A few years ago, my friends and I mostly though Twitter was a passing fad, a lesser version of social media that would always be eclipsed by Facebook. Now, of course, we have been proven wrong. Twitter has become a strong social media site in its own rite, and does something better than Facebook: mobile access.
According to a recent article (link to be found at the bottom), over 60% of Twitter users access the site on their mobile devices. Heavy Twitter users are likely to use Twitter as a main source of news, especially in the political world.
What does this mean?
Political campaigns are starting to take notice. Many speculate that Twitter will be a major way in which 2012 candidates will promote themselves and their campaigns. Creating a dialogue via Twitter can draw attention to a particular issue, debate, or other current events. The mobility of the site means that political campaigns can help promote election events and volunteer opportunities to tweeters already on the move.
Twitter has proven itself as a viable social media outlet. People are paying attention. It’s a natural conclusion, therefore, for political candidates to take advantage of it. As of June 2011, Twitter is experiencing an average of 200 million tweets a day. About 25% of Twitter users follow a specific brand. Of those consumers, 67% will purchase that specific brand. That’s good news. That says a lot about Twitter followers, and it’s a trend that definitely shows promise for political campaigns using Twitter.
If a new medium for campaigns is there, why not use it? I don’t think it would hurt a Politian to have a Twitter, especially if he or she uses it properly. It connects to a highly educated audience: 28% have college educations and 48% are currently enrolled in college. College educated young people are much more likely to vote: statistics show that 79% of young voters (18-29 years of age) in the 2008 election had some college education. Why not use twitter to reach the young educated population? It could work, and work well.
Sources:
“Twitter Statistics Updated Stats for 2011”: http://www.marketinggum.com/twitter-statistics-2011-updated-stats/
“College-Educated Young People Are Much More Likely to Vote Than Their Peers”:
http://chronicle.com/article/College-Educated-Young-People/40561
“Twitter Adverting: Some Early Advice”: http://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/260872/twitter-advertising-some-early-advice.thtml
http://lovisawilliams.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/twitterlogoandbird.jpg
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