WRITTEN ON April 17th, 2009 BY chris AND STORED IN Leaflet Distribution

Tags: Leaflet Distribution, Link Extra, politicians

Recent events have once again demonstrated the importance in politics of effective communication. For a supposed master of spin, Damien McBride was powerless to prevent his private email escalating into a damaging episode for himself, his boss and the Labour Party.

McBride’s misguided intention was to try and use online media to try and smear the Conservatives. Not so long ago, such talk would have stayed within the walls of Westminster village drinking establishments, but email’s fallibility in terms of security is now well established.

It’s a reminder that in politics, message is all. A loose word can have huge ramifications, far beyond the sender’s control.

One of the most established means of delivering the politician’s message has always been the leaflet distribution. Politicians and political movements have over the years found it to be an extremely powerful way of communicating effectively to a particular constituency or target audience. Very little beats getting your key messages and images directly in the hands of your target voter.

So what is it about a leaflet distribution that proves so attractive to politicians? Here are what we consider to be the most important factors - the three Cs of political leaflet distributions.

C for COVERAGE

You may be very proud of your carefully crafted leaflet, but it’s completely pointless if nobody sees it. Distributing a leaflet is a complicated process involving a high degree of planning, and simply throwing an off-the-shelf distribution solution would mean many households within your target constituency would simply not receive your leaflet. Here at LinkDirect, we’ve developed some software of our own called Link Extra which analyses a constituency’s requirements and delivers the most appropriate methodology for the distribution. A mix of all four distribution methods - Solus, Newslink, Royal Mail Door to Door and Direct Mail - are usually employed to achieve the best possible coverage.

C for COST

The demands on politicians to keep a tight hold on expenses has been well-documented in recent weeks, and it’s no different whether you’re planning a nationwide or single-constituency campaign. In either case the target audience is likely to be significant in number, and it’s not difficult to imagine that you would soon rack up the costs if you were looking to use print or television advertising, for example. A leaflet distribution is extremely cost-effective, however, and a lower-cost alternative to direct mail. Our distribution rates start at £15 per 1000 leaflets, for example, which is the kind of rate you’d struggle to find anywhere else in the advertising world.

C for CREATIVITY

We all know the reputation of party political broadcasts: soaring soundtrack plays as grey politician conducts stage-managed vox pops with Joe Public as the watching nation gets up to make a cup of tea. In many ways attempting to persuade your voter in five minutes before the news is a thankless task - only a very small minority of those watching are probably in any kind of mood to listen. A leaflet distribution relies on far less of an interruptive approach, allowing the recipient to read at their leisure. Add in the full gamut of creativity that a leaflet allows, and you have a true vote-winner.