President Obama showed that new technologies and new communications tools can be very helpful in the promotion of a campaign. The advantages are many: tools like Twitter are inexpensive, provide a quick response mechanism and are searchable on the Internet to give your campaign greater reach.
The disadvantages are few but important to understand: Twitter will not move poll numbers in any significant way. I have met candidates who spend so much time on their social media that they ignore their door knocking or their fundraising. Social media is important, but should only be given the amount of time that it currently warrants. While its tough to say exactly what that should be, in 2009, that number is probably around 15-30 minutes per day.
That being said, I believe its a tool worth incorporating. I foresee opportunities where it can be especially valuable if you have to respond to an attack by an opponent and set the record straight. A quick Twitter lets your supporters know the truth so they can spread it through the coffee shops and their circle of friends.
Beware that you don’t Twitter too quickly without giving your words some thought. They can be used against use just as easily as they can be used for you. Those 30 second TV commercials in the future will inevitably carry some poorly thought out Tweet.
So, what are the three things you should include in daily Twitters? Well consider these ideas:
1. Thoughts on issues of the day. Responding to an article in the newspaper where it clearly provides you an advantage can be a quick, inexpensive way to get a message out.
2. Tweets related to events happening in the campaign have the potential to increase your turnout and potentially increase your fundraising success.
3. Tweets related to your opponent may also play a role. This could be responding to something he or she has said attacking you, or a polite way to contrast yourself with something your opponent has done. For example, perhaps you are running against the sitting mayor, you might want to point out how you would have spent money on fixing roads instead of an expensive remodel of the mayor’s office. My caution is this: tweets on Twitter are very personal. What may not sound negative and whiny to you, may sound that way to someone receiving your tweet. So be careful about the words you choose and run it by a friend or advisor with good judgment just to see how it sounds to them.
In short, Twitter will become a more powerful tool in a political campaign over the next two election cycles. Beginning to integrate it now will put you that much further ahead of the curve with that many more followers when you really need it.
Good luck. Feel free to respond with your thoughts.