Managing Your Social Presence This Political Season

It’s no surprise that politics is getting social. As Americans become increasingly more polarized with their stances, they are also more willing to voice their opinions and seek out like-minded people to discuss important issues. For politicians and social issue campaign advocates, this trend puts a hyper focus on social channels to not only reach key audiences, but to also leverage those people to spread their message. But just because you have a Facebook account, doesn’t mean you’re ready to step into the arena with the seasoned veterans. To be effective on social channels, strategy is key and begins before ever setting an ad live. Follow these simple steps to make social engagement a winning platform this electoral season.

Your Brand Is Defined By Your Social Presence 

Those in the political arena are held to the utmost of moral standards. Being in the spotlight comes with a responsibility to uphold a sense of accountability and transparency to the voters they are trying to reach. This applies to candidates as well as those promoting social issues during campaign season. 

Your social presence is your brand and what you stand for in the eyes of the voters. Perception is reality for many and what they see on their social channels is how they will remember you or your message at the polls. All messaging; Facebook posts, tweets, Instagram posts, Snapchat stories, etc, should be carefully curated to be both accurate and authentic with the assumption that it could be the first, or last, message a voter sees about an issue or candidate. Social users claim video is the most transparent form of content with 43% specifying live video. Use this to your advantage by showing likability and vulnerability while also tying back to messaging that exemplifies what you or your platform exemplify.

Narrow Your Focus

In order to set your goals on how to get to the finish line, you must first identify where and what that looks like from start to finish. Then, start early and work backward to create an initial strategy leaving room to adapt to unforeseen obstacles. Be ready and willing to adjust your messaging and approach based on the unexpected, such as low poll numbers, unfavorable debates, news trends, or messaging not resonating with the public as expected.  

Your goals will change as the electoral season progresses. Have a plan for each step of the process and plan to be flexible. Social is not a channel to set it and forget it. It’s fluid and is easily influenced by uncontrollable outside sources such as the economy, news cycles, and even your opponents. Voters should receive pertinent messages across social channels with consistent messaging that highlights the heart of your campaign or platform and why it’s important to the voters you are trying to reach. Be relatable to the everyday person who may not follow politics closely but is looking to gather information prior to voting.

Tackle The Issues

With the rise of politically related hashtags audiences are paying attention and are looking for like-minded candidates that align with their views. While very few Americans have changed their opinion on an issue because of a political post, garnering interest could appeal to those who remain undecided. Those voters likely have an opinion but haven’t found the candidate that best aligns with their views. Social media is an ideal platform to connect and leave a lasting impression with these audiences. Once you’ve captured their attention and they have clicked on an ad or visited your site, they can then be further retargeted with personalized messaging turning indecision into votes at the polls.

Speak To The Crowd

As you’re creating your messaging, it’s important to consider your audience. Social content should appeal to a wide audience while focusing on a uniting message. Once people have shown interest, stay engaged across social media channels with messaging that address the issues head on and nurtures them with information leading up to election day.

Politics was made for social engagement. Discussion fosters ideas and setting the tone for a campaign starts before voters ever hear about a platform or candidate. Social media can be leveraged to reach voters in an interactive format that shows humility, compassion and trustworthiness, helping to solidify voters. Combining a strong strategy with your social media budget can be the difference between winning and losing.