Young voters paying close attention to direct mail
Understanding Millennials’ attitudes and behaviours toward political mail is vital given the US 2016 political climate. To that end, the United States Postal Service conducted focus groups, and conducted an online survey with Summit Research among US adults, with an oversample of Millennials. The “Political Mail and Millennials” white paper from USPS dives into Millennial attitudes, preferences and behaviour toward political mail, the impact that political mail can have on Millennials, tips that direct mail campaign can put to use in reaching the Millennial audience.
According to the white paper, millennials rely on news aggregating sites like Google, Reddit, Huffington Post, or the Drudge Report. They like to see messages or quotes well-sourced and expect to find a source or reference to explore further online as direct mailpiece feels incomplete when it doesn’t include a website or social channels. Millennials view direct mail from candidates as coming directly from the source, without any news bias or filter. They respond well to candid shots of the candidate, instead of posed or staged photos and welcome images that reflect themselves and their lives. The majority of this demographic is accustomed to tools like Twitter with a 140-character limit and scanning short, online articles, and briefs. They like concise and limited text with bold headlines to draw attention. Design should be simple, avoid bi-folds and tri-folds and should make use of high contrast fonts, headers and subheaders to make the main points stand out.
You can access the white paper here.
Direct mail activates digital experiences
With the ever-expanding use of technology, many constituents are now turning to digital channels for their political news and information. Social, mobile, and search engines have become key players in reaching and engaging both mass and targeted audiences. Direct mail as part of an omni-channel campaign can play a big role in propelling voters toward digital experiences.
Why does omni-channel campaigning work? Using a variety of media channels, from mobile to print to online ads, can help extend the campaign’s reach and strengthen its message’s impact. According to the IPC Direct Mail Guide, 82% of millenials see print on paper as more trusted and 74% see it as safer and more secure than digital channels. Digitally enabled direct mail can be highly effective because it merges tangible and digital elements that can stimulate the recipient’s senses while instantly delivering relevant information. It also breaks through the political “noise” to effectively engage voters.
Below we present useful links regarding political direct mail:
- A dedicated page promoting political direct mail by USPS - deliverthewin.com
- Strategy and types of political direct mail - localvictory.com
- 5 questions before sending political direct mail - thecampaignworkshop.com
- 5 tips on how to create a winning political direct mail campaign - targetmarketingmag.com
- Tips for political direct mail and campaign literature - wellstone.org
- Postal Hub podcast with Brian G Denneny, the US Postal Service’s Executive Director of Sales - thepostalhub.com
Source: deliverthewin.com, IPC Direct Mail Guide