Politics has always been an area of social interest for me.
Although I’ve never been a huge fan of any politician, I am continually fascinated by the process one goes through to get elected as well as the system our country as in place that allows everyday people the opportunity to represent their peers in government. We definitely live in a privileged land.
A couple of months ago, our company was approached to develop and implement a social media strategy for a candidate running for congress. In light of my interest in politics and social movements, I considered it a great opportunity to dive into an arena that we were not accustomed to engage as a company. Most of our social media work previously had been with companies and non-profit organizations.
During the past few months, we’ve learned a ton through our engagement and research about the power of social media for politics. I knew going in from following Obama’s 2008 campaign that it had potential. Nevertheless, it’s been quite to see how a seemingly unknown candidate (i.e., our client) has made huge strides into becoming a legitimate candidate to win an election.
Here are some of my initial observations and thoughts about social media and politics:
- I’m thoroughly surprised (and shocked) at how few candidates don’t leverage social media to connect with their supporters. Given that politicians often claim to want to connect with people, I find it ironic that most don’t through this medium. In our competitive research, many politicians view social media as an optional platform for their marketing.
- Social media allows for direct access to supporters on a daily basis. Unless a candidate has a strong blog presence already, there aren’t too many platforms that allow for this kind of contact.
- Social platforms empower political evangelists. Politicians can effectively build morale and provide practical tools for supporters to be a part of the campaign, even those who would not normally participate. There are many supporters of campaigns that will probably never put up lawn sign, participate in a precinct walk, and/or make phone calls. Nevertheless, they may retweet, repost, and/or like a status or link. The amount of exposure political candidates can get through this simple acts in powerful.
- Social media has longer lasting ROI. Although traditional marketing like mailers and signage help campaigns succeed (most of the time), social media allows for impressions that last far beyond the short lifespan of traditional marketing collateral.
- Social media provides real-time engagement that traditional marketing can’t. Social media is far faster than news sources and allows candidates to create and drive news. Pro-activity on social media can be a powerful asset to a candidate.
- Social media can be a great platform to handle opposing criticism in an authentic way. I know many of you think this is not possible for candidates, but candidates who choose to gently respond to criticism openly do draw in more votes. The ability for supporters to see the heart of a candidate is powerful. Social media allows for this kind of engagement (i.e., if the candidate chooses to be that vulnerable). Warning: People will detect BS immediately.
- No matter the medium, candidates will need to clearly communicate what they stand for as much as what they stand against. Call me an idealist, but I’m still looking for the day when the messaging will be more about what one stands for rather than opponent bashing (although I hear this still works – unfortunately).
I have no doubt that social media will play a huge role in politics for years to come. I’m just curious to see how quickly candidates will take it more seriously than they currently do.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how candidates have used social media effectively.
Update (June 24, 2011 9:02am):
Here’s a great video from Zurich on how a campaign there leveraged social media (Thanks to Matthew Anderson for sharing this!):
