colours) makes you even more recognisable and, by including important contact information, shows voters how they can get in touch.

Postcards

Want something a little different from your competitors? Postcards are taking the marketing world by storm! As well as being the most read format for direct mail, they’re also a great conversation starter for door-to-door marketing.

Posters

There have been some incredible political campaign posters over the years, and they still stand out as one of the best ways to push your party forward – with the right design! Get some inspiration and check out how election campaign posters have changed here.

Signs

Giving out small garden and window signs with messages of support for your party (e.g. I’m Voting X) is a great way to get your branding across in your local area. Just imagine all the gardens with your party colours in! It’s a lot easier to persuade other voters when they know their neighbours support your party too.

How to Design an Election Leaflet

Once you’ve got your message perfected, it’s time to start thinking about your political leaflet design. The standard election leaflet size is a double-sided A5, however, an A4 folded leaflet is also an excellent choice, especially if you’re posting it in an envelope along with a persuasive letter addressed to the voter.

It’s important to remember that your election flyer or leaflet design shouldn’t be an afterthought – after all, this is the first impression the potential voter may have of you, so make sure it shows off how amazing your policies are just as much as a face-to-face meeting would!

This example of an election leaflet shows best practice for your design. 
 

Election Print Checklist

Got all that? Make sure your political campaign print has got everything it needs to pack a punch with this essential checklist.

• Name of the MP
• Professional photo
• Which party you’re representing (or an Independent)
• The date of the election
• Your branding – colours and logo
• The area being represented
• Important issues you want to address
• A call to action telling the reader what to do next i.e. register support, Vote Andy Smith
• Personalise the MP with a note from them
• Contact information – email, website, social media, however you want people to get in touch about issues
• Legal publishing information, or imprint*

*An imprint must be added to all printed election materials. It includes certain details that show who is responsible for the mailer, including the promoter’s information and the printer’s information. Not including an imprint on printed election materials is an offence under the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

An example of an imprint is:

Promoted by Andy Smith, Parsonage Lane, Central District, A12 3BC
Printed by instantprint, Unit A, Brookfields Park, Manvers Way, Rotherham, S63 5DR

For single-sided materials, include the imprint on the front page. For multi-page documents, include the imprint on either the first or last page.
 

Ready to start printing your own election materials? Check out our full range of election print. Or check out what print you should be using for an election (and exactly how to get the most out of it) here!