What We Can Learn From President Obama and His Use of Social Media

In honor of Inauguration Day, I thought I would take a look at our new president and the amazing things he has done for, and with, social media. If you ever have doubt about its power, take a look at our new president -- it helped him get there. He's even been hailed as the "first social media president."

What can we learn from his brilliant use of Web 2.0?
1) Make it personal
Obama and his team created MyBarackObama.com, a social network that connected his supporters in amazing ways. It enabled you to find supporters interested in similar issues, organize events, raise funds and so much more. And it was "My" BarackObama.com. It belonged to you. Power to the people.
2) Really be "on"
Don't set up a Twitter account and post something every week. If you're going to get on Twitter, really use it. Now, we do have to add that whomever was doing the BarackObama Twitter account did a pretty good job (content could have been more engaging) up until Nov. 5, then there were no posts till Jan. 15. But so long as they keep it up from here on out and "talk to the people" on Twitter, I think they will be OK. His blog was also updated regularly.
3) Individuals make a difference
Sure, in social media, you are hitting smaller groups than a live televised appearance on national TV, but you can really target your outreach and hit the right audience for you. Obama found this to be true. One by one all the people he reached out to online grouped together and made one BIG difference.
4) Spin doesn't work online
Put away your sales dictionary and promotional gobbledygook. Be conversational, honest and transparent. On his blog, Obama's writers are very plain spoken and direct. There's not a lot of spin. That makes for engaging reading.
5) Go where the people go
That's right, we're on Facebook, we're watching YouTube and we're Twittering. Reach us in places where we already want to go and you'll get us to pay attention. I love his weekly YouTube address. Now we can watch him at our leisure on our computer.

I hope we can all take these tips and follow a great model to help make a positive difference in our country, whatever our politics. Did you participate with Barack Obama in his social media outreach? What did you think he did well? What could he have done better? Let's discuss!

Tags: TMMoney&Business, obama, socialmedia, tmfc

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Comment by Kristen Andrews: Featured Contributor of Style on January 23, 2009 at 9:38am: great tips and yes his campaign surely did use social media to their advantage.

Comment by Lyn Mettler on January 22, 2009 at 12:11pm: Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Comment by Baby Bunch on January 22, 2009 at 10:41am: Great topic! I just came across this new book about Obama's social media strategy:
http://www.davidbullock.com/174/barack-20-social-media-lesson-for-business-guidebook-now-available/

Cheers!
The Baby Bunch
http://www.babybunch.com

Comment by Lyn Mettler on January 21, 2009 at 5:59pm: I have not checked out the Flickr page. I will have to, very cool way to share constantly updated photos.

Comment by Malena Lott on January 21, 2009 at 2:55pm: I totally agree. His ability to communicate and use technology scored him huge points in my book. He got my vote and now he has my devotion. Let's get to work!

Comment by carole harris on January 21, 2009 at 2:10pm: I never paid attention to obama until the debates, nor did I vote for him. I did watch some of the inaugaration. I have to agree with the first poster. There is a rare marketer who is not involved in at least one aspect of social media. Personally I'm addicted, and I love it. I love all it can do for a womans confidence, mentality and overall well being. Never mind the sales!!

Carole

Comment by CLKcreative on January 21, 2009 at 2:05pm: I followed him on Flickr during the primary and enjoyed looking at the pictures from Obama's campaign stops. I only recently learned that his assistant, Reggie Love, took most of the pictures. I also think it helped him that he was truly "plugged in" during the campaign.

Comment by momartfully on January 21, 2009 at 1:36pm: Excellent article, must use this at work. Thank you!

Comment by TravelSavvyMom on January 21, 2009 at 8:20am: It's all about access these days. I sort of laugh to imagine the first elections in which no one knew who won until months later...

Comment by Lyn Mettler on January 21, 2009 at 6:50am: Yes, I think it's a great starting point to help all people, no matter your beliefs, get more involved in the political process and empower each person to feel like they can make a difference. Yay for social media!