Getting the Most from Your Political Campaign with Yard Signs

If you’re running for office at nearly any level, it’s a given that you’ll use yard signs. Even though there’s a wide variety of marketing tools you can and should use, it’s clear yard signs still have a net positive effect on voter turnout. What’s more, their ubiquity all but mandates their use; if you’re the one individual that doesn’t use yard signs, you run the risk of falling behind the competition.

The best approach to using yard signs, then, isn’t whether to use them or not, but how to use them in a way that bolsters their effectiveness for your campaign. There are several ways to do this, but it all starts with design. An ineffective or crowded design will ruin any yard sign-based campaign from the start, but simple, effective design is the first step towards success.

It Starts with Design

When designing for yard signs, the most important aspect is simplicity. Yard signs, because of how they’re viewed (from a moving vehicle, in a space crowded with other signs, etc.) need to provide a bold, clear message that’s easy to read and digest, and will fight for visual recognition amongst other signs. For political campaigns, it’s best to go with the candidate’s name, the position they’re running for and little else.

In addition, pay attention to the colors you use on the yard sign. High contrast colors (red letters on white background or white letters on a navy background) are easy to read. While red and blue are certainly the most popular options for political campaigns, feel free to experiment with other complimentary colors that can help your campaign stand out. For example, green and blue look great together and can work well for a political campaign that wants to stand out from a sea of red and blue.

Placement Matters 

When it comes to placement, a little extra thought goes a long way. Ultimately, placing yard signs in the yards of those who commit to vote for you is a great gesture towards their dedication, and will galvanize their support. But residential areas and neighborhoods tucked away from the flow of commuter traffic won’t grant you much exposure, and most of a given neighborhood’s residents may vote along the same lines anyway, so there won’t be many votes to pick up there. To really reach out to voters, place your signs alongside well-traveled roads, at major intersections and at the ends of off ramps on larger highways. Remember to check local regulations to ensure you aren’t placing your signs in an unauthorized area. They’ll be promptly removed, and that certainly won’t win you any votes. Do not place your signs on any private property without permission, either.

A Little Strategy Goes a Long Way 

Finally, consider using some strategy in how you share your yard signs. It’s great to just give them out to supporters, but it’s best to think a bit deeper. Consider giving several extra signs to supporters who drum up move votes, or help others register to vote. Your most active supporters and campaigners should get extra signs as a reward. Chances are, they’ll know better than anyone what to do with them.

Now that you know how to best design, use and share yard signs for your political campaign, all that’s left is to get started. And with U.S. Press, you don’t have to worry about the one factor that’s out of your control: quality. Because here, our decades of printing experience and time spent printing yard signs for thousands of political campaigns means we can achieve the quality you expect. Get started on your custom signs by speaking with your account manager, calling 1-800-277-7377, or ordering your yard signs directly at uspress.com.