Simeon Duncan

Social Media consultant Irene Koehler provides eight common-sense tips for political candidates using social media:

By now, most candidates for public office have figured out that incorporating social media into their campaigns is a critically important step. It’s the how to do this that escapes most of them.

1. Define your objectives: It’s amazing how often this step is bypassed. Do you want to use social media to communicate with your existing supporter base or grow your base? Do you want to raise funds, awareness or both? Knowing the answer to these question will have a lot to do with your strategy. I’ve seen campaigns hoping to grow (don’t they all?), but using the tools as if they only wanted to be in touch with an existing audience. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the online community didn’t grown much.
2. Engage (a.k.a. It’s not all about you): Don’t just publish. If you primarily use these new channels to push out your “Come learn about me” events and links to your “Donate here” page, people will tune out pretty quickly. Don’t miss the important opportunities to talk with, not at, your audience. Doing this well will build your reputation and visibility.
3. Public vs. Private: Know what content (information, photos, etc.) about you can be seen online by the many (everyone) or by the few (close friends and family). Then, assume that it all can be seen by the many and plan with that in mind.

Real all eight tips here.

What are your tips?

New media - and here I’m thinking especially of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - is all the rage among political communicators at the moment. But it’s my view that too often the emphasis is placed on the tools or the tactics (Tweetups or FB Fan pages) rather than on strategy and message.

A nice little ‘reminder’ here from BSD about why the tools and tactics worked for Obama:

The Obama campaign, for which my company, Blue State Digital, provided technology, was groundbreaking in many ways – an email list of 13 million people, $500 million raised online from three million donors, countless doors knocked on and telephone calls made by hundreds of thousands of volunteers mobilised online.

But that side of the story is too often ignored in favour of “bright shiny objects” such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. These are useful tools, but not ends in themselves. Too often, pundits are blinded by tactics and ignore strategy. In the current election campaign, journalists tend to focus on three phenomena.

First, this is a “gotcha” election. Candidates will say the wrong thing online or be caught by new technology saying it offline and social networks will help to spread the word faster than ever before to a grateful traditional media.

Second, politicians can now speak directly to constituents. Blogs, twitterfeeds and good online video can serve as a direct conduit between candidates and voters. Only small numbers will engage, but even 100 viewings on YouTube is more than the audience at many public meetings.

Third, bloggers and, increasingly, twitterers will affect what journalists write and how they write it. Spin-doctors no longer need brief on their mobile phones outside Westminster’s Red Lion pub – they can send a direct message from inside.

But this impact will be limited. Voters care less how they receive a message and much more about what that message is. New technology is less useful as a means to move beyond traditional grassroots organisation as one to make it easier and better.

Some good advice here:

The great thing about the social Web for campaigns is that the tools are widely-available, user-friendly, and free or cheap. Any campaign, national or hyperlocal, can get involved with little to no barriers to entry.

The absolutely mind-bogglingly terrible thing about the social Web for campaigns is the the tools are widely available, user-friendly, and free or cheap. Campaigns can quickly find themselves all over the social media map, going 100 miles an hour in a half-dozen different directions and going nowhere fast.

If you’re just starting to employ the social Web for this cycle, or if you’ve been running for awhile and want a quick reality check, here are a few things to remember.

1. Think combo plate, not buffet.

Think about the traditional concept of “media mix,” the proportion of broadcast television to direct mail to radio to whatever. I’d suggest the same concept applies to new media and the social Web. The range of options available to you are a buffet — you can have a scoop of everything. But should you? Think combo plate instead — just the most important tools to keep you focused on the message, not the platform.

2. Better yet, think meat and three.

No offense to the vegetarians out there, but where I come from, the “meat and three” is a time-honored culinary tradition — a meat and three vegetables. Think meat and three for the social Web needs; have one platform that is your “meat,” and a few others which complement it.

3. Let the content and the message drive the platform, not the other way around.

This is one of the big ones, and it ties directly into the concepts above. Before you start running wild on every platform available, think carefully about your message and the type of content you plan on putting out. Then, do a quick reality check as to the strengths and weaknesses of the your potential platforms — are they the right fit for your content?

4. Be where the audience is.

Think about audience. (If you’re already doing this, you’re ahead of the game.) How connected is the average voter in your city, county, or district? Are they diehard tech-savvy folks who get the shakes if separated from their Twitter account for more than a few minutes? Or, are they the type who checks their email once a week, if they remember? Probably they’re somewhere in between, but a quick look at the wealth of data available from a variety of free resources should get you moving down the right path. Where your audience spends their time is key in determining where you should spend yours.

5. But don’t limit yourself.

All the stuff in number four is true, but remember you’ve got multiple audiences. Let’s talk about donors, for example. Sometimes, you get lucky and generate interest in your race outside your district; remember to think about not just your average voter, but your average donor and volunteer too.

6. Push and pull.

Take a minute or two right now and think about the connections between your website and whichever social platforms you’re using. By and large, we do a good job of using Facebook, Twitter, and the like to bring people into our websites, but that’s only part of the equation. If the “push” from your site to the outside world is limited to a couple of buttons, what can you do to up the ante?

7. Take the online offline

Think about online destinations — your website, yes. But more and more, Facebook and other platforms are also discovery hubs for candidate information. Take the online offline by putting your Facebook fan page (with vanity url, please) or Twitter handle on your printed materials, direct mail, and even your television spots. It’s a simple fix and gives voters a choice about where to find you on the social Web.

8. If you’re going to hire someone, choose wisely.

It’s not a bad idea for larger campaigns to bring someone on board to handle the digital landscape and make sure your campaign is staying on strategy. But, if you’re going to do that, please take a look at Henri’s post on the five talents every campaign manager needs to look for in a new media director.

9. Most importantly, don’t lose the forest for the trees.

Again, I’m going to let the folks who produce content here regularly do my heavy lifting, and refer you to Colin’s money quote in this HuffPo piece. “You still have to have the right candidate with the right message at the right moment.” New media is part of a strategy, it’s not the strategy. Message is still king, call time still brings in the dough regularly, and you still have to knock on doors. Use the social Web to augment, not replace, these functions.

Some great advice from Jeff over at TechRepublican.com on how to deal with online political haters. His tips:

It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do.

This is the most important point to make in dealing with these people. A majority of the time people are not going to post a comment of “Thanks for this Press Release” but will be more likely to post “Your an idiot for thinking people are smart!” Your information is reaching those that need to get it, they just might not be leaving feedback.

10% of people will find a way to take anything personally. Expect it.

No matter how your word it or how high level you make your analogy there is always going to be those 1 or 2 people that will think you are writing/talking about them. Expect it and do not dwell on it.

“Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” (Colin Powell)

Remember, not everyone is going to agree with you or your candidates stance. Always publish your content in a way that is going to be effective and to the point. Do not try to write it in a way that makes everyone happy. We do this far to much in politics trying not to offend people and it is doing nothing but watering down our message.

“If you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative.” (Scott Boras)

If your breaking ground, challenging the status quo you are going to upset a lot of folks and most (if not all) will be against you. Stand your ground and run your course remembering principal 1 and 2.

“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” (Epictetus)

If you expect going in that your going to be thought of as a foolish or stupid from your opponent (or liberals), then you are not going to worry how your content is put online but instead will focus on producing quality content. Your message is being distributed and knowing that people will mock you is a mental process that you have to get through to make an effective and precise point.

“Living well is the best revenge.” (George Herbert)

Another way to look at this, “Do not acknowledge a negative attack and its effects on your campaign.” The second you respond, delete it, or worst yet change your content they have won.

Keep calm and carry on.

Tom made the point much better then I can on this one “Focus on impact, not approval. If you believe you can change the world, which I hope you do, do what you believe is right and expect resistance and expect attackers,”

The 10 Commandments of Campaign Social Media:

1. Thou shalt not ignore social media. If you think you can entirely ignore social media, Google your candidate and then Google the opponent.

2. Thou shalt not worship the false social media god. Social media is not your campaign savior. If your candidate thinks social media is a mythical democratic medium that will catapult him to viability, jump ship.

3. Thou shalt not let the entire campaign staff know the login info. People are not going to steal the info (that’s just paranoia). However, some less experienced staffers could cause problems unintentionally. Imagine a 20-year-old staff member who forgets he’s still logged into the official account and posts something that a 20-year-old would post to his own account. Embarrassment ensues.

4. Thou shalt not fake a personal presence. If your candidate is older than dirt, or simply never going to care about or understand the Internet or social media, don’t try to fake a personal presence. People will see right through it. Instead, develop a campaign presence.

5. Thou shalt not put a social media novice in charge. Do not put someone in charge of social media who doesn’t personally use those channels. It will take him forever to figure it out, and he’ll probably not be very good at it.

6. Thou shalt not make social media decisions by committee.Especially small decisions. You’ll accomplish little else.

7. Though shalt not give the candidate (too much) room to gaffe.Don’t let a candidate with a drinking or gaffing problem do his own posting. Under no circumstances should he be taught how to post from his phone. Change passwords if you have to.

8. Thou shalt not link feeds. Audiences vary, and so should your messages in the social channels where you reach them. You should tailor your communications in tone, style, and subject matter to each distinct audience. Simply put: do not link Facebook, Twitter, or other feeds together or you’ll weaken the potency of each individual channel. (For more, see step 4 below.)

9. Honor your readers and your sharers. Don’t ignore them. Pay attention to what they like and don’t like. Don’t spam them. Don’t treat your social media channels like feed for your press releases.

10. Thou shalt not let multiple staffers waste time monitoring buzz.Infomania is like crack - addictive and destructive. Give the tasks of numbers refreshing and buzz monitoring to the staffer who handles clips as a legitimate responsibility, and steer everyone else away from it.