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How Porn Can Help Politics in 2012 | Social Media Marketing

Politicians live in the public eye and their new media campaigns are becoming an ever more important part of their path to success. Politics has always been a complicated business, but now elected officials and political candidates can make much bigger missteps….

Anthony Wiener (D-NY) Image credit: anotherblackconservative.blogspot.com

If You Build It, Will They Come?

I’ve been having a hard time convincing some of my clients that blogging needs to be part of their online marketing strategy.

Especially elected officials and political candidates.

They tend to believe that all they need to do is slap a static website up, say hello on Facebook once in awhile, and they’re set to attract voters.

The “build it and they will come,” theory.

Well, any professional involved in current online marketing and social media knows that method does not work.  There is no “one size fits all,” path to success.

It’s about creating relationships.

And you have to drive traffic.

Laws Of Attraction & Four-Letter Words

Savvy online marketing professionals would probably also agree that publishing blog articles is like magnetizing your target audience to you.  When the blog is quiet, the publicity cycle slows or stops.

If you’ve lived in the USA for any time at all and watched the news, you might agree that politicians are one group of people that should tend to like the core elements of blogging…

Lets take a look at some benefits:

How awesome, right?

Who wouldn’t want that?

Ever met a politician that didn’t like the spotlight or to talk more about themselves?

There’s a reason there are time limits at political debates!

{Being married to an elected official, I can say those things.  :)}

Even so, when I say the word, “blog,” to those getting ready to run for office, it’s like I’ve said a four-letter word.

So, for some time, I’ve been pondering how I could make blogging more palatable.  A little more exciting…more “sexy,” if you will.

It would have to be, or I’d lose my audience.

In this case:

Individuals you and I will make decisions about on ballots in any election year.

Sometimes forgotten: They’re human too.

These days, the Internet is a haven of nifty new media.  A place where we read, play games, buy, sell, trade, socialize, and more…

Factoid: The second most popular thing people do online includes pornography.

That word – how completely terrible!!  :O

The Revealing Truth

On the other hand, it’s a very relatable word.  Even those that will yell from the rooftops that it’s wrong will still be talking about it with some form of research behind their speech.

Ready for some honesty?

When I first talked about doing an article on “Politics And Porn,” I didn’t reveal my true goal.  But the reactions I got were interesting:

…So people obviously have a perception that government and political officials think porn is exciting stuff!

Anybody remember a whole governmental department that missed the Bernie Madoff scandal because they were too intrigued with pornography???

And the EPA employee that perused 600 pornography sites while earning $120,000.00 per year PLUS BONUS…?  (Just how much pornography would it take for an EPA employee to lose their job?)

How ‘Bout A Little Sugar?

Back to my challenge – To making blogging more attractive and enticing.  As a parent, my instincts are to put a fun slant on it.

Much like how we convince our children to take their medicine with the song, “A spoon full of sugar.”  Or inspire others to remember something with a groovy acronym.

This one is timeless:

From elementary music class – The notes on the treble clef scale.  Somewhat fun, and most everyone likes yummy fudge, so they identify.

Finessing The Hot Button

So, playing to what gets my clients enthused I realized this is the sweet spot…the hot button.  I should find a way for them to get just as excited about their blog as they might be about porn.

So, the acronym…

Personalized outreach rippling via new media.

Oh, yes! 

What incumbent or candidate wouldn’t get excited about that?  Information about themselves – about their purpose – rippling across the Internet where their target audience is hanging out!

Can you imagine what could happen with this slightly changed perspective?

How porn can help politics?

Putting The Red Lace Teddy On It

Political campaigns in any year will be tough.  Battles between parties are intense, at a time when our country and its people need answers and solutions.

President Obama won his campaign with mighty mileage from social media.  From a marketing and publicity standpoint, a blog should be the hub of social media and online presence.

Technology is already changing who wins an election and how.

Elected officials and political candidates – regardless of party, status, or experience – NEED to stop snarling their nose at penning a few words once in awhile, and start realizing the benefits.

For them, and their constituents.

I strongly recommend that our political candidates start PORNing not with their eyes, but with their pen and keyboard.

Please tell me your thoughts in the comment box below! 🙂
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