My toe-dipping debut onto the social media scene has me empathizing a bit with the proceed-with-caution approach that the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee takes in dragging the social media waters for votes and voter data. It means giving up a lot more control than they’re used to, it means being more open and speaking and responding directly to voters via You Tube. It also means politicians who can’t fully embrace social media, won’t win.
Obama’s digital campaign is being called the gold standard. For starters, he welcomes visitors to his official campaign site as if he’s there at the door, offering you a personal invitation to be a part of his campaign. McCain’s page has only a still photo and asks for your e-mail and a donation.
Although it is highly unlikely that McCain will ever keep pace with Obama’s digital campaign express, Republicans have still come a long way. RNC’s Web site is peppered with interactive goodies to draw in Web surfers. Most of the features are there to attract visitors and data. What might be confusing for some voters though is how prominently Obama is featured on many of the widgets and buttons on the page. At first glance it appears as if even McCain is endorsing Obama for president (albeit they change every 30-seconds to other topics). Although the widgets and bells and whistles on the site are shiny and new, the RNC’s approach to getting ahead still rests too heavily on discrediting the opponent versus promoting McCain’s platform and bolstering support from voters who actually share his views.
If only the McCain campaign had used the same level of creativity on his videos that he used on this one bashing Obama.
On the plus side McCain’s videos as posted on his site are also easily transferred to television. But that’s so traditional. The Republicans will get there, just not in time for the 2008 election.
It may be impossible for a leopard to change its spots, but coming across on You Tube as sincere and charismatic appears to be just as challenging for some politicians and presidential candidates. A successful digital campaign is contingent upon a candidates ability to relax and be him or herself.
Mindy Finn agrees that candidates’ who are able to be themselves and come across as sincere will have the most effective campaigns.
“The Internet and the nature of it reveals the truth and reality of who an individual is and shows every single flaw,” she said, during an short interview at this year’s Personal Democracy Forum conference.
When asked what he considers to be the total package, when it comes to digital campaigning, James Kotecki, a digital campaign video critic, identified successful digital campaigns as those offering a candid behind-the-scenes look at the campaign, interactivity, relaxed appearance by the candidate, candidates ability to be him or herself and multi-way communication with public. Kotecki also added that although there are candidates out there doing it right, they struggle to keep the dialogue going.
Go behind the scenes The video below of the prank that Mitt Romney’s son pulled on him offers a glimpse of Romney behind the scenes just having lunch until he answered the call, which was intended to be a comic stress-reliever for Romney.
Relax, be yourself
McCain appears very relaxed and shows a little personality at the end of his response to a question about whether his age will interfere with his ability to be an effective president. We’ll keep watching.
Talk back via video and keep it up Even with the great strides that candidates have made, their ability to keep the conversations going is still a challenge. They’re responding but consistently, which is key in rounding out the elements that make a well rounded digital campaign. Kucinich is one of the most noteable to date. Here one that despite its obvious flaws still offers that personal tone of a one-on-one conversation.
The saying “timing is everything” rings soberingly true when it comes to running a political campaign. Strategists are smart about when to reach out to the voting public. Too much communication can cause potential voters to click delete without even reading. That’s why savvy strategists are careful about the ways and means they use to communicate with prospective voters. They often choose dates around which they can easily build a theme, this maximized their potential to connect with would-be supporters.
The Republican National Committee site capitalizes on commercial holidays like Valentine’s Day to reach out to potential voters with their spoofy post cards that potential voters can send to friends. It’s just another way to get data from the public and create a little buzz in the process.
Targeting potential voters and collecting their data is critical to a successful political campaign.
A database of vitals on potential voters largely determines a candidate’s success at the polls. The more information they can glean about the voting public, the better their outreach strategy. Candidates want to know what’s important to the voters they are targeting: where they shop, religious values, educational values, income level, voting history, etc. It won’t be long before voters are receiving text messages from presidential candidates advising them that they are in close proximity from a polling site where they could go and cast their vote for the that candidate. Campaigning can be that exact with the use of social media. Blackberries and cell phones will become like human tracking devices.
This easy access to voter data matched with consumer behavior is only good if candidates are sincere in their intent to push issues by which their supporters are most affected. If it turns out that the candidate’s just in it to get their votes, voters might easily rally as smart mobs, exerting their power to advocate for their interests on their own terms.
Most social-media-savvy voters are very progressive; they have the power to advocate change and they aren’t afraid to use it. They aren’t shy about voicing their opinions. They know what they want and they support candidates whose core values and political interests best match their own. More importantly, they have the power to influence others and that can either help or hurt a candidate’s campaign.
My toe-dipping debut onto the social media scene has me empathizing a bit with the proceed-with-caution approach that the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee takes in dragging the social media waters for votes and voter data. It means giving up a lot more control than they’re used to, it means being more open and speaking and responding directly to voters via You Tube. It also means politicians who can’t fully embrace social media, won’t win.
Although it is highly unlikely that McCain will ever keep pace with Obama’s digital campaign express, Republicans have still come a long way. RNC’s Web site is peppered with interactive goodies to draw in Web surfers. Most of the features are there to attract visitors and data. What might be confusing for some voters though is how prominently Obama is featured on many of the widgets and buttons on the page. At first glance it appears as if even McCain is endorsing Obama for president (albeit they change every 30-seconds to other topics). Although the widgets and bells and whistles on the site are shiny and new, the RNC’s approach to getting ahead still rests too heavily on discrediting the opponent versus promoting McCain’s platform and bolstering support from voters who actually share his views.
