Obama's Social Marketing Campaign

Beyond being the first Black President, Obama will be remembered for how he used social networking as a key feature of his campaign.

Politics aside, from a marketing standpoint, the Obama campaign has a lot to teach any business person interested in creating a brand and delivering a consistent message.

The Obama “change” brand was channeled through the all the social networking sites. Obama created profiles at all the top social networking sites and the traffic numbers were incredible. For instance, as of January 1, 2009 he has 152,240 followers on Twitter and 3,611,867 supporters on Facebook. Obama regularly updates his blog at BarackObama.com and posts regular videos on YouTube. You can even see his weekly address online.

Moving forward, Obama has created a new website, Change.gov, as he begins his transition to President. What is so striking about this site, is that it encourages two-way communication.

In addition to the weekly address, press releases, articles, and resources about the government, Change.gov calls for your input. You are invited to submit your questions, ideas, comments and stories. As the site states "Your stories and your ideas can help change the future of the country. When we come together around a common purpose, great things are possible."

Throughout both the election and transition process, much of Obama’s communication has not been about him. His messages focus on the voters and how he will solve their problems.

And therein lies the most valuable lesson to be learned from the Obama campaign: When you shift the focus to the people you’re trying to reach, you win their hearts and minds.

"The best kind of online communication isn't about you and your company. It's about what helps people solve problems," said David Meerman Scott, a national marketing strategist and author of "The New Rules of Marketing & PR."

That same lesson can be extended to any entrepreneur or business person using social networking as a marketing strategy. Shift the information away from you and focus it on your target audience.

According to Scott, "People tend to want to make the message about their product. The difficult thing for people to do is to forget about their products and to put the focus on the consumers."

If you are just starting to venture into the world of social marketing, then take the time to learn how to create a positive internet presence. Whatever you say and do online is there forever. So take a lesson from President Elect Obama, and invest the time and effort to build a positive brand image.

It remains to be seen how Obama will continue to use the Internet to create a dialogue with Americans, and what impact that will have on his political decisions. But the possibilities are exciting.  

People like you and I are the ones who shape the face of the Internet. If Obama follows through in creating meaningful two-way communication via the Internet, then perhaps we can have a greater hand in shaping the face of politics.

Cindy Schulson helps solo entrepreneurs identify and attract their ideal niche so they can market themselves authentically and effectively.

Get a free copy of her report "Ten Steps to Finding and Attracting Your Ideal Niche"