LOCAL VERSUS NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Local
When selling to the government market, start small and local. “We work primarily with local officials,” Nielsen said. He offered advice on getting involved with local government. “The best way to contact government officials is to go to town websites where all elected officials are listed. A good strategy is to ask if the person they are buying signs from lives in their district or town. Make sure they keep those ad dollars in the hometown,” said Nielsen.
After you land the business of your town’s commissioner or mayor, you can look to bigger programs. While Pilgrim Plastics has worked primarily with local government, the company also has done national programs. “We have done the name badges for the last two Republican conventions,” Nielsen mentioned.
National
If you think there is more money in national political promotions, you’re right. “The amount spent is huge and usually one or two distributors are awarded,” Bartolomei said. But that hefty paycheck comes with risks. “National campaigns have more variables,” he said. “The orders are much bigger but can have many variables such as customized images for different demography, drop-shipping products all over the country, plus the logistics of warehousing the products,” he said.
