Guess Who?

I am a politician…..

My campaign changed the way politicians use social media….

I am Barack Obama and…Yes I can….

Yes I can use Twitter…

It was reported yesterday that President Barack Obama used Twitter for the first time. But this got me thinking, didn’t Barack Obama change the way politicians use social media? Didn’t he have the biggest social media campaign of all time? Well then how has he never used Twitter before?

The people behind the brands….

I am quite gullible, I will believe pretty much anything that you put in front of me. So if you tell me that I have just befriended or started following President Barack Obama than I actually believe it is him sitting at his computer talking to me.  I am not sure how many other people think this way but I can imagine there must be more than just me? Right?!?! Anyway.. it got me thinking who is the right person for your brand? It made me think back of an article I was reading on Tech Crunch last year about Britney Spears recruiting a Social Media Manager. The job advertisement was posted on a Harvard only website so she was looking for some quite intelligent to write for her on a day to day basis.

The chosen one….

So who will you choose to represent your brand? Just like the receptionist is the first person your clients will meet, the author of your social media platforms could possibly be the first (and maybe the only) person that comes in contact with your consumers. Some of the qualities I think are important for your social media author:

• A true love for social media – Writing online is very different to writing an email or responding to a journalist’s questions regarding the brand. A person that understands social media is a must.
• Is your target market young or old?  Your author should represent your target market. I can’t imagine too many sixty year olds being able to communicate to a 20 year old about why he/she should go to the next music festival and there aren’t too many 18 year olds able to justify why a sixty year old should invest their retirement funds wisely.
• A people person – Social media is all about communicating with others and as a brand you should be aiming to help your consumers through your campaigns.

The person you choose to represent your brand is very important… choose wisely!

References:

Ostrow, A (2009). Obama’s first real Tweet. Mashable.com retrieved on 19 January 2009 from http://mashable.com/2010/01/18/obamas-first-real-tweet/

Arrington, M. (2009). Britney Spears is hiring an online media manager. Tech Crunch. Retrieved from http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/10/britney-spears-is-hiring-an-online-media-manager/ on 19 January 2009.

Miller, C. (2008). How Obama’s internet campaign changed politics. New York Times http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/

[Via http://mandyburke.wordpress.com]

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