Last week for homework, my six year old son had to write three facts about Barack Obama for a class discussion. My son’s report read as follows:
- Barack Obama is our first African American President.
- Barack Obama should stop smoking.
- Barack Obama is the first social media President.
As you can imagine, my pride was evident, clearly The Child is his mother’s boy. His teacher asked him to explain to the class what “social media President meant” and he responded “He talked to people on the Internet and told them to vote for him.” Can’t argue with that too much.
President Obama’s successful social media campaign is proof that for any business or individual to succeed, an online presence is necessary. The President embraced Twitter and other social networks, reaching out to rock the vote and find out what was on our minds. Folks like to know the leader of a nation is in touch. It’s embarrassing to hear the person with the most important job in the world talk about not knowing how to turn on a computer or use email. When I learned Barack Obama had to give up his Blackberry I felt his pain.
But this isn’t about being plugged in. It’s about being in tune with a nation and using every resource possible to campaign and reach the American people. The new President of the United States gets the need for a heavy online presence, shouldn’t you do the same for your business?
