I Saw the Sign…

In local politics–particularly in an Obama recession such as this–campaign resources are hard to come by, and conserving cash is as much the name of the game as is raising it. So candidates and their campaign staff must look for creative ways to get the best bang for their buck. To wit, here are three tips that are simple but can help conserve the green.

Bumper Stickers

Plastering a candidate’s name on the posterior of a car is one of the most effective ways to get the word out and raise name ID. The trick is…actually getting the sticker on the bumper. Otherwise, the money spent on the stickers is a profound waste. Here’s a tip for campaign volunteers: offer to place the sticker on a supporter’s car for them (get their permission first). That way the sticker is guaranteed to end up where it was intended.

Bulk Discounts

Vendors are in business to make money, and the rule of thumb is the more you buy from them the cheaper the per-unit price is. Here’s a tip: collaborate with the local party organizations and/or other campaigns to get bulk orders for like-designed materials. Oftentimes vendors will accept combined orders from two different entities and offer the discounted price because the alternative is business lost to a competitor.

Sign Synergy

In an age when upwards of 60-70% of voters pull the lever for the candidate whose name is most familiar to them, signs can make the difference. But signs are expensive, particularly big ones. One way to avoid the cost of big (typically 4×8) signs is to compound the effectiveness of small yard signs. We humans tend to take notice of things in bunches. For instance, if we drive down the highway and see a small yellow car, no big deal. But if three small yellow cars pass by one behind the other, we take notice. It’s out of the ordinary. Yard signs are the same. One is easy to ignore, but three placed side-by-side catch attention. The difference is dollars. Tip: small and stacked achieves the same as large and expensive.