Source: seogroup.com
One week ago, the United States elected Barack Obama in a landslide – thanks in part to his stellar online marketing campaign. His web team ensured that he had a presence in every corner of the internet, especially the sites where his likely supporters lived, including Facebook, Twitter (@barackobama), Flickr, and more. They revamped the rules of political campaigning and essentially changed the game of how politicians market themselves online.Regardless of your personal political beliefs, you first must realize that all politics is marketing – it involves marketing not only the individual politicians, but policy, ideas, concepts, and actions. What Barack Obama’s campaign staff did that was so groundbreaking was how they reached out to and then leveraged the support of the online community, and maintained a consistent positive message throughout. Here are several ways that you can adapt Barack Obama’s online marketing strategy to develop your business:
1. The Internet is a Conversation – One of the most important ways that the web has changed marketing is that it is no longer a one way street. Obama’s staff reached out to supporters on the websites that they already use, like Facebook and Youtube. They also encouraged user-generated content, allowing people to feel like they were participating in the campaign process instead of being manipulated.
What You Can Do: Participate on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and any niche social networks that are relevant to your business – and interact like a human, not a brand. Leave comments on blog posts that mention your company and allow comments on your own blog.
2. Be Transparent – Obama and his campaign staff weren’t afraid of potential negative comments; instead, they took the opportunity for transparency and allowed users to share their feelings and concerns. What’s remarkable is the way they responded to attacks in a rational way and calmly refuted opposing arguments using reason and logic.
What You Can Do: Transparency is key online – if you get a bad review or some bad press, respond in a rational way and leave it at that.
3. Provide the Answers – People do not really care about your products and services, they care about about solving their problems. Obama didn’t make his political campaign about himself; rather, he made it about the solutions he offered and what he could for this country. For political campaigns, that is the bottom line.
What You Can Do: Use your website and blog to tell prospective clients what you can do to improve their business and/or life in some way.
4. Don’t Worry About the Competition – Instead of obsessing over your competitor’s strategy, focus on how you can improve your business and better serve your clientele.
What You Can Do: It is easier said than done, but don’t let your competitors influence your strategy or how you run your business.
5. Be Positive – Negativity might get attention, but it doesn’t sell – you won’t build your brand by tearing down your competitors.
What You Can Do: The same thing as Obama: don’t slam the competition and be the bigger person. Your customers will respect you more for it.
