Tune in today and every Monday at 5:10pm to KPEL 96.5 for Brand Buzz. Each week we discuss the challenges and opportunities of building a brand while examining the tools that make it easier and look at examples of those that have done it successfully. As political season gets into full swing, today we will look at how candidates have been using social media to communicate with their constituents as well as fund raise.
The Presidential campiagn in 2008 was impacted as social media became more powerful. Barack Obama’s campaign used social media tools to connect with voters and they responded with donations. And this is before the iPhone was even invented. As Resource Nation reports, Obama raised 87% of his funds through social networking:
“In January, Obama set a record for donations in one month by raising a total of $32 million dollars, $28 million of which was raised online. From these $28 million in online contributions, 90% were under $100, with over 250,000 contributors (source). In February, Obama didn’t attend one single fundraiser and still managed to raise $55 million online.”
How did Obama raise so much money through social media? He started by connecting with people online.
On both Facebook and Twitter, Obama connected with five times more voters. Listening to voters online and engaging in conversations, allowed for Obama to use those tools to raise millions of dollars.
Four years later, social media is even more relevant. Inc. Magazine created the following infographic, The Social Media Election of 2012, to illustrate where the online campaign is so far.
So what does all of this mean to you?
Voters are frustrated with the political process, apathetic and disconnected. Yet, millions of them are donating to candidates because of connections online and/or through email. More dollars were raised than votes cast.
Are you using these tools to connect with your audience? Follow these steps to find your brand advocates and connect with them:
- WHO? Who is your target consumer? Who are your brand advocates? Not just the demographics (age, income, education level) but their psychographics. Profile them as if you work for the FBI. What makes them tick? Why do they choose you? Even better, why do they choose your competition. The more you get to know who they really are, the easier it will be to find them and make a love connection.
- WHERE? If you know who you are talking to then you will know where they spend their time. The more you know about their habits the more efficient you will be with your efforts. It’s like fishing. Make sure you are in a lake that is stocked before you cast your line out.
- WHY? What are you saying or doing that will cause them to care? If you are spending your time on social media talking about your products and services then you will not give them something to care about. Focus on the benefits for your consumer more than the features of your products.
Treat the relationships you build online as just that. Relationships. Get to know your target consumers so they can become brand advocates.
Tune in to KPEL 96.5 at 5:10pm today for Brand Buzz and learn how to be more engaging with your social media presence. You might not raise $55 million dollars this month but you will build relationships.
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It is true that social media gets political because it is very fast to connect people through internet….
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