Taking a Page From Obama’s Book

In January 2007, a junior senator from Illinois announced his improbable candidacy for the presidency of the United States. Thought of as a long shot for even the democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama proved the doubters wrong in June 2007 when he took home a stunning victory over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. A few months later, Obama made history when he was voted in as the first African American president of the United States.

Some say a solid Internet presence and a knack for making his political constituents feel like they were a part of history helped Obama prevail over more well-known politicians who employed traditional campaign strategies. In their new book, Barack 2.0 — Barack Obama’s Social Media Lessons for Business (and the accompanying online interactive companion), authors Brent Leary and David Bullock explore the secrets of the president’s success and show the value of using similar strategies in the business world. (Read excerpt.)

Leary and Bullock walk business owners through the key technology tools that Obama used in his campaign, and tell how companies can apply them in their own operations. “The president and his team used blogs, podcasts, video and other forms of social media to share his message of change and hope in order to meaningfully connect with voters,” says Leary. “The approach moved many new people into the political process, and brought back others who had become disillusioned with it, to donate hundreds of millions of dollars — little by little — and to eventually stand in line for hours to vote.”

Leary, who has written for BlackEnterprise.com and was recognized by InsideCRM as one of 2007’s 25 most influential industry leaders, says many companies face the same challenges that Obama did during

his run for the candidacy and the presidency: high competition and high expectations for success. And while social media tools such as networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and strategies such as podcasting and blogging can help overcome some of those obstacles, Leary says most companies approach them the wrong way.

“An entrepreneur does his first blog posting and thinks, ‘Wow, everyone is going to come read this now.’ But that’s not how it works,” Leary says. The “build it and they will come” mindset can quickly turn to frustration for business owners, who must use a more proactive approach to social media. To garner interest in a blog posting, for example, companies with 500 followers on Twitter should mention the new post on the latter, and then provide a link for interested cybersurfers.

Bullock, who was recently voted one of the 50 Most Powerful

and Influential Men in Social Media, says Obama used a similar strategy with his thousands of Twitter followers. “Anytime he shared a thought, it went out to everyone who was following him,” explains Bullock. “Business owners who use this approach position themselves as authorities in the marketplace, command more income, and sell more products and services.”

Businesses go wrong in the social media space when they treat it like traditional advertising. A better angle is to first listen to what others are doing in the online space, and then figure out how to use the Web to convey useful information. “Build an identity first,” Bullock suggests, “and employ the interactive aspect of social media (such as comment and feedback postings) to get people interested in what you’re doing.”

Of course, Obama’s campaign wasn’t limited to Facebook and Twitter. Using a “be everywhere, and all the

time” approach, the president relied on television, radio, magazines, more than 15 social media platforms and his own Website to create a successful viral campaign strategy. Joining the cause were people such as the “Obama Girl,” whose online video proclamation of love for the candidate generated tens of millions of hits.

To companies looking to emulate Obama’s success, Leary and Bullock say, don’t get overwhelmed, and don’t try to do too much too soon. “When you come into social  media you get the idea that you have to be out there all the time, and you’re afraid of missing something,” Bullock says. “Start by choosing one platform (such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn) and then expand from there. Don’t think you have to do it all.”

View an excerpt of Barack 2.0 — Barack Obama’s Social Media Lessons for Business here.