We live in exciting times where the Internet, especially social media platforms like Facebook, Twitt...

1. Using Social Media for Political Campaigns
We live in exciting times where the Internet, especially social media platforms like Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube have become game-changers in the political and social arena. Movements of
political dissent and mass protests against administrations across the world, prevalent for many
years, have finally been successful in recent times (even overthrowing oppressive dictatorial
regimes) thanks to the power of social media tools. It would be foolish to ignore the amount of
change that social media has brought about in public affairs on a global as well as local scale. In
most democratic governments across the world, using social media for political campaigns such as
presidential elections has therefore, become an integral part of campaign strategy.
The US presidential campaign, back in 2008, showcased Barack Obama as a tech-savvy and
innovative candidate with a strong presence on social networking sites. Several political analysts
credit the Democratic Party candidate's success to an impressive public relations strategy, that used
social media tools to effectively influence and engage potential voters. Needless to say, President
Obama became a fitting example of a successful election campaign, that employed social media
platforms as its centerpiece.
Political campaigns and election campaigns have a lot in common with marketing. Essentially,
political campaigns are either about posing a candidate for a public post, garnering support for a
political agenda or getting public opinion on important matters concerning government policies.
These are nothing but forms of publicizing or marketing.
Using Social Media for Election Campaigns
Social media marketing for political campaigns must be part of a cohesive campaign strategy that is
consistent across all media channels including traditional media. A social media strategy must not be
an afterthought, aimed at engaging only the tech-savvy voters. More specifically, with regard to
digital electioneering on the social media platform, it is essential to focus on the following points to
ensure a successful engagement with the public (including voters).

2. Showcase the Candidate: It will be worthwhile to introduce each candidate through their own blog.
The candidate can use the blog to share personal snippets like family background, ideas, beliefs and
reasons for subscribing to the party's views and agenda. Remember that, while the political party's
memorandum may be available elsewhere on the site, the candidate's own reasons for supporting
the party's beliefs can be an effective way to lend a personal touch and perhaps, instantly reach out
to potential voters.
Highlight Contributions: Ensure to highlight not only the candidate's official achievements as a
member of the party but also his/her participation in activities of a more social nature (volunteering
for charities, videos of interactions with the people, podcast of speeches given, etc.). As online media
is cost-effective, there's a tendency to go overboard with featuring accomplishments. Remember to
keep bragging to a minimum and aim to project the candidate as a potential public servant.
Engage in Two-way Dialog: As with any campaign, failure is imminent, if there's no "live" interaction.
The comments and other responses from the people must be responded to in minimum time, and
negative comments, contrary views with undertones of protest, etc., must be responded to
effectively and sensitively. There's no use having a static presence on a social networking site as fan
following thrives on real-time updates (microblogs) and rapid responses. If there are questions or
comments that haven't been responded to in weeks, it is more than likely that people will lose
interest in participating. In fact, the lack of response on a social site may be misconstrued as lack of
seriousness on the part of the candidate in addressing issues concerning the people. That would do
more harm, than not having a social media presence at all.
Leverage the Online Connection in the Real World: Hosting debates and getting public opinion on
any campaign matter is easier to do, once you establish your presence on social media; it gives you a
ready group of people to reach out to instantly. It becomes easier to organize local events,
fundraising events, rallies, etc., and gauge responses.
Understand your Online Popularity: A candidate's online popularity or number of followers on a
social networking site seldom translates into actual votes. It certainly does not guarantee a win in
the elections. Like all other campaign events, it is merely a great way of reaching out to people and
spreading and reinforcing messages.

3. Adapt your Interactions: It is important to take into consideration both local and global sensibilities
while voicing your presence on the web. Do not make hasty or offensive comments and certainly do
not react negatively to any person or group of people, lest it becomes a self-destructive hate
campaign. Do not discourage difference of opinion or protests. If you notice that not many people
are interested in a certain section of the site but are more active in certain other sections, adapt
your strategy accordingly and ensure to regularly watch out for any change in trends. In essence, if
your personal achievements' blog was last read several weeks ago, but you have an active debate
forum, channel your responses and key messages through the active forum. Go look at contributor
abigail parham's online pages on SITE TOPIC GOES HERE or Ensure that your site caters to all or
most age groups and income groups with unique features that they may find interesting. For
example, a pensioner may be more interested in a candidate's take on senior citizens' healthcare
initiatives, while young students may be interested in voicing their opinions about increasing
employment prospects.
Acknowledge Participation and Support: Use your global presence on social media to publicly
acknowledge the efforts of campaign volunteers, field staff and support staff. Recognition of such a
scale is sure to instill confidence and a sense of ownership and belonging in party workers and
supporters. In addition, take a step further and acknowledge new ideas and opinions from the
general public; it will help display increased transparency in the way you function even before you
are voted to power.
Capture Lessons Learned: It is imperative that you track and measure what worked for you and what
didn't, in terms of your presence on social media. This would go a long way in revamping your
campaign strategy in case your fan following does not translate into equivalent number of votes. In
fact, even if you do emerge a winner, it would still be a good idea to capture the learning for your
next run. Not that the same strategy would definitely work at all times, but a list of dos and don'ts
would certainly serve as a starting point for subsequent social media marketing strategy
frameworks.
If we think of a political campaign preceding the age of the Internet and social media, there were not
many ways to judge public sentiment about political and socioeconomic issues. Earlier, it was
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to sense the pulse of the public. Today, political campaigns and
social media go hand in hand as political leaders aim to leverage the fastest channels to engage and
influence the common masses. There are perhaps, very few other forms of communication where you
can almost instantly monitor responses and take corrective action or build on the constructive
feedback. The broad guidelines conveyed through this article would hopefully serve as a starting
point as you prepare to inspire followers, make voters "like" you and convert your fans on social sites
into favorable votes.