Interactive Strategy and the Race to the White House

Election day is upon us. After months of campaign ads, debates, cold calls, and political back-and-forth, tomorrow will mark all that we value in America, the “foundation stone for political action,” and a wrap up to the first truly “social” presidential election. No matter which way you vote, one thing is certain — social media is winning in the race to the white house and remains a crucial strategy in politics, business, and personal settings alike.

In the past nine months, candidates from all parties raised their voices and established their presence on Tumblr, Reddit, and more, in addition to our favorites – Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube. Barack Obama rounded up more than 31.7 million Facebook fans while Mitt Romney garnered 29.3 million video views on his YouTube channel.

Twitter was a key player in shaping this year’s election. With hashtags ranging from #Forward2012 to #RomneyRyan2012 and #AreYouBetterOff and the launch of the Twitter Political Index.

“Every day, Twitter evaluates and weighs the sentiment of tweets mentioning both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney relative to every other message that passes through Twitter’s systems.  The system then calculates a score for both candidates.”

If you question the value and relevance of leveraging these social media outlets in politics, don’t. Although many claim that political social content does not sway their belief systems, research shows otherwise.

According to AYTM Market Research, more than a quarter of surveyed Internet users said social media had influenced their political opinions.

Whether you are looking to gain attention, spread your message, and engage your followers for political gain or business, there are a few key rules to follow for success:

• Know your audience – Who are you reaching out to and what information do they need or want?
• Choose your channel wisely – Different social media channels cater to different audiences and messaging. Know what you are trying to achieve before you run out and post on what you think is the best social outlet.
• Craft a unique and engaging message – The only way to attract and keep followers or customers is by continuously providing information that is relevant to them.
• Engage – People are on social networks for that very reason – to be social. No matter who you are or what you stand for, be real. People and customers enjoy having conversations with politicians, CEOs, and even brands.
• Measure – Evaluate your successes and failures and readjust for the future.

When Obama first announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election in 2007, the iPhone did not exist, Twitter was barely used, and Pinterest was unheard of. Now, a short five years later, Technology moves fast. Connect with Envano if you’re interested in staying at the forefront of innovation and leveraging social media. Whether it’s politics or business, social media is here to stay and more influential than ever.