In the last years, social media platforms have experienced a boom that is hard to
compare with anything similar before.
There is hardly anybody that does not have his own Facebook account and probably
everybody has watched at least one video on YouTube in his life.
Those few people without Facebook are being watched skeptically, usually
accompanied by the question “how can you live without it without feeling excluded?”.
This shows how important social media has become in our everyday lives and that
we no longer can imagine living without being connected 24/7.
The following paper will first give a general insight into to the development of social
media and social media platforms (with a focus on Twitter and Facebook) and then
show their importance and influence on the presidential elections in the
United States of America in 2012.
At the end there will be a short forecast about how social media will probably develop
within the next years.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Definitions
2.1 Social Media
2.2 Social Media Optimization
2.3 Social Media Marketing
2.4 Search Engine Marketing
3 The Importance of Social Media Marketing
3.1 Goals of Social Media Marketing
3.1.1 Bringing Traffic to a Website
3.1.2 Driving Relevant Links to Your Website
3.1.3 Making Consumers Brand-Aware
3.1.4 Driving Conversions
3.2 Social Media Marketing Makes the Difference
4 Social Media Platforms
4.1 Twitter
4.2 Facebook
5 The Importance of Media for Election Campaigns
5.1 Election 1960
5.2 Election 2008
6 The Influence of Social Media on the Elections 2012
6.1 Dueling Social Media Campaigns
6.2 The Social Media Election in Numbers
6.2.1 Twitter
6.2.2 Facebook
7 Conclusion and Forecast
Objectives & Core Topics
This paper examines the evolution and strategic importance of social media marketing, specifically analyzing how these digital platforms influenced the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election compared to previous electoral campaigns.
- The theoretical foundations of Social Media, Social Media Optimization, and Social Media Marketing.
- The strategic goals of social media marketing, including traffic generation, brand awareness, and conversions.
- A comparative analysis of social media utilization by the Obama and Romney campaigns.
- The role of platforms like Twitter and Facebook in shaping political discourse and voter engagement.
- Trends in digital political campaigning and future projections for online elections.
Excerpt from the Book
6.1 Dueling Social Media Campaigns
During the campaign for the election in 2012 the tech-sevvy team of Barack Obama was far ahead of Mitt Romney’s in the use of the Internet in general and especially regarding social media.
As a study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism found out, Obama’s campaign was using digital means four times as much as the Romney campaign to reach his voters.
The study was carried out within a period of two weeks and showed that Romney tweeted once a day whereas Obama made use of this microblogging service 29 times a day on average.
Moreover, Obama had twice as many blogposts and over twice as many YouTube videos during his campaign.
However, that does not mean that Mitt Romney didn’t make enough use of the Internet. On his website and even in an own mobile app he encouraged voters to donate or fundraise and kept them up to date with news of his campaign.
Both Democrats and Republicans were aware of the influence social media has on voters and thus “[spent] heavily on digital consulting.”
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Outlines the rise of social media in daily life and sets the objective to analyze its impact on the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
2 Definitions: Defines core concepts including social media, social media optimization, and search engine marketing.
3 The Importance of Social Media Marketing: Explores the evolution of social media as a marketing discipline and its specific goals for modern business strategies.
4 Social Media Platforms: Introduces Twitter and Facebook as the primary social media channels relevant to the discussion.
5 The Importance of Media for Election Campaigns: Reviews the historical role of media in presidential elections, focusing on the shifts from TV in 1960 to the rise of social media in 2008.
6 The Influence of Social Media on the Elections 2012: Provides a data-driven comparison of the digital strategies employed by the Obama and Romney campaigns.
7 Conclusion and Forecast: Summarizes the findings and offers a forecast regarding the future of online-driven political elections.
Keywords
Social Media Marketing, Web 2.0, US Presidential Elections 2012, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Campaigning, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, eWOM, Brand Awareness, Search Engine Marketing, Online Strategy, Political Communication, Viral Marketing, Digital Consulting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines how social media platforms, specifically Twitter and Facebook, have transitioned into powerful marketing and communication tools, with a focus on their decisive role in the 2012 US presidential election.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The core themes include the definition of social media marketing, its tactical business goals, a historical overview of media in political campaigns, and a detailed performance analysis of the 2012 campaign digital efforts.
What is the core research goal?
The primary goal is to demonstrate that social media has become an indispensable component of political strategy, capable of shifting public opinion and securing electoral success through direct voter engagement.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a descriptive analysis approach, synthesizing existing industry definitions, studies from organizations like the Pew Research Center, and comparative statistical analysis of social media output between the two political candidates.
What content is covered in the main body?
The main body bridges the theoretical framework of social media marketing with practical case studies from the 2008 and 2012 US presidential elections, highlighting the shift toward digital, interactive voter communication.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include Social Media Marketing, Web 2.0, Viral Marketing, Political Campaigning, Obama, Romney, and digital strategic communication.
How does the author explain the difference between the Obama and Romney campaigns on social media?
The author highlights that Obama's campaign utilized digital means four times as frequently as Romney's, with significantly higher volume in daily tweets, blog posts, and YouTube video production.
What significance did the "Obama hug photo" have in the 2012 election?
The photo became the most-tweeted and liked post of 2012, illustrating the power of emotional, shareable content in driving social media records and cementing the connection between the candidate and his voters.
What is the conclusion regarding future elections?
The author concludes that social media will be a permanent and growing fixture in future political elections, with experts predicting that entire election cycles—including voting—could move online.
- Quote paper
- Carina Förg (Author), 2013, Social Media Marketing: The Importance of Web 2.0 and its Influence on the US Presidential Elections 2012, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/214539
