Importance Of Election Signage In The Cayman Islands

Signage is of utmost importance in the political world. Signage is a potent tool for leaders and political parties to communicate with potential voters and the general public.

With responsibilities such as fundraising, canvassing, and maintaining law and order, signage should be the least of your worries. Every vote matters; politicians and their advisors know that.

Either they can design customized political campaign signs, or they can outsource the same to an agency. Regardless, you cannot deny the importance of election signs.

Election signage enables people to know who is running for office. This knowledge helps them research the candidates on the internet. Does signage help you get those precious votes? Is it worth the time, money, and effort? Let us find out.

Benefits of political campaign signs in the Cayman Islands

• Vote swing - You must have come across articles and studies indicating that election yard signs and political hoardings don’t make much of an impact, but one particular research says otherwise. As per this study, election signs contribute to a 1.7% increase in electoral votes.
  
  Election signage becomes all the more important when the competition is close. It could mean the difference between winning and losing.
  
  For example, X candidate and Y candidate are battling it out for a particular constituency with 10,000 voters. A 1.7% vote swing means 170 precious votes going in favor of one party.
• Affordability and durability - Most signage, be it hooks, A-frame signs, wire mounting stakes, or yard signs for political campaigns, the material used to make these signs is coroplast. The Cayman Islands has a hot and humid climate, plus heavy winds blow throughout the year, worsening during the hurricane season.
  
  Signage made out of coroplast is ideal to withstand the harsh elements of the Cayman Islands. You can leave it outdoors for extended periods, and nothing would happen to them. For maximizing the effectiveness of the signage, you can have it printed on both sides. Combined with rich colors and attractive design, people will view it from all directions, thereby providing the best ROI.
• Easy installation - Time is money, especially during elections when even the smallest mistake can cost you dearly. One of the most significant advantages of political campaign signs is that they can be set up and taken down quickly.
  
  Some signs may require more effort than others, like pole signs, but they are still cost-efficient and easy to install.
• Expand your reach - With most election signage being durable and versatile, you can set them up in any area. The more people notice the signage, the more curious they will know about your political agenda and what you stand for.
  
  A well-thought and carefully designed political signage can effectively convey your message and appeal to large masses. If you consider the return to investment ratio, it is relatively high.
• Branding & recognition - When you run a local election campaign, launch a new candidate, or target a new area, the news must spread far and wide. Seeing is believing. Once people know who the candidate is, it increases the chances of him/her getting the vote.
• Collecting information - As a political party, you can use election signage to get vital voter information. Handing out attractive handouts, pamphlets, lawn signs to supporters and potential voters after collecting information like email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, names, etc., helps you build a connection with your voter base.
  
  When the need or the time arises, your party can use the information to gather people for meetings, discussions, events, etc. It is like killing two birds with one stone. On the one hand, these signage items will remind people of your political party, and secondly, you have a ready army of supporters and volunteers.
• Word of mouth - Like peer-to-peer communication on social media, lawn signs serve as a tool to initiate a conversation between individuals in a neighborhood. When two neighbors discuss a particular candidate, they share information, and it can swing votes in favor of your political party.
• Indicator of voter behavior - With election signs, you expect the voters to swing in your favor, but that doesn’t happen all the time. You can get a fair idea of how an individual feels about your political party and politics in general.
  
  Like-minded voters who favor your party can be part of your party events. The sight of your party’s signage and your supporters will arouse interest in others and can lead to an increase in vote share.
• Prediction - The number of lawn or yard signs suggests the popularity of a specific candidate. The information can prove useful in predicting election results. Hence, these signs can be an instrumental tool in measuring your campaign’s success.

Things to consider while investing in political campaign signs

• Cost - Priced between $3 to $12 per piece, election signs are a significant investment. However, you need to consider the number of supporters because the more the number of supporters, the more signs you need.
• Time - Apart from creating the signs, canvassing and related activities will eat up a considerable chunk of your time. It is not wise to spend time exclusively on such activities; the best thing to do would be to club it with other volunteer activities.
• Tracking results - During an election, time and money are equally important. Often, it becomes hard to justify the budget, time, and effort towards each activity. It can be hard to quantify the results achieved through election signs.
  
  With a clear vision and objectives, you can choose signage that matches your requirements. In this way, it becomes easier to justify the expenses and activities related to election signage.
• Neutral zones - Before investing in signage, you need to think about how, where, when, for whom do you want to target with these election signs. Depending on your target audience’s neighborhood, education, and mentality, you need to have an appropriate signage strategy.
  
  For displaying your political campaign yard signs, find neutral zones. Certain areas are off-limits for putting up signs. Even the design needs to be in line with the local rules and regulations. Handwritten posters, controversial signs, explicit imagery, controversial content, and flashing lights won’t go well with the authorities.
• Quantity - The higher the number of signs during an election campaign, it creates a psychological impact on people’s minds. Still, the election board might have specific rules about the numbers of signs put or held by people. Keep in mind these factors before implementing a signage strategy.
• Removal - Choose the location carefully, plus safety and consent should be your number one priority. Remove the signage once the election is over. Even though the candidate might be eligible for election in the future, the signs should not hang there forever. Set clear guidelines so that volunteers know when to put up signs and remove them.

For best political campaign signs, contact Sign Solutions, the leader in signage solutions across the Cayman Islands. State your requirements, and we will do the rest.