I hear this question all the time: “Should I do mail, or should I do digital ads, or should I text voters?”
Wrong question.
Amateurs pick one thing and try to make it do everything. Winners layer them together. Here’s why.
A mail piece sits on the kitchen counter. It’s physical. Voters pick it up, set it down, maybe glance at it twice.
A text feels personal and immediate.
A video ad puts your face and voice in front of them.
Each one alone has a ceiling. But stack them together, in the right order, and something changes.
The voter doesn’t just see you once. They see you three different ways in three different places.
And that’s when they stop thinking “another candidate mailer” and start thinking “this guy’s everywhere, he must be serious.”
Here’s how you use this.
Fundraising: Don’t rely on email alone to raise money. Follow it with a mail piece referencing the same ask. Donors who see you twice give more than donors who see you once.
Votes: Hit a swing voter with mail first. Follow with a text a few days later. Follow that with a short video in their feed.
Now you’re not a stranger on a mail piece. You’re somebody they recognize.
Volunteers: One recruitment email gets ignored. An email, then a call, then a text gets a “yes.”
Beating your opponent: While he’s dumping his whole budget into one mail drop, you’re showing up in three places at once. He looks like a stranger. You look inevitable.
The takeaway: Nobody wins by shouting in one channel. They win by showing up everywhere, in order, until the voter can’t picture the race without them.
Dr. Chuck Muth, PsD
Professor of Psephology*
(homeschooled)
* Psephology (see-follow-gee): The study of campaigns and elections