Candidate Website on Political Campaign Yard Signs?
Here’s a quick question for Killer Campaigning from Sarah in Arizona:
I’m a local political candidate who is running a campaign for office in a medium-sized town in Arizona. I have a campaign website that I would like people to visit, do you think that I should put my website address on my lawn signs? Thank you!
The best answer to your question basically has to do with how much room you have on your sign, Sarah. I’ve said before that yard sign designs and colors don’t matter as much as how hard you campaign, but one unforgivable sin when it comes to lawn signs is jamming too much stuff into too small a space.
The best local political campaign yard sign is one that simply and effectively broadcasts your name and the office you are running for (although even the office isn’t entirely necessary). If including a website address in the mix makes your yard signs too busy and overwhelming for the average voter to take in while they are driving by in a car, then you might want to re-think your design.
Of course, a lot of this has to do with the length of your name and the length of your website address. If you are intent on including your campaign site on your signs, consider removing the “www” to shorten the address. Remember, most voters who glance at your sign will be driving by at high speeds and won’t be likely to even see the web address unless it’s large enough to notice.
I generally don’t recommend that candidates include their political campaign websites on yard signs, since it makes them too cluttered and almost never leads to more visits to the site. If you have a website that you are proud of, then I suggest that you mention it on your door-to-door literature or direct mail pieces, instead.
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Sage on February 24th, 2010
In many areas the name of the campaign treasurer and campaign committee must also be printed on the yardsigns – check the campaigning laws for your specific area.
Also, yardsigns must get your message across to people driving by them – how much do you want them to read at 35 mph or more? IF there are several campaign signs on a particular street corner will drivers notice your sign first? What colors are you using?
I agree simply name and office sought are top priority for yard signs – quick and simple. Your constituents should be able to do an internet search with that and find your website.
But do put your website address on business cards and brochures.