The data below comes from Serbia. The pattern does not. Every campaign I've worked with on four continents has arrived at the same wrong conclusion about young voters, and arrived at it the same way: by putting the money where the campaign staff already spends its own time. The specific numbers here are Serbian, from an Ipsos tracker this July. But the shape of them — a generation gap that runs straight through the middle of the platform mix, and a level of distrust that no amount of reach can buy through — is the same in Nairobi, in Zagreb, in Budapest. What follows is the part most parties skip: reading the numbers before writing the message. “Young people aren't interested in politics or in joining parties.” In Serbian political life that sentence gets delivered with a weary sigh, as a premise nobody expects to change. From experience I know they are interested, and more than campaign headquarters assume. What they won't be is free labor putting up posters, or extras f...

  Wherever people are headed next, politicians are attempting to establish a presence and a foothold. TikTok for politicians is all the rage nowadays. The wager is that those who use it as their preferred social media will be the voters and contributors of the ensuing five to ten years. But how do you execute it correctly? According to many authors, the most difficult challenge is passing the teen eye-roll test. Other obstacles include the need to be completely authentic and to keep videos brief.   You can connect with old friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, take pictures with new ones, follow the tweets of people you know or celebrities you sort of know, or look at curated images from everyone's best Insta-lives. TikTok is an entirely different platform. You go there to enjoy the company of strangers. Watching videos made by people you don't know or have any connection with is typically a passive experience. Rather than bringing you closer to your own community, it i...

  1.      No internal digital department   Any modern political party would be remiss to not have its in-house digital section. In the age of ever-growing digital media, political parties need to have a staff of digital professionals that can help them stay ahead of the competition. All of the party's online activities, including outreach to voters and content creation, should be managed by this team. They must also be adept at using digital tactics to further the party's agenda. Political parties in the modern day need to develop digital sections if they want to compete. This team needs to be able to come up with interesting material for party members and think of fresh ways to reach out to potential voters. They should also be able to track the success of their digital marketing campaigns and adjust as needed. When a political party has its digital department, it can better adapt to the rapidly shifting nature of online discourse. This team needs the ability t...

  Think each social network is the same It's easy to lump our favorite social networks together. We bucket each platform under the "social media umbrella" when talking about, thinking about, and planning our political parties' social media strategies. By routine, we update Facebook, scan Twitter, and check Instagram every day, swaying us to view these platforms as a package, not as individual tools. The underlying commonality is that they're all great at connecting us directly with our potential voters. But just because Facebook and Instagram can both put us in front of your prospects doesn't mean they should be treated the same. By recognizing the respective value of each tool, we can connect with our audience in even more valuable ways. Every system has its peculiarities as well as a unique set of benefits and drawbacks that are specific to that system. For example, Twitter is great for sharing short and snappy updates, whereas Instagram is better for sharin...

A political party must be on all social networks To make a long story short. Political parties should be present on social media, though they need not be everywhere. For one thing, different media cater to different audiences, and for another, political parties don't have to win over everyone. A political party should concentrate its efforts on a few key platforms for maximum effect. Keeping up a strong presence on every major social media platform can be time-consuming and expensive for a political party. Burnout is a potential barrier to getting to know voters on a personal level. Political parties can save money by opting out of some services. Social media and political parties go together like peanut butter and jelly. Why? Because social media is an excellent platform for communicating with voters, launching campaigns, raising awareness about initiatives, and serving as an essential tool in crisis communications.   Whether you focus efforts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or a...

  Any modern political party cannot function without a robust social media strategy. Over the past few years, political parties use of social media as a channel for communicating with voters, building relationships, and engaging in substantive discourse has grown in popularity. It allows them to interact with their supporters and address any issues or questions they may have. A good social media strategy helps the party to reach more people with a specific message and strengthen connections with their allies. Additionally, it allows them to monitor the activities of their rivals and remain abreast of emerging trends and news in daily politics.    A social media strategy is not complete without a detailed plan for implementing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, among others. In addition, a plan for interacting with their supporters should be included, detailing how they intend to do things like respond to questions and feedback and develop useful and entertaining content. I...