More Candidates Will Devote More Resources to Online Media in 2012

Common wisdom has been that the Democrats have held an advantage online.  That may have been true in 2008, but the tide has turned and savvy Republican candidates and organizations are getting out in front when it comes to communicating online.  Did you know that among incumbent congressmen on Twitter, Republicans outnumber Democrats 134 to 115?  But, that still means that there are 107 Republicans in the House that are missing this important vehicle for direct and personal communication with voters.

The Democrats aren't standing still and, as a  recent article in Roll Call describes,

are aggressively ramping up their participation in social media, seeing it as their "secret weapon" for 2012.  Republican candidates must develop communication strategies that fully leverage the breadth of online media available to be successful in 2012.

Advantages to Online Media that You May Not Have Considered

During the California GOP Convention in Sacramento last week, Americans for Prosperity sponsored a "Right Online" training session.  It was filled with great information that attendees can use now to build their online visibility.  Here were a few insights to keep in mind:

·         It is easier than you think to influence the news cycle.  This is good news for conservatives who often feel shut out by the mainstream media.  Local news organizations have had to cut back staffs dramatically, leaving few reporters to cover a wide territory.  Reporters with limited bandwidth will pick up leads from postings on blogs and YouTube, especially about local events.

·         You don't need much expertise or fancy editing tools to make an impact with YouTube.  This video ,that exposed the hypocrisy of Al Gore and his followers, was shot and edited by an executive from Americans for Prosperity who had never created a YouTube video before.  He just used a small camcorder and Windows Movie Maker that comes free with Windows. 

·         One blogger truly can have an impact!  In 2004, Dan Rather was dethroned after a single blogger with typesetting expertise noted that the documents produced to prove that George Bush "lied" about his National Guard record, could not be authentic because the spacing between the characters could only have been created by a computer, which did not exist in 1973.  Other conservative bloggers picked up the story and it grew until the press could not ignore it.

While much of the technology used for online media is inexpensive or free, the investment required is time and expertise to gain the benefits needed to win an election.  If your online communications and fundraising capabilities could use an upgrade, call us!  We live and breathe this stuff and would be happy to talk with you about how we can help.