June 15, 2024

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Rev up your 2024 campaigns with the latest voter research

The struggle to make an impact with voters is real.

With the 2024 election cycle in full gear, political campaigns need to proactively face ongoing challenges to deliver the win. One of the biggest is breaking through the political noise to engage ad-fatigued voters.

Credibility is also tough to come by in today’s fact vs. fiction world. Campaigns are struggling to build trust with wary voters who don’t know who or what to believe anymore.

Turning these challenges into opportunities.

The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) and the United States Postal Service (USPS) partnered to uncover the most effective ways for political campaigns to overcome these challenges. And to show how direct mail can help you leverage these insights to make that all-important connection with voters.

How? By conducting 2023 post-election research to capture key learnings direct from the source—voters. We also surveyed campaign consultants about what’s working/not working for them.

Here are three top campaign challenges and key learnings to help you solve them:

Campaign Challenge 1

Standing out in an oversaturated political ad landscape.

Many voters experience ad fatigue and disengage when inundated with political ads. In fact, 90% of the surveyed consultants are extremely concerned about standing out and maintaining relevance in a crowded media landscape.1

Key learning:

Break through with a strong and coordinated media mix.

When campaign messages are aligned across different channels, your campaign has a better chance of landing and overcoming ad fatigue.

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Analyze your advertising spend to ensure it includes channels that are proven to engage voters, like TV and direct mail.

  • 57% of surveyed voters feel that direct mail was harder to ignore than online and television ads.1
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Integrate those channels cohesively to get attention and drive further action.

  • 62% of surveyed voters search online to learn more about a race after receiving direct mail.1

Campaign Challenge 2

Establishing credibility early on.

With voter skepticism at an all-time high, it’s critical for political campaigns to establish credibility in order to build trust and win them over.

Key learning:

Provide voters with information through trusted channels.

Knowledge is power. When you give voters the facts they need to make informed decisions, you are helping earn their trust.

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Use trusted channels like direct mail to establish credibility.

  • 56% of surveyed voters trust direct mail more than other advertising channels.1
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Equip voters with key information at every phase of the election cycle.

  • 83% of surveyed consultants expect direct mail to address a candidate’s stance on local issues.1

Campaign Challenge 3

Connecting with the right voters to maximize ad ROI.

Voters in this election cycle are often trying to navigate a closely divided race. To sway opinion, political campaigns need to authentically connect on a personal level.

Key learning:

Precisely target voters with personalized messaging.

Voters tend to resonate with campaigns and candidates that best represent who they are and support the issues they’re most passionate about.

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Prioritize channels that can help your campaign feel like you’re speaking to them directly.

  • 94% of surveyed consultants say that an advantage of using direct mail is its ability to target specific audiences.1
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Include personalized messages to create an authentic connection that influences voter outcomes.

  • 38% of surveyed voters say personalized messages in a mail piece increases their likelihood to engage with a campaign.1

Bottom line.

Being prepared to address challenges as they arise can mean the difference between an acceptance speech and a concession speech. As the research clearly shows, direct mail can help you create an authentic connection that moves the needle to win votes.

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Mail is a great mechanism to drive an issue and a credibility conversation to a voter because I can use that mail to saturate voters that I am targeting…Where mail becomes very persuasive for me is that it’s a very personal, intimate way to have a direct conversation with a voter on something that may help solidify why they may believe my message.1

—Consultant interview

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How To Tackle Campaign Challenges With Direct Mail

Learn more about how political consultants are engaging voters with direct mail to overcome campaign challenges this election season.

Access the White Paper