Ron Fox, Vice President, WinAnElection.com, said, "It's all about working with the best people in the industry to build an effective set of political marketing tools for our clients." 

Jerry Dorchuck, CEO, PMI advised the agreement makes sense because PMI has 13+ years experience providing robocalls for political candidates, ballot initiatives, groups and organizations.  WinAnElection has the ability to integrate robocalls with other political campaign tools to provide a low cost, effective political campaign package. Mr. Dorchuck has over 30 years experience working with candidates in political elections.

According to Mr. Fox and Mr. Dorchuck, a client is able to order a robocall directly from the WinAnElection.com online order site.  The message is recorded by calling a toll free number or uploading an mp3 or wav file.  The order site may be viewed by clicking Robocalls.

Inquiries emailed to ronfox@winanelection.com are welcome.

UV (ultra violet) coating is what makes a postcard really shiny.  Although technically possible, most mailing houses cannot address over a UV coating.  A common solution is to affix labels, which adds cost.  To be safe, only request UV coating on the non-address side of a postcard.

(2) Ensure the design of the political postcard meets postal regulations

The US Postal Service has regulations about space needed and location for address placement on a postcard.  If you design the postcard, it is your responsibility to get it right, not the printer's.  Don't end up with a stack of postcards that can't be mailed.

(3) Probably cheaper to print the postal indicia on campaign postcards rather than add during addressing

The postal indicia is like a stamp and is required for presorted standard (the new term for bulk mailing).  It has numbers that tell the Post Office who owns the indicia.  This can be printed the same time the card is printed if it is included in the artwork.  No extra charge.  If you forget to include it in the artwork, no problem, it can be added when the card is addressed.  However, there is usually an extra charge for this.

(4) Cheaper to pay for professional addressing on election campaign postcards rather than have volunteers affix labels

Don't think you are saving money by ordering mailing labels and having volunteers affix them to cards.  To get the best postage rates, mail pieces have to be machineable.  This means high speed readers have to be able to read the address.  If the label is put on crooked, highly likely with volunteers, the piece will be rejected, unless you are paying first class postage.  Don't lose an election. Save the time, cost and aggravation by having a mail house do your addressing.

(5) Cheaper to have art on election postcards done professionally than do-it-yourself

Creating print ready art is simple, for a professional with the right graphics software.  If you are not experienced, it will probably cost more to correct your art files than to do it from scratch.  It will also delay your campaign message when time could be critical.

(6) Use a current, clean mailing list for political campaign postcards even if you have to pay for it.

A free outdated list is not free.  You are paying for printing, addressing and postage on a lot of election postcards that will never be delivered.  The worst part is you could lose a tight political race because your campaign message never reached the right voters.  Don't be cheap here!

(7) Use the mail house indicia on campaign postcards instead of buying one from the post office

No need to pay the post office for an indicia.  Almost every mail house will allow you to use theirs for free.

Recommendation:  To stretch your political campaign budget, review the selection of WinAnElection campaign postcards (link to postcards) that have been created with cost in mind.  Many were designed for specific campaign issues and specific political offices.  We really welcome your comments regarding our products.

Other articles you should read:

6 Need to know things when ordering campaign postcards

5 Must know things for a compelling political mailing campaign

Printing companies that specialize in products, such as postcards, optimize production and reduce cost by printing several orders on the same sheet. This is why your quantity choices may be limited to 1000, 2500, 5000, 10000, etc.  If you only wanted 3892 you would have to pay for the entire cost of the print run.  This would be considerably more than getting 5000 cards and sharing the cost.  

(2) It is cheaper to buy a 6"x9" political postcard than a 5 3/4"x9"

Print cost is cheaper if the card design fits a standard product size of the print company. Again, this is due to lower production costs.

(3) It is cheaper to buy a full color election campaign postcard than a two color postcard

Years ago the exact opposite was true.  The change resulted from reduced production costs based on new print technology.

(4) It is cheaper to buy political campaign postcards from a national provider than a local print shop

Most local print shops are not able to share production costs among several clients because they do not receive enough orders for the exact same product in a day.  

(5) It is cheaper to order election postcards with a 3-5 day delivery than a 1-2 day delivery

Most print shops have an optimum production cycle.  Make a request outside that optimum cycle, it costs them more money and you pay for it.

(6) Cost of the union bug on an election campaign postcard

Only about 10% of printers are authorized to use the union bug.  Finding one can be difficult and expect to pay a hefty premium.  

Recommendation:

To stretch your political campaign budget, review the selection of WinAnElection campaign postcards that have been created with cost in mind.  Many were designed for specific campaign issues and specific political offices.  We really welcome your comments regarding our products.

Other articles you should read:

7 Mistakes to avoid when ordering campaign postcards 

5 Must know things for a compelling political mailing campaign

(1) Create a compelling message

The most important part of a political mail piece is its message. You are selling a product --- You. When people evaluate a product they want the answer to one question "What's in it for me?" Don't answer it, don't get elected. You must give them a compelling reason to capture their vote, especially in a local election. Don't think of voters as a mass group, but as one individual. Write a message to one individual that resolves a problem in their life. Most compelling reasons relate to their money. The hottest issues today are jobs, taxes, economy, and social entitlements. Make your message personal.

Examples:

Too general: I am against raising property taxes

Better: Supporting your family is hard today. Vote for me and I'll fight increased property taxes because you don't need that burden.

Too general: I will fight to bring more jobs to our community.

Better: Having few jobs available in our community is hard on you, your family or someone you know. Vote for me and I will fight to bring back jobs and get life back on track for all of us.

(2) Include a Call to Action

You got their attention with a compelling message. Now get them engaged and get their vote. Tell them what to do and be very precise about it.

Examples:

Vote for me on 8 Nov....

Call me at 888-888-8888 to discuss the xyz problem

Visit my website to: volunteer to help get out the vote

Make a contribution that will make a difference

Read my position on (issue)

RSVP for the town hall meeting

Give me your opinion on what needs to be done

(3) Multiple touches

To capture a vote, you need to touch the voter with several messages. A mail piece should prompt the voter to call, email, or visit a website. Now you can deliver a second message, collect contact data, and get them engaged. From the data collected, you can develop more meaningful messages delivered through personal contact, events, email, text messages and phone calls.

(4) Mailing List

Mailing lists contain information that can link the issue with the individual. Examples: gender, age, ethnic background, families with children, voting history, geographic location and donor history. You can create a significantly more compelling message when written for a specific target audience.

Examples:

Families with children are more concerned about education.

Seniors are concerned with health care.

Voting history identifies who will likely be voting in the future.

Ethnic groups have different community concerns.

People in specific geographic locations, such as part of town, have different issues.

(5) Mail early

Planning is a must to get results and stay in budget. You only have a few months before the primary and general election to get voters engaged. You will need all of it. A mail campaign takes time.

You must:

1. Identify issues and target market

2. Get mailing list

3. Develop the message

4. Develop the call to action

5. Design the piece

6. Print the piece

7. Address the piece

8. Have Post Office deliver

Anticipate 2 days for a mailing list, 7 business days to print and address, and 14 more days for the Post Office to deliver. Yes, these times can be shortened but usually requires a lot more money and a bit of luck. Plan well and you won't need either.

Recommendation: WinAnElection offers effective campaign tools for a tight budget. Click to see postcards specifically designed for: (1) campaign issues: budget, jobs, taxes; (2) campaign races: sheriff, judge, prosecutor; (3) specific purpose: introduction, endorsement, event, hit, response to hit.

Other articles you should read:

8 Nasty surprises to avoid in a political email campaign

5 Nasty surprises to avoid when using an email list in a political campaign

13 Must know things about email lists for political campaigns

The can-spam laws contain regulations regarding emailing and have definitely affected how you can conduct an email campaign.

Did you know this about using email software?

1. It is legal for you to email to a voter list as long as certain things are included in your email, such as an opt-out feature, an address, and no deceptive practices.

2. The email program on your computer limits the number of emails you can send at one time and is not suited to sending bulk emails.

3. Even though it is legal, virtually no email marketing service will let you use their software to send emails to your list. Constant Contact, iContact, MailChimp and almost every other email marketing service will refuse because they will not allow the use of a mailing list provided by a 3rd party, even if it is legal and an opt-in list. They will only allow you to send emails to individuals with whom you have personally established a relationship. Reason, if they receive too many complaints that emails sent through their service were spam, they could be blacklisted and their business hurt. They don't want the bother.

4. There is email software you can purchase to send bulk emails. Costs money, learning curve varies with the software, and still the possibility of being black listed as a spammer if not done correctly.

5. There are companies that provide email services for large political campaigns. However, probably not within the budget of a local campaign.

It's like being all dressed up and no place to go.

Recommendation:  We at WinAnElection were ready to stop offering email lists because of the problems candidates had using them. Then we found a solution with the NationBuilder campaign management software we offer our clients. 3rd party voter lists can be uploaded into the program, emails easily developed in compliance with can-spam laws, email campaigns easily managed, and emails sent through NationBuilder at very affordable prices. Click here to see pricing.

Other articles you should read:

8 Nasty surprises to avoid in a political email campaign

13 Must know things about email lists for political campaigns

You're running for a local office. Could be city council, sheriff, mayor, or ... One of the ways you want to communicate to people is through email. Sounds easy, you have been emailing for years. Let's examine that a bit.

Start by defining all your reasons for sending emails in your campaign.

Some examples are:

1. Conduct a voter survey - requires building a form to collect information, storing the information and taking action on the information.

2. Campaign donations - requires financial reporting. Can you take a credit card?

3. Drive voters to your website - requires having a website. You need to provide them with a compelling reason (compelling to them, not you) to go there and tell them what to do once they get there.

4. Define your position on an issue - should have a way for the voter to respond so you can continue engaging. Perhaps, build a landing page on your website to collect their opinion.

5. Get out the vote (GOTV) - collect pledges to vote for you and follow up.

6. Recruit volunteers - must be easy for them to respond. Need to be prepared to manage activities.

7. Promote an event - collect information on attendees, accept rsvp's, collect fees and donations.

8. Increase campaign awareness - should include a call to action to get the voter engaged.

As you can see, almost any email you send requires planning and a follow up action. You need the tools to do this with.

Recommendation: An affordable website and campaign management software is a good start. When you decide to run, this should be the first thing you add to your campaign toolbox. WinAnElection has an excellent Campaign Management and Website solution for these and other problems.

Other articles you should read:  13 Must know things about email lists for political campaigns

So, you have a plan and are prepared. If not, you might want to read "8 Nasty surprises to avoid in a political email campaign" It's linked at the bottom of the page. Now you will need an email list.

13 Must know things about email lists for political campaigns

(1) Any list of voters will, at best, only contain 15-20% of email addresses. So don't think you are going to email all voters in your area.

(2) Very few list companies have search criteria based on the needs of a political campaign. You need lists based on: (a) political voting boundaries, like district, not based on zip codes; (b) party affiliation; (c) frequency of voting in primary and general elections; (d) donor history.

(3) Good email lists are not easy to come by and can be expensive. $.12 to $.20 each address is common.

(4) The price can increase based on quantity and demographic criteria. A list of voters who have contributed to past political campaigns will cost more than just a list of voters. Note: it is generally better to pay the extra money and get the most refined list possible for your needs. You get better results and it saves money in the long run.

(5) There is usually a minimum charge regardless of the number of addresses available.

(6) Some list companies won't provide you with the list but require you send the email through them (for a fee).

(7) People are constantly changing their email addresses, so the older the list the fewer deliverable addresses.

(8) Even a new list will contain undeliverable email addresses.

(9) You will need a way to clean the undeliverable addresses from your list.

(10) Many lists are sold for one time use only with an additional charge for multiple use.

(11) Some list companies salt their list to detect multiple use.

(12) You are renting the use of the list and the list company still owns the data.

(13) You cannot re-sell the list or even give it away.

Recommendation:

Obtain your lists at the beginning of your campaign so you know what you have to work with. Waiting until just before you want to use it can lead to some nasty surprises about cost, availability, and time to obtain. WinAnElection has the most complete lists available for various uses in a political campaign. Some are free lists, when combined with the purchase of a website and campaign software, while others are fee lists and incur a charge based on search criteria. Customer service will get answers to your list questions.

Other articles you should read:

8 Nasty surprises to avoid in a political email campaign