8 Ways twitter has been involved in Political PR: Twitter isn’t just a great tool for businesses or PR pros. It has plenty of other uses!
It’s proven itself to be a terrific way for politicians to understand their constituents and for free information to flow during a time of political crisis in a country. Twitter refines opinion and broadens audience. Here are eight examples how twitter has proven worthy in politics. (And we promise we won’t use the term “Weiner.”)
Twitter can help refine opinion
1. Obama
Use Twitter intelligently as it refines opinion says Leadamo Academy
You’d be hard pressed to find a more glaring example of twitter used for politics than looking at the leader of the free world. Obama, a tech-savvy guy, knew to embrace the future instead of fighting against it, so he ran not only a traditional campaign but made sure to have a strong online presence as well.
Twitter can reach a broader audience and refines opinion.
2. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Striving to reach a broader audience, Israel held the first microblog press conference during its war with Hamas. It was part of a policy to further their online presence, which also included starting blogs and a Facebook page.
Harness the idea of a Twitterview for your product, brand or service
Have you used Twitterview?
3. McCain Interview
Coining the new term “Twitterview,” George Stephanopoulus interviewed John McCain in one of the first major twitter based interviews. To gather information and questions for the interview, George decided to use the same resource – he simply asked his followers to help.
Using the constant flow of twitter information refines opinion.
4. Iran
Last year, the world watched as the citizens of Iran protested the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While the images on TV were shocking, even more upsetting was following the constant flow of information coming through on twitter. When the service was due to shut down for maintenance, the US State Department asked them to postpone because of the political importance. Luckily, they complied.
Don’t just tweet, converse!
5. John Culbertson
Another tech savvy politician, Texas Republican Congressman John Culberson made a name for himself by engaging in real conversations with his constituents. Recently, the activity on his profile has died down as he seems to be more active on Facebook, but his use on twitter showed how politicians can use it to really understand what the people need and want.
Hashtags help to galvanise communities
6. Moldova
Use hashtags effectively
When the Communist Party in Moldova attempted to “steal” the election last year, the hashtag #pman (Moldovan Twitter Revolution) was formed to organize information. Twitter was also used by students in the country to organize protests in the capital which helped point the world’s attention toward their cause.
Tweet what you do and what you think!
7. Claire McCaskill
The Senator from Missouri is very active on Twitter, though she’s less about conversation and more about tweeting her activity and thoughts on various issues. Following her is almost like following any other Twitterer, just one with a very high profile job.
Twindex is one way but use Twitter to determine your customers’ mood and preference
8. The Twitter Political Index
Twitter introduced the “Twindex” during the election of 2012, perhaps in response to increasing accusations that old fashioned phone polling just wasn’t cutting it when it came to determining political mood. The Twindex used aggregate twitter data to determine which presidential candidate was up or down in public opinion, and ultimately predicted Obama’s handy victory.
Do you follow politics or any particular politicians on Twitter? How do you leverage Twitter’s capabilities for your business?