As a firm that specializes in political direct mail, we've seen everything. We've seen some really innovative, clever, creative work. We've also seen some really bad mail, often driven by the candidates themselves. As we move into a busy election season, we want to share with you the top 5 mistakes campaigns make with direct mail so you can avoid them in 2018.

1. Including everything on every mailer

Consistency is great in direct mail. And when on a budget, it makes sense to repeat the core message. But if a piece is supposed to focus on K-12 education, don't include your plan for health care reform. Your mailer should tell a story, not all the information you can think of.

2. Turning the mailer into a manifeso

A piece of direct mail is meant to be a simple advertisement for the campaign, not the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. A typical flat mailer needs no more than 100 to 150 words on it. Very few people will read more than that. The more text, the less likely it gets read.

3. Speaking in platitudes rather than specifics

A lot of us think in broad terms and reasoning, but the information that stands out when you read it is factual and specific. Don't explain how economics works on your mailer, show the reader the dollar and cent figures. Sometimes campaigns want to avoid committing to a fact or figure because it could be disputed. You know what? Bring on the dispute. Attention for a questionable stat is better than no attention at all.

4. Tinkering obsessively

Many candidates and campaign workers make the mistake of thinking, "If I just get this part a little closer to perfect..." No. Stop. Endless rounds of edits to your mail piece will not make it better. It will make it worse. To the reader who doesn't see the sausage getting made, the points you want to make will get more confusing and the artwork will look more hurried and sloppy.

5. Insisting your district number is included

Of the five mistakes, this is the least consequential. It doesn't hurt to include the district number, but it doesn't help. Candidates running for a particular district feel very connected to that number. But 99% of voters have no idea what the number of their State Senate district is. It's just not important.

And that's who and what ultimately matter: The voter reading the piece and what's important to them.

"I have worked with HSG Campaigns several times in the past and I am always impressed with their insights into the hearts and minds of the voters they communicate with. They are able to take those insights and combine them with new and traditional tactics to craft great strategies for their clients. Candidates and organizations should strongly consider them in 2018."

- Joe Boyd, Executive Director, California Federation of Teachers

This week Eric is recommending Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment.

"The practice of politics can be a bit intense. There are many outlets available to us, some healthier than others. This book dives into how Buddhism broadly and meditation specifically can help. Wright is a passionate writer and his ideas jump off the page. If you are interested at all in this topic, I can't recommend this book enough. In the preface Wright includes this quote from the Dalai Lama: 'Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a better Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.' Wise words."