Obama is a model to be followed. When it comes to social media marketing, he was able to reach out and connect with millions of people in an unprecedented way. His ability for understanding how best use the platform led him not only into political success but also greater job opportunities across America’s burgeoning tech scene.,
The Obama campaign analysis piqued my interest. Obama’s campaign and accomplishment are, in many respects, a large, brilliant “LCD sign” of the times. In a very visible manner, new media has matured.
The majority of individuals tend to believe that the campaign employed a variety of strategies to captivate an audience and even inspire those who have previously been uninterested in politics. The following are some of my favorite characteristics:
Audacity – Obama’s willingness to “redefine his target audience” and go after states like Indiana, which voted for a Democrat for the first time in 44 years in November.
Grassroots mobilization — extraordinary fundraising success by producing huge numbers of modest contributions rather than small numbers of big donations to generate more than $600 million (McCain raised $250 million).
The Message’s Consistency – the message remained consistent in its message of being a “antidote” to the current quo.
The concentration on social technologies to support and accelerate all of the other approaches was arguably the most visible and (to a techie like me) inspirational aspect of viewing this campaign.
The campaign’s use of “new media,” from Friendster friending to the seemingly simple text message, proved to be a powerhouse, extending the concept of “Team Obama” far beyond campaign headquarters and into the hands of millions of Americans who voted and expressed themselves with their typing fingers.
For all the small company entrepreneurs who have ever thought to themselves, “Wow, can I do that?” Yes, you can, in my opinion. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
When you look at the technologies that were utilised, you’ll see that they’re all rather familiar:
- http://www.barakobama.com and http://my.barakobama.com are the official websites of President Barack Obama.
- Text messaging technique – made possible by bulk phone number collection
- Barack Obama’s LinkedIn profile may be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/barackobama.
- www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/
- Barack Obama’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/barackobama
- @BarackObama on Twitter https://twitter.com/BarackObama
- You may find him on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom.
- http://barackobama.meetup.com/ Meetup.com: http://barackobama.meetup.com/
The list reads like a social media marketing “who’s who.”
But knowing that the purpose isn’t merely to “set up” one tool or another, but to comprehend each tool’s potential, is where these technologies really shine. In the Obama campaign, this potential was realized thanks to:
- Having a message that is consistent
- Providing “creating a link” as a free and open service
- Keeping the tool up to current at all times
- Providing relevant, easily consumable pieces of data that may be read, downloaded, and passed on
- Using the enormous number of fans and enthusiasts on each tool to disseminate messages almost instantaneously over an incredible new network of venues and communities that hasn’t existed since the introduction of television.
Consider the power of a MySpace database of 948,000 individuals and a Facebook database of 3.1 million people when you have a message to convey (as opposed to McCain’s 221,000 on MySpace and 600,000 on Facebook).
There are some really easy things to learn here when you think about your company and contemplate the problem of building brand, generating buzz, and staying on the radar as a small business owner with limited time and a limited budget:
- Everyone needs the assistance of a group. Establish a team by providing a platform for people to participate, whether you’re aiming to build a team of millions of voters or a few thousand company supporters. Even the tiniest engagement may have a big impact.
- Email, the Internet, and cellphone technologies have enabled a new level of participation. Understand who should be on your team and how they like to participate.
- Make good use of it. Learn how these technologies function and how you can use them to establish a community of supporters for your cause.
This is a benefit that will not persist indefinitely. These strategies will gradually become norms rather than competitive advantages as organizations develop expertise in them and learn to invest wisely.
A developing small company, on the other hand, can create a smart, cost-efficient, and successful social media strategy. Yes, you can, as “Team Obama” has shown.
Maisha Walker is the Founder and President of message medium, a 10-year-old Internet Strategy business specializing in Small Businesses in New York City. You may discover more about Maisha’s future Web site and Internet Marketing Classes by following her on Twitter.
