Political campaigns are notorious for eliciting passion among supporters and detractors alike. This election cycle has seen an unprecedented surge in the use of social media to spread the message. Today I would like to focus on how the Republican and Democratic nominees are using LinkedIn to connect to professionals worldwide.Let’s start with a top down view of the social media campaign structure:
McCain Palin 2008
John McCain 2008 Campaign Company
John McCain Professional Profile 500+ Connections
Sarah Palin Professional Profile 364+ Connections
Obama Biden 2008
Barack Obama 2008 Group
Barack Obama Professional Profile 500+ Connections
Joe Biden Professional Profile (Not Available)
Of note: The McCain Palin ticket seems to have a better handle on the LinkedIn community, with a clearly organized campaign company built with all members present. Though Obama has a group containing over 15,000 members, the campaign does not have a clearly organized company nor was I able to find a profile for Joe Biden, the prospective Vice President.
Although LinkedIn represents only a small fraction of the available social networks, it does represent a key demographic of white-collar professionals. The Obama campaign has some clear room for improvement before November.
Nicholas Kinports (follow him on Twitter @ADMAVEN) has worked in the interactive technology world for over 15 years. He is the Digital Strategy Lead and founder of Chicago-based digital marketing firm lonelybrand, where he directs the creation and execution of digital marketing programs that generate measurable signups, conversions and sales.
