Our First Social Media Election

Canada’s first social media election has begun and it’s going to be awkward to watch. Across the nation, a thousand or so politicians have now jumped onto Twitter and Facebook and they will all be “doing Social Media” for the first time with little or no idea and thought put into how, when and why to use it.

Just like businesses, politicians are brands. You shop at a business that you know, trust and like and you are more likely to vote for a politician that can evoke these feelings in you as well. To build a successful brand requires the ability to package key ideas into short value propositions that are authentic, easily understood and can be spread by enthusiastic, well connected and well articulated supporters. That’s also exactly how both political campaigns and Social Media work. In fact, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country #votekennedy” would have made a great tweet!

Why then are most politicians unable to make the leap to Social Media successfully? I think it’s because they don’t see value in it yet; however they need to and soon. The Internet is becoming the default place where people spend their time researching ideas, forming opinions and discussing things that matter to them. If you’re a candidate and not part of that conversation, you can bet your opponents will be along with your votes.

This election will be the testing ground for new media. It will also be a key inflection point in terms of how politicians campaign and how voters elect. So how are our local candidates making out on the Social Media campaign front? Not bad so far, but lots of room for improvement. Here’s my take as the election gets underway:

@phil4brant – Phil is new to Twitter but showing signs he gets it. He is following 100+ people and has a small but growing number of followers. This indicates to me that he is primarily listening right now. His tweets so far are a mix of political messages and genuine conversation. On Facebook, Phil boasts over 1,100 friends and actively engages in conversations, posts pictures to provide insight into his personality and is consistent in his participation.

@lloyd4brant – Lloyd is brand new to Twitter and so it’s difficult yet to determine his level of comfort and how, if at all, Twitter will fit into his campaign strategy. He is following and being followed by under 20 people at this time and really needs to begin growing his community before a more complete assessment can be made. Lloyd is also new to Facebook and has 200+ friends on his personal account and a fan page with over 200 likes that is showing momentum.

@MarcLaferriere – Marc so far is dominating the online conversation. He has 700+ Twitter followers and is in turn following 500+ which indicates he is both listening and being listened too. He tweets often and engages his followers in conversations that range from political debates to highly personal discussions. On Facebook, Marc has over 2,700 friends on his personal account and over 1,100 likes on his fan page. He posts often and is very engaged with his core group of followers.

After the votes are cast, it will be an interesting exercise to examine the effect of Social Media on the actual outcome of the election in Brant. Do followers equal votes? Do “Likes” transfer to Xs on the ballot? Regardless of the outcome we are witnessing history take place 140 characters at a time, even if it’s a bit awkward to watch.

Kevin Magee is a 2.0 Citizen, Capitalist, Community Builder and member of the Expositor’s Community Editorial Board. You can find him online at www.kevinmagee.com or on Twitter @kevinamagee

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