Cinema guide to lawn signs

Lawn signs may seem like a very minor component of a campaign.  However, they can be extremely effective in an election if utilized correctly.  If you want to get the most out of the money you invest into lawn signs, you need to have a strategy behind the lawn sign portion of your campaign.  The following is a list of a few guidelines to effective lawn sign utilization.  To make it easy for you to remember each piece of advice, I’ve attempted to be creative and associate every guideline with a popular movie title, because everybody loves movies, right?

• “THE PERFECT STORM”

Everyone likes to save money when they can, especially in a political campaign.  However, we’ve all heard the saying “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”  So, lawn signs are not the best place to cut corners.  Make sure that you have your lawn signs made out of weather proof material.  Going with the cheap stuff may be good for your campaign in the short term, but the second some bad weather hits, those signs will do you no good.  You need to ensure your investment in signs will last the duration of most of the election season.

• “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER”
  

Location is extremely important when putting out lawn signs.  If you’ve run for office in the past, target the areas that you placed your signs in previously and record where you are placing them in this election.   If you haven’t run before, try to get a hold of the locations that were used previously that were effective before your opponent can get to them and record locations for future elections.  This works better for primaries than in the general because many of the locations might be private property of like-minded individuals.  Knowing where you put all of your signs can also help when checking and maintaining your signs.   Keeping accurate records of what you did last summer (in terms of campaigning) can save you a lot of unnecessary work.

• “THE UGLY TRUTH”
  

Just as people form judgments about a person’s character based on their appearance, they also make judgments about a candidate based on their lawn signs.  A lawn or field sign that is ripped, covered in mud, or bent over onto the ground doesn’t reflect well on the candidate.  Yes – lawn signs can be high maintenance, but if you make them durable and check and maintain them regularly, the payoff in the end will be worth the trouble.

• “LAW ABIDING CITIZEN”

Know the rules and follow them!  Every place has different regulations for when you can begin putting out your signs and where you are allowed to place them.  Simply call your county clerk’s office to find out what these regulations are.  Also, inform your supporters to heed the regulations.  Not only do you need to pay attention to when and where signs can be put out, but you also need to pay attention to when they need to be taken down.  Get a team of volunteers together after the election is over to take down all of your signs.  This is another instance where your record of sign locations comes in handy!

• “BEHIND ENEMY LINES”

Lawn signs are not used to persuade voters – they are used to activate voters.  They are a great way to increase name or issue recognition in an area that will support you anyway.  Unfortunately your lawn sign cannot debate the issues with passersby.  This is why placing signs in enemy territory can sometimes do more harm than good.  Encourage supporters that live in areas of like-minded people or swing voters to put out lawn signs.  Do everything you can to remind those people of who is running and when they should vote.  However, if your supporters live in “enemy territory”, surrounded by voters that do not see eye-to-eye with you or your supporters, putting out a lawn sign can be a poor decision.  Just as many of us are stubborn in our beliefs and who we support; those on the opposite side of the spectrum are as well.  If someone’s mind is already made up about whom they want to put in office, seeing a lawn sign for a different candidate isn’t going to change their mind.  All it causes is irritation and reminds them that there are people voting for a different candidate, which, in turn, activates them to advocate more for their candidate.

• “GUILT BY ASSOCIATION”

There are a lot of shallow voters out there.  Some people just don’t want to do the research to see where each candidate stands on the issues, especially when it comes to local elections.  As unfortunate as this reality may be, it can be used to the advantage of your lawn sign campaign.  Strategically placing your signs near those of candidates running for higher office whose beliefs you align yourself with can give passersby a relatively good idea of where you stand.  Many people that plan on voting will at least have some idea of where a candidate for Governor, U.S. Congress, or Senate stands on certain issues; so when someone sees your sign next to theirs, they will associate you with those same values.  This strategy can work to your benefit, but it can also work against you.  Be aware of the signs that are located around yours because you don’t want voters associating you with ideologies that you do not represent.

These are all very simple, commonsense ways to make the lawn sign portion of your campaign more effective.  As small and insignificant as these suggestions may seem, they really can make a huge impact.  See, Hollywood is good for something isn’t it?