The 2016 SOCIAL MEDIA ELECTION

Snapchat, Tweets, Trump, a lingering Bern that just won't go away, and Clinton could return to the White House.  Man, I bet ole Abe and George Dub are literally rolling over in their graves as I am typing this. The 2016 Presidential Election is definitely unique, let's put it that way. Unlike past elections, Social Media has played a significant role in the election. From Facebook to Twitter, even Snapchat and Instagram have had their persuasion and benefiting moments for a majority of the candidates.

Go ahead, hate on the Millennials. It's our fault that little blue bird even exists. Like this share that. But like it or not, Millennials are as involved and as tuned in as really any generation currently. The Presidential Candidates, more importantly, their campaign managers, are fully aware of this and taking advantage of that. Let's take a look at some of the key reasons why Social Media works, even in politics.

BE GENUINE 

Bad acting happens a lot in Social Media. And politics for that matter. When you engage with your audience on Social Media, it must come naturally. That goes for you, me, Hillary, or The Donald. It doesn't matter, be authentic and real. If you want to throw and absolute grenade on an advertising campaign, come off as fake or "too good" for Social Media, tell me how that works out for you.

President Obama really was the first to embrace the Social Media wave. And I realize Social Media wasn't really relevant until President Obama, but that didn't mean he had to embrace it like he has. He conducts Q&A sessions on Social Media, participates in polls, interacts with the young voters of this country, even fills out an NCAA March Madness Bracket to share. He's genuine. He's real. And keep in mind, he's our President. If you are going to use Social Media for any advertising campaign or digital marketing it must be authentic.

BE VERSATILE

Like any job position or lead role, the more versatile and multi-skilled you can be the better. It's great if you are clever with words and the 140 characters given on Twitter. But you know what's really great? 

Being clever on Twitter, an enormous subscriber base on YouTube, constant Facebook traffic flocking towards your campaign, and an inspiring and motivating Instagram or Snapchat account growing your believers and followers by the minute. Versatile. Video content is literally taking over the Digital Marketing playground. Hillary Clinton probably uses this platform the most effectively. Her Snapchat account has had success from her announcement of running through today. She is constantly taking selfies (being GENUINE), delivering live feeds to her speeches and appearances, while inspiring her female audience constantly via Snapchat or Instagram. 

START A FIGHT

Man, I wish. Bernie and Trump squaring off mid-debate. Historic. But what I meant was, be controversial. Be Kim Kardashian meets Kanye wrapped in a red, white and blue tie. Who does this remind you of? I wasn't that obvious was I. Although I don;t support some of his antics and rants in the least bit, Trump knows how Social Media works.

There is no longer the question of whether or not the candidates are using Social Media, but rather the extent to which they use them. Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton had a nice little photoshop brawl on Twitter. Some say any publicity is good publicity. And to be honest, in a unique situation/event such as the Presidential Election, that is probably true. If Donald Trump goes on a late-night rant what happens. His followers will go up just to see what he could possibly say next. The topic will continue to trend for at least 24 hours, constantly appearing on our news feed and timeline whether we like it or not. If I'm Donald Trump, mission accomplished. 

    

As you can tell, some candidates use Social Media more than others. Bernie Sanders uses YouTube and Reddit far more than any of the other candidates, and for good reason. It wouldn't come naturally for Bernie on Twitter or even Snapchat. That's not how he rolls. In comparison, I feel like Twitter was literally made for Donald Trump. And if Hillary Clinton hasn't mastered political Snapchat, I don't know who has.

With still nearly 8 months of campaigning left in The 2016 Election, I'm sure we all sort of wish it would hurry up already. But where's the fun in that? And you haven't seen the voting persuasion really take off yet. You think those Facebook and Twitter tyrants are annoying now, just you wait!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER - @JtownW   /  @M1Data