4 Tips for Putting up Effective Political Yard Signs
Making the right moves for your political campaign takes research. Considering adding signs to your campaign strategy? Looking to improve your current political signs? We have gathered the information you need. Large format graphics and political signs are successful advertising tools, but poor execution can be a waste of time and resources. This blog covers tips and tricks for boosting political yard signs effectiveness.
1. Choose the Right Size
You may wonder, what is the best size for a yard sign? While the standard sign size is 24” x 18”, the best size for a political sign depends on how much is going on the sign and where it is being placed. Campaign signs can range from 12” x 18” to 48” x 96” which leaves a lot of room for decision-making. Strategic size choice can enhance the effectiveness of your political signs and therefore your campaign.
The larger the campaign sign, the easier it is for people to read. Larger signs also have more room to add headshots, slogans, logos, messaging, and contact info. While larger is better, only ordering large campaign signs is expensive. For a cost-conscious strategy, consider printing a mix of simple small signs and large signs with more details.
Political Yard Sign Size Guide
12” x 18” – These small signs are commonly placed in front yards. Readability is low from 50 feet or further, so minimal details such as name and nomination are the most common.
18” x 24” – This is the standard size for political campaigns. Contact information like a website or short slogan is often included with this size.
24” x 24” – Just slightly taller than 18” x 24”, this sign gives more creative freedom for designing. Since it is square, it might stand out in a group of rectangular signs.
24” x 36” – This sized sign is visible from 100 feet away. This is a great option if you’re looking to get more information out to the public, such as images, or if you want a large minimalistic sign that brings a lot of attention to a few words.
48” x 96” – These signs are their own beast. Before selecting a large format sign, make sure the rules in your state allow signs of this size. It’s also a good idea to plan out where you want a sign this large to go.
2. Location is Key
Where should you put your political signs? Placing signs anywhere and everywhere is tempting but intentional placement can increase awareness among impactful voters and prevent wasted resources.
Find Swing Voters
Investigate the habits of prior voters within your district to find a potential voter audience that matters. Find areas populated by swing voters and concentrate your sign efforts there instead of spending money to advertise to voters who are historically in your favor.
Place Large Signs on Busy Roads
Think of places with fast speed limits and major intersections. Drivers, passengers, and pedestrians have the best shot at reading your large signs if they’re placed here. Remember, more traffic means more exposure.
Be Aggressive with Your Front Yard Signs
There are a lot of people in your community that will be willing to support your campaign by placing a sign in their yard, you simply must ask.
- Ask volunteers to put a sign in their yard.
- Go door-to-door with signs ready; tell them about your campaign and ask permission to put a sign in their front yard to show their support.
- Get a list of party supporters and reach out to them to see if they’d be interested in putting a sign in their yard.
3. Research the Rules in Your State
The political yard sign rules can seem very daunting since each state has different rules and regulations. Some rules and regulations controlled by the states include:
- Where signs can be placed on roadsides
- How close signs can be to polling locations
- When signs can be put up before election day
- When they need to be taken down after election day
- Disclaimers that must be included on signs
- HOA rules about political lawn signs on private property
- Who is authorized to remove signs?
Before making any investments or plans, be sure to know the political yard sign rules in your state.
4. Know the Purpose of Your Political Signs
The best political yard signs have a clear campaign tactic. That might be to increase candidate name recognition, communicate the election date, raise awareness about an issue, or drive people to a website. It is important to pinpoint what impact you want to have on a potential voter.
Keep it Minimal
Even with the largest sign on the market, there’s not enough room to include everything. If you did include everything, the sign would be too cluttered to read quickly. Don’t be scared to keep your sign minimal. Do you want to drive people to your website? Include your name or logo followed by your website URL. Want the public to know what you are all about? Leave the website URL out and feature your slogan instead.
Have Multiple Designs
Since you are avoiding clutter on your signs, you might want to feature different information on different signs. If you have multiple sign sizes, add additional information to larger signs and keep the smaller signs simple. This gets all your information out and makes sure everything is readable.
Get Printing with BR
Start producing effective political signs to reach the right voters in the right places at the right times. At BR Printers, we offer a wide range of large format printing solutions and products including political signage. We can create high-quality large-format graphic signs and displays that bring your campaign to life. Get in touch with a BR representative today.
Sources:
https://www.signs.com/blog/do-political-signs-work-running-an-effective-legal-sign-campaign/
https://numero.ai/blog/political-yard-signs/
https://www.48hourprint.com/yard-sign-sizes.html
http://www.candidatesigns.com/Places-CC-ExtraPages.html
https://pcsigns.com/2016/03/23/where-should-i-put-my-political-yard-signs/