When you think of campaign literature, you might think of Karl Marx, suffragette rallies, or the civil rights movement. In other words, you might think of the twentieth century.

In today’s digital age, do we really need to use print media for political campaigns? After all, look at recent protests involving the Black Lives Matter movement. People knew about protest locations from Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels.

People used social media to connect with each other, post bail, connect with lawyers, and share atrocities to galvanize action. How can campaign literature possibly compete with such an immediate, visceral form of communication?

The truth is, print media still has an advantage over political advertising. This article outlines how printed campaign literature is still an invaluable political tool, even in the 21st century!

Increase Your Shelf Life

On social media, everyone has something to say. From political campaigns to your Aunt Jane, everyone has an opinion and is dying to share it. Every account, whether it’s a college friend or a makeup brand, has a message.

With millions of messages bombarding your brain daily, social media has a very short shelf life. If you close out a tab or your computer shuts down for updates, it’s gone. On social media, as soon as your feed refreshes, posts become an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ scenario.

That isn’t true when it comes to print media. People tend to keep physical items around, especially if they’re well designed. Direct mail will sit on someone’s desk, and a political poster might go on someone’s bulletin board or refrigerator.

According to research, 79% of people will act on mailed print items. Only 45% will act based on an email. Using direct mail and print media to increase your conversion rates can make a huge difference to your political campaign!

Political Posters Are a Form of Marketing 

Politics is a lot of things, depending on who you ask—our best chance to make changes, a corrupt institution, a place for passionate people to impact their communities.

However, politics are defined by the policies that are instituted by candidates once elected. And policies change lives, for better or worse.

Many people will make voting decisions based on facts, emotions, and personal experience. For instance, maybe someone had a bad experience with your candidate ten years ago.

While it was an off day, and your candidate usually doesn’t cut someone off in the grocery line, people remember. And that emotion can be enough to change someone’s vote, even if all the facts point to your candidate being the best.

That’s what political posters are meant to do. They are meant to produce emotion and get people to think with both their hearts and their minds.

When people look at a political poster, it’s a visual representation of your campaign. In a study conducted by the U.S. Postal Service, people have a stronger emotional response to print media than digital media.

This happens for a few reasons. It’s the same reason that experts suggest you use physical cash rather than a debit card if you’re trying to save money. Holding something in your hands feels more tactile. In other words, it feels real.

It’s also possible that our brains have been so desensitized by a constant onslaught of digital shock waves that we’re not as impacted by digital advertising anymore. Print represents a chance to make a real impact on people’s emotions.

Boost Credibility

When you’re making political statements, people tend to listen with an innate sense of distrust. Many people feel as if politicians have done them wrong, either by misbehaving while in office or breaking campaign promises.

That means when you’re on political campaigns or at political rallies, you’re automatically dealing with a hurdle. It takes a lot to build a connection with your audience, prove trustworthiness, and foster a sense of empathy.

That’s something print helps you do. Studies have been done that prove people tend to think print is more credible.

Part of this is because digital media is largely crowd-sourced. Anyone can write an article and put it on the Internet. Print media usually goes through a more stringent vetting process, which means people want to trust it more implicitly.

Make It Personal 

People love getting mail. These days, getting fun things in your mailbox is increasingly rare, except for packages. Since many people don’t communicate through the postal service anymore, the mail is mostly bills and redundant advertisements.

If you utilize direct mailing, people are more likely to look if their name is on it. It’s a good way to get more eyes on your leaflets or handouts. By personalizing each one with a name, people are most likely to believe that you’re speaking directly to them.

What Does It Say?

Especially when it comes to political rallies or campaigns, people will read into anything. The art of running for office is submitting yourself to be placed under a constant microscope.

However, printing gives you an opportunity to showcase what your political candidate is all about. While you can do this directly through the copy on your leaflets, you also do it through design.

With high-quality design and eye-catching graphics, people are more likely to listen. If your print media looks haphazard and slapdash, people will make negative inferences about your candidate. That’s the last thing you want!

Team Concept Printing political campaign printing has the ability to ensure that your printed materials come off just how you want them to. It’s the perfect opportunity to make your candidate shine.

The Value of Printed Campaign Literature 

Campaign literature has helped fuel some of the biggest social justice movements of the past century. From iconic slogans like Barack Obama’s to handmade signs for the Women’s March, campaign literature takes many forms.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of our posts here!