20 Leverage Creativity

Part 20 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign let supporters create things and express themselves Obama’s Social Network MyBO was not just about having a place to congregate. Tools were provided for individuals and groups to express themselves. They could create their own webpage, blog, directory, electronic mailing list, […]

19 Enable Supporters to Interact

Part 19 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign let supporters organize themselves. The first point of contact for many Obama supporters was on their home territory or preferred social network such as Facebook, Linked In or Twitter. The Obama campaign then invited them to play on their own social […]

18 Provide Portable Engagement

Part 18 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign provided the tools for supporters to engage where ever they were. Smartphones now offer the chance to connect with your supporters wherever they may be. Mobility is the new frontier of the online world. The Obama iPhone app was installed by […]

17 Offer the Right Incentives

Part 17 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign enticed supporters with the things they really wanted. New groups and communities were also spawned. To do this your first challenge is to spark excitement, energy and engagement. Offering incentives that have high appeal to your audience and are easily delivered […]

16 Tap into the Existing

Part 16 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign was built on the shoulders of existing groups. At the heart of Obama’s campaign were the relationships that were built with various groups. Some groups pre-existed his nomination, including ones on college campuses and Facebook groups. Find out where your audience […]

15 Go Neighbour To Neighbour

Part 15 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign used the phone as a crucial tool to engage supporters. One of the key tools developed by the Obama campaign was the Neighbour to Neighbour call system. This online phone banking tool enabled supporters to make calls from home rather than […]

14 Mobilize Up Your Ladder

Part 14 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign created a ladder for supporters to climb. The Obama campaign addressed short term and long term objectives through a series of small and specific requests. For instance : donate money, knock on doors, call voters. This up-selling approach enabled supporters to […]

13 Connect With Email

Part 13 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama’s Campaign relied upon Email’s speed, currency and agility. This was the first campaign where email was considered equal to other communication tools. And, it was the most common way to touch base with supporters because it was fast, agile and current. Growing […]

12 Lead by Example

Part 12 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama demonstrated his campaign in his actions. Obama’s entire vision and campaign was based upon walking the talk. This included: Turning one-way directives into two-way interactions. Bypassing the mass media and talking directly to supporters and voters – The announcement of Joe Biden […]

11 Create Meaningful Content

Part 11 of 27 Social Media Lessons From Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Obama micro-segmented his audience to create relevant content. In a campaign that generated over a billion email messages keeping the content relevant to the supporters was crucial. Rather than provide a single vanilla message to all; micro-segmented lists targeted specific messages to specific […]