How to Integrate Google and Direct Mail Marketing to Win Your Election
by: Sarah Kicinski, PostcardMania
Political marketing is about building name recognition and trust. In our modern, technology-infused society, you need to make use of both print and online resources to accomplish these goals with the best results possible (i.e. VICTORY!).
So, how do you integrate these two marketing mediums to work in concert with one another?
It’s actually easier than you may think, and you will be blown away by the results. Let’s remember our two goals: name recognition and trust building. Studies show that both are accomplished by prolonged or repetitive exposure. Your marketing foundation starts with consistent, regular postcard marketing campaigns to continually expose voters to your name, picture, and key information. Then, you can use your website to reinforce your print marketing and follow-up with online visitors.
Here are 3 steps to integrating your direct mail and online marketing:
1. Use postcards to increase awareness and drive voters to your website
For the same reason political candidates use signs, you should also be using postcard marketing. You want voters to be aware of your candidacy. Direct mail allows you to use targeted mailing lists, so you only mail to the demographics your campaign strategy requires. Mailing postcard campaigns regularly and consistently is guaranteed to build your name recognition, and the laws of marketing say that the more someone sees your name and face, the more likely they are going to be to choose you. Not only will it build your awareness, it will also point voters to your website, where they can learn more about you and your positions on the issues. The more they get to know you, the more trust is built.
2. Include a Blog in Your Website
Speaking of building trust, nothing does it better than a blog. I know political campaigns are incredibly busy, but even posting a quick blog once a week or once a month as a newsletter will go a long way to helping voters connect with you. Connecting with your prospective constituents is critical. You aren’t going to be able to meet every voter in your district, but adding a blog helps voters feel like they have met you. Readers make a more personal connection, and this builds their trust in you.
3. Enable Google Remarketing to follow-up with website visitors
Now that you have a name building foundation from postcard marketing, and a trust building website (complete with blog), you have to add the last piece of the marketing puzzle. It’s called Google Remarketing, and it is an invaluable marketing tool for any politician, aspiring or incumbent, because it automatically follows up with every visitor your website receives.
Basically, once you add the Google Remarketing web code into your website, it tracks every visitor to your website. Start by adding a downloadable report to your site that gives your visitors more details about your vision for your district. Then, Google will track whether or not visitors download that report. If they do not, it will show them targeted ads anywhere they go within Google’s Display Network until they return and do so. Google’s Display Network includes high traffic websites like Dictionary.com and CNN.com. The best part is you only pay if they click on your ad, so you could potentially get hundreds of views and exposure absolutely FREE.
Between your direct mail foundation, your trust building website, and your automatic online follow-up, you have an integrated marketing system that will be highly effective. Direct mail and online mediums compliment each other perfectly and can deliver that victory you are working so hard to achieve.
Need help putting together your integrated marketing system? We would love to take care of it for you! Visit our website at www.postcardmania.com or call us at 1-866-803-2421.
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