Local Politics 2.0
Barack Obama has been proclaimed the social media president for his use of Twitter and Facebook during the 2008 election. But this does not mean he has the monopoly on the issue. Plus let’s be honest: there are not that many politicians that can afford and get in their team the co-founder of the of the hottest tech companies. However, social media is not the monopoly of people running for presidential election, it can be used by local politicians in an efficient way.
- Get your own voice
Sometimes journalists are quite tricky or you just do not have enough time to express what you mean. Maybe you want to explain what your stance is on a very complex issue and it would appear better as a text than as a speech. So why not having a blog, a space where you can detail your policies, justify your positions on issues and get questions from people? It is a commitment, but it is definitely something worth doing.
- Bypass the traditional media
To bounce back on the previous point, maybe you have an unhealthy, difficult relationship with the media, so why not avoiding them? Why not talking directly to the people? A blog or a note on Facebook can make it (By the way, you could accept people on Facebook, you should just be sure you manage perfectly the privacy settings before doing so).
- Voters customer service
Voters are increasingly like customers, and this applies to answering their questions. You have to do it as soon as possible and Twitter is the right tool for that.
- Mobilize people
You want to have as many people as possible at your meetings or any manifestation you organize? Well you can use the Facebook events function to inform people. Let people invite their friends and share the news all around the web.
- Explain what is happening in your area
You want to explain to people what you are doing for them in their neighbourhood? Use Google Map to indicate what is going on, what is planned, etc.
- Play it local
People love when politicians are real local, when they see them having a drink or going to the same shop. It shows they really belong to the place. If it is the case, why don’t you tell them about it? You can use Yelp or Foursquare and give reviews of restaurants and places of your area. Not something essential, but it will prove people you are one of them
- Monitor what people say about you
You might not be a big fan of polls, but you have to anticipate coming trends. Knowing what people say about you or your work will help you to avoid any bad surprise. FiltrBox, a free social media monitoring tool, should make the trick.
- Tips: No off
Except in your own house, your personal car or at the loo, there is no public space for politicians anymore. Anyone can record you on his mobile phone or take an embarrassing picture and share it straight away on Twitter or Facebook. Mind every word as otherwise they will bite you back, as it did for French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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