The Politics of Search Engines, Social Media and Stats



A couple of years ago, we noticed more politicians using the internet to spread their message.  Yes. We were startled that some were calling election races early without evaluating search statistics, social media and web visibility.  We saw friend count ratios of 5 vs. 1 and our overall web visibility statistics showed huge disparities in the election races that allowed us to soundly predict some winners. A few politicians did not believe that social media and search engine visibility was important.  (They are now on the sidelines.)  The new era of politics coincides with a generational gap and a technology divide.  Some people are not ready to embrace new media and the internet as a major tool for communicating with others.  This pool of potential voters is increasingly becoming smaller. 



How will the next election make use of social media and the internet?  The next election cycle will depend on it.  The real question will be …who will take advantage of search and social media… and who goes home….?

This Cycle vs. the last Cycle…

Blogging teams and left versus right wing websites will have little effect on the new search engine era of politics.  Overall web visibility and universal search will help those who are adept at controlling their message and reaching out to those on the margins.  PoliticalOperative.com and ObviouslyImAStrategist.com websites will have little effect on the total array of optimized digital assets that can positively impact an election.  Digital asset optimization – the optimization of video, pictures, images and audio will help candidates separate themselves and manage search engine reputations more effectively.  But how do you do this?  Contact a good search engine marketing firm with a digital PR focus – and professional statisticians.

How do we suggest you start?  We suggest you start now!

Achieving high rankings in search engines and organic buzz cannot happen overnight.  Small achievements and link bait via credible –interesting content will help politicians fine tune their message and reach new potential voters.

Incumbents tend to have more natural links and web credibility so it is important to get new candidates started early.  New candidates can move swiftly without many layers of bureaucracy and take full advantage of digital distribution with proper planning.  But as we have seen in the past – new kids on the block can be fun for a few years – and some make a comeback -never go anywhere - or have relations who stay around longer then they did.

Some suggestions for managing a political SEO, social media campaign and search reputation management:

•    Know your candidate and be able to translate the message effectively.
•    Take advantage of new media assets and small websites with influence.
•    Start SEO efforts early.
•    Integrate social media assets with website and clear calls to action.
•    Choose a firm that can integrate statistics from various platforms.