Before I began my career in search engine optimization, I worked as a community organizer for the vast right wing conspiracy. The organization’s founder was famous for his “Laws of the Public Policy Process”.
Rule #9 states “Political technology determines political success.”
The left is great at incorporating cutting edge technology into their campaigns. The right, not so much.
Obama has over 4 million followers on Twitter. Mitt Romney has just over 12,000.
Unfortunately many political candidates, organizations, and companies fail to capitalize on the benefits of social media.
Social Media is extremely powerful from a search engine optimization point of view. Ranking in Google is a zero sum game. There are only 10 to 12 search results on the first page. By creating social media accounts on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, etc… you have more control on what shows up on the first page of Google.
That mudslinging news article about your failure to file your income tax for the last year will get pushed off the first page of the Google results as your social media profiles rise in the rankings.
Still not convinced you need a social media strategy? Here are three reasons:
- You are in control of the message
Rather than having the local press dictate the talking points, you are now in control of the message. By pushing your agenda on all levels (website, facebook, twitter) you present a unified front that is focused on the key issues relevant to your campaign.
- Social media accounts push bad content onto the second page of Google
The second page of Google search results is rarely visited. When voters want to research your background, voting record, etc… they’ll likely Google your name. By creating social media accounts you can push unfavorable news articles and blogs to the second page of the Google results.
- Allows your message to spread quickly and cheaply
Social media allows your supporters to spread your message easily with their friends and family. This added exposure is free marketing for you. It’s basically an army of volunteers going door to door for you in the virtual realm.
Mike Huckabee does a good job of incorporating social media into his overall search engine optimization strategy. Seven of the first 10 results in Google are web pages that he controls.
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