Social media is a great place to interact with constituents and generate more awareness around different political initiatives and campaigns. While there has been some negative public opinion about social media in politics in recent years, it is not at all all bad. There are some positive things that can be achieved. Here is a closer look.
The main benefits that can be achieved
1) An amazing platform from which you can start and grow campaigns
First of all, it is a great place to start a campaign and then grow it. It is not only a place where businesses can market themselves, it also a place where initiatives and ideas can be launched. A lot of people are concerned that people are not engaged anymore with politics and their community, and the positive impact of launching from social media is that a lot of people use social media at least once a day, often more. It is an excellent place for politicians to test messaging to see how people respond. You get feedback straight away and it is a chance to stay relevant.
2) Become more engaged with members of the public
The social media platforms you choose to focus on depends on your target audience, as different people use different platforms. But this means social media and politics can be a wonderful way to keep different groups informed and to get them engaged across all platforms. Answer questions, host sessions, communicate and build up trust and credibility. You can even use local apps to get communities mobilized and taking certain actions, educate people, and discuss local issues. Politicians are seen to be liars and manipulative. Using social media is a way to change that perception, be more authentic, and then show the good that can be achieved working together. You just need to know what should and should not be shared.
3) A good place to communicate about crises
There have been a lot of recent crises around the world in the last ten years, top of the list being the pandemic. A lot of people first see information about the latest crisis, like the Russians occupying the Ukraine, on a social media platform. Sometimes it is reputable news links, but sometimes it is just other people commenting on things, or items being shared. Social media in politics has a place and can impact the world. The government at all levels will use it to manage a crisis and give official updates on their official pages. The flipside is that it can also be a source of complete misinformation as many people do not check the things they learn before they start repeating them and sharing them with others. It is important to stay accurate and where possible objective.
4) Saving money compared to traditional campaigns
Another advantage to mixing social media and politics is the affordability. The traditional efforts for political campaigns are very expensive. Television, papers, billboards and such. The impact they have however are harder to measure. Social media though is a lot more affordable and there are reports and ways to measure how effective your social media campaigns are.