You would be hard-pressed to find a U.S. president who isn’t famous for something. When it comes to connecting with the world and really mastering the art of social media, however, one president did it better than anyone else, and that president was Barack Obama. Think about it – in 2007, he was a relatively unknown Senator, only to blow up on the scene, take over social media by storm, and become the sitting United States president one year later.
How did President Obama make such a huge transition? It was through the power of social networking.
There are many good reasons that Obama has been dubbed the very first social media president. He connected with folks online in a way that no politician had done before, and in ways that politicians nowadays are still trying to emulate.
What did President Obama do, and how did it help him on his campaign to win the highest office in the land?
Social Media Marketing Lessons From @POTUS
Understanding how President Obama tackled the world of social media is not only an interesting exercise in recent history, but it can also help social media marketers like you think about how the world connects with one another. President Obama saw some of these things in social media and used them to connect with voters and constituents across the country.
With some pointers, you can use these same strategies for your own social media marketing. Like the former president, you have important things to say, and you can use some of these strategies to get your voice heard.
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Engage when you have the chance
President Obama never failed to interact and engage with his online community at every available opportunity. This is something you should be doing, too.
Mentions, retweets, and the like are social currency on platforms like Twitter. If you are getting a bunch of comments, likes, and shares on your content, don’t let the conversation be one-sided! Engage with your community on your posts, and you might just find that it could help you land more followers.
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Have a “social personality” that is unique to you
Why do people follow others online? Because they connect with those people. President Obama understood this and developed an online persona one couldn’t help but love. You can use this same line of thinking as you post your own content on social media.
Come up with a unique personality for your online brand. It should be characteristic of what you are trying to do, and it should be engaging. Never forget how important it can be to directly connect with the people who are following and engaging with your content. Having a unique persona will only help you here, and will help encourage more folks to come check you out when they hear how interesting your content can be.
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Let your audience in
Transparency is more important in the world of social media than is often let on. This is something else that President Obama excelled at, showing the world he was still a human being, not just an online character with the presidential logo above his head.
Show the world there is a real person behind the content: you.
A human element can help folks connect with you and your content on a deeper level, so don’t be afraid of showing some transparency online. This can help you connect with your fans individually, and can let them know that you are legitimately paying attention to and listening to the things they have to say. This can go a long way in building a following on the internet, so don’t count out its importance.
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Collaborate with others when given the chance
Guest posts are a popular way for others to get their voice heard on different platforms, and can be a great way for two people or organizations to collaborate together. The president understood this, as well, doing writings for all kinds of different publications and then sharing them on social media.
Magazines, websites, and more – all of them can be ripe for potential guest postings. Find relevant sites or content creators in your niche, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them to see how they would feel about a collaboration effort. Not only might it benefit your following, but it might help theirs, too.
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Go live!
It is now easier than ever for folks to connect with their audience in real-time thanks to live streaming platforms such as YouTube Live and Periscope. Want to get your thoughts in front of people as you are saying them? Going live for a stream can really be a great tool for the job.
Like you, Barack Obama knew how important this could be for fostering connections with people. In a live environment, you can be more vulnerable and yet more responsive. This combination allows a deeper connection with folks listening or watching, and allows you to engage with them and answer any questions they might have in real time.
Live streaming is becoming a very important part of social media marketing for individuals, for businesses, and yes, for politicians, too. All of these folks see how crucial this can be for their own success on social media, so think about a live stream of your own if you want to try to connect with folks on a much deeper level.
Finding Success the Presidential Way
As you can see, you can learn from how President Obama approached social media. He understood how well younger people especially connect with social networks, and rewrote the rules about how a president should connect with their citizens.
You can emulate this style for yourself in your own social media marketing techniques. Think about how Obama applied some of these methods, and approach them in your own unique way. Do this the right way, and you could gain quite the following on social media as you work to grow your following and get your content in front of more people.
