Branding On Facebook

Most of us have been following the stories relating to the US elections in Fall, and with the advent of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, many of us have probably also checked out the Facebook accounts of the presidential candidates.

It is in reference to this that I recently read a fabulous article on Mitt Romney Team’s lack luster performance on the social media front. It highlights his lack of engagement with his fans/ supporters and his rather weak trends of usage of Facebook and Twitter. While Obama holds a highly engaging Facebook profile and attempts to engage with the visitors, Romney’s Team is showing no such inclination and seems to be using these platforms simply and ineffectively to push their agenda.

It’s interesting how these platforms are being used constantly as a tool by politicians throughout the world – something that was unheard of until a few years ago. The internet has brought us a long way and has given these candidates and their teams a way to reach out to the world at large without having to hold as many press conferences and interviews. This doesn’t mean, of course, that the press conferences and interviews are not as important anymore, but that there is now a third element of engagement that must become part of the campaigning process.

Facebook and Twitter have changed our world, and this election might be proof of now robust branding needs to also include a strong element of engagement through social media.