Some polls show that Barak Obama is doing better than John McCain when it comes to younger voters for the 2008 presidential election. According to Newsweek:
Overall, voters see Obama as the preferred agent of “change” by a margin of 51 percent to 27 percent. Younger voters, in particular, are more likely to see Obama that way: those 18 to 39 favor the Illinois senator by 66 percent to 27 percent.
One reason why Obama may be leading with younger voters is his sophisticated web campaign. Internet marketers may learn a thing or two by how he has handled his online presence. One particularly strong aspect of his campaign has been the social networking. His site, My.BarakObama.com, has the familiar patriotic color scheme of red, white, and blue, but its layout is innovative due to its ingenious simplicity and rich interactiveness. But how does it succeed in reaching out to visitors and getting them involved in Obama’s campaign?
By following 3 simple rules of social networking marketing (or campaigning in this case).
Rule one: Make it all about the web user. The first page you encounter is a sign-up form so that YOU can have your own personal “My Barak Obama” profile. From there, the Dashboard gives you the opportunity to express yourself (via profile and blog) and gives you control on how others can see your profile, much like a MySpace or Facebook page would. Every time you commit an action, such as creating an event or joining a group, the site awards you “points” to further encourage your interest.
Rule two: Offer side benefits to using the site. A strong social networking campaign will NOT have a laser-like focus on the product or service. It should give users plenty of opportunities to discuss related topics or share related media. Obama’s site gives users to voice their political concerns and raise awareness on their own grassroots networking events. On your own site or social networking page, you should offer free downloads, applications, or share news and media that would be of interest.
Rule three: Create a feeling of transparency, which sometimes means permitting a little criticism. For an e-commerce site, this could take the form of allowing bad product reviews from customers to show up. For Obama, this means allowing a group of dissension to organize on his site. It’s up to you to decide the degree to which users can express negative thoughts about your product or service. But little concessions like these may help your site seem trustworthy and your company admirably receptive to critiques.
It might seem a little cynical to compare a political campaign to a marketing one. But if you think about it, many of the underlying principles in marketing are about appeal and trust, which are basic goals for any hopeful candidate. And a smart candidate who wants to to reach out to younger voters should keep abreast of technological and social trends on the Internet. After all, only last week, Merriam-Webster announced 100 new entries to its lexicon, among them being “Netroots (2003): grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet, especially by blogs.”
