The UK is one of the world’s oldest democracies and every year there will be elections in some parts of the country. Many of us will be pleased to know that we are not having a general election but some people in parts of England are being asked to return to the ballot box yet again.
In some areas of England, people are being given the opportunity to vote for local councillors and mayors: and these elections are taking place on May 3rd of this year, 2018.
Although these are not national elections they are still very important. Candidates standing for election will want to promote themselves and their policies as powerfully as a candidate seeking election to parliament in a general election.
Candidates will be aware are many digital and electronic methods you have at their disposal to get their ideas across. However, there is a medium that will guarantee to get your policies and ideas in front of voters; and that medium is print.
Get your message in front of the voters
To be more specific, we mean printed material delivered to your voter’s letterbox.
Door to door leaflet distribution has proven to be one of the most effective ways for businesses and organisations to promote and sell their goods and services; this is what candidates must do, to sell themselves and their ideas to the electorate.
And because you will be facing stiff competition from your political opponents it is vital your printed material stands out from all the other leaflets vying for the reader’s attention.
So what should the election leaflet tell the voter?
It must tell them about YOU the candidate! Many voters arrive at polling stations without even knowing the names of their candidates and who they are voting for.
Make sure you have your name, a very good quality coloured photo and who you represent. You should also provide some background information about yourself.
Your leaflet should also have an eye-catching headline and punchy well-written text explaining your vision and aims. You could also highlight your policies with bullet points.
Important things you must remember to include:
- Your name
- Political party you represent (or Independent)
- Quality photos
- The area(s) you cover
- Strapline, headline or vision
- Bullet points
- Summary, blurb or background info
- Date of election
- Personal note
- At least one call to action – vote for me!
- Multiple ways to get in touch
- Publishing information (imprint)
Lastly, you must display an imprint with the name and address of the promoter (you or your agent) and the printer. This is a legal requirement.
Is size important?
It goes without saying you should get as much information as you can on your leaflet, so your leaflet should be as big as your budget allows.
A double-sided A4 would be an ideal size. However, a single sided A4 or double sided A5 could be enough to for you to get the main points of your campaign across.
You should also take advantage of the digital world and have your own website where you can expand your message. You could drive people to your site by printing your web address on your leaflet and making it your CTA (Call to action).
Is the leaflet stock important?
Believe it or not, the type of paper or card you use subconsciously signals how credible you are as a candidate.
Subconsciously a prospective voter will read a leaflet printed on a good quality stock with sincerity from the candidate. Similarly, a cheap lightweight paper will send out the message that your offering is not worth much and will be recycled quickly without being read.
Should you do more than one drop?
Again, the answer to do this is yes. A leaflet delivered more than once (even with the same content) will show that you are determined to get your message and ideas across.
Successful users of leaflet distribution will tell you that sales of their product or services increase when the customer gets used to seeing their leaflet drop through their letterbox at regular intervals. The more your prospects read your message, the more chance you have of making a sale. It’s often better to contact 5,000 prospects 5 times than 25,000 just once.
Time is running out
It is a well-known fact that leafleting by candidates at election time is very powerful and supports the door to door canvassing that successful politicians know just has to be done. Here at DOR-2-DOR, we have many years of experience getting candidates elected. If you have any questions or need advice please do not hesitate to contact us.
Don’t miss out, the election date is fast approaching and you do not want to miss the bus. So why not contact us and let us give you all the advice you need for a successful leaflet distribution campaign.
