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Digital news has become an important part of people’s news diets, with social media playing a crucial role in news consumption. Today, half of U.S. adults get news at least sometimes from social media.
Source: Pew Research Centre
Quick Summary
Use social media video to break news and engage in real-time with constituents. Don't forget to create visual assets to go with your messaging or key announcements. Stay on top of what's trending on social media and utilize those topics and hashtags to create new connections to your cause or campaign.
Social Media is the News for some people, especially younger audiences.
The latest Pew research also tells us that U.S. adults under 30 now trust information from social media almost as much as from national news outlets
Source: Pew Research Centre
<aside> ⚡ Top tips for not-for-profit Digital strategy Check out**:** The Third Sector
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Where we live is on our mobile devices, and so we think about 'digital organizing' as all the different entry points into that phone space.
If we look at the way that political or cause-related campaigning works today, we're communicating in a very different way. The key thing to understand is that there is no one 'single' platform that does everything or reaches everyone when it comes to social media and politics. Which is why it's also important to cross-post your social content to multiple networks when possible and allow others (outside of the official team) to show their support on your behalf.
<aside> ⚡ Social Media Platforms Explained in a Simple, Easy Way
They might all be called “social networks,” but every platform has its unique function. You’re making a mistake if you’re using all of them the same way.
Check out: The Muse
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There's no question that social media should form part of your campaign strategy.
The social media spaces offers a lot of different opportunities to engage your community. The cost of participation is relatively low and being present where potential supporters are already spending times makes it easier for them to see, engage and connect with your message. Social media increases access to information and an informed electorate is an active one.
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You'll want to think about what role each platform will play in your social media strategy.
If we look at the way that political campaigning works today, we're communicating in a very different way. The key thing to understand is that there is no one 'single' platform that does everything or reaches everyone when it comes to social media and politics. Which is why it's also important to cross-post your social content to multiple networks when possible and allow others (outside of the official campaign team) to show their support on your behalf.
Different social channels work in different ways for different audiences.
<aside> ⚡ Developing a social media plan
How might we think about the role of this social media platform? How might we think about creating content for this platform? What might we use this platform for? What might a plan look like?
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Social Media Channels to Consider for Political Campaigns
Match your Content to the Best Distribution Channel.
First, though, you must know two things – who the content is for and what it’s intended to achieve. Knowing your audience members’ intent allows you to craft content that will resonate with them. Knowing the goals of the content lets you identify the purpose of the content (i.e., call to action) for your company as well as for the audience. Both are essential to selecting an appropriate distribution method.
‘The essence of creativity is not the possession of some special talent. It is much more the ability to play’
John Cleese
Traditional campaigners will see this as a risk in not being able to control the message, and to some extent, that's valid. The problem is, if you continue to conduct a campaign from a top down broadcast approach where you control everything, you lose out on the opportunity of getting more people involved who may not otherwise put their hand up to help. The key focus here is to create assets that are positive and won't damage your campaign regardless of how they're used.
<aside> ⚡ It’s easy to do (if you know how to do it)
This is the dilemma that every game designer, form creator and teacher faces.
Writing an instruction manual, doing a survey, creating a map–they’re all difficult tasks because of the translation that’s required: the person doing the work already knows what they’re trying to teach. But the person interacting with the manual doesn’t.
The empathy required here overwhelms many people, regardless of how well-meaning they might be.
After all, the person you’re instructing doesn’t know what you know (yet). They might not learn the way you learn. And you might have come to your knowledge via a different path.
The three elements of successful instructional design might be:
Acknowledge that communicating what you know is difficult.
Find empathy for people who don’t know what you know yet.
Test the work, often.
Humility in design dances with the arrogance of believing we can help other people move forward.
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Political Social Media Campaign Assets
Check your social strategy against best practice.
Serving as a sort of alternative to traditional newscasts, social media video empowers politicians to break their own news and have conversations with constituents in real-time.