Political marketing via YouTube has become an essential campaign strategy. Here’s what we know:
If your opponents are using our services, why aren't you?
If you think long and hard enough, how else would we see Rick Perry’s tan barn jacket, Rick Santorum’s many sweater vests, or Newt Gingrich volunteers dressed like elves? Back in 2007, YouTube partnered with CNN to sponsor a debate, so we can only imagine they’ll do the same in 2012. YouTube has become another channel to reach audiences across America. Not everyone will catch a TV spot or televised debate, but many more people can tune in at their leisure. For instance, the GOP debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has garnered over 66,000 views in just four days.
As we’ve seen, there are many different ways a campaign can use political marketing to further its agenda:
For some politicians, it’s a way to create hype. Look at Newt Gingrich — at one time, he was at the bottom of the pack. Yet, thanks to political marketing on YouTube, Newt has triple the number of channel views as frontrunner Mitt Romney. Marginal candidate Ron Paul has been able to sustain interest in his political ideas since he ran last election cycle, thanks to his fresh stream of YouTube videos.
For other candidates, it’s a way to get “discovered.” You may not have heard of Fred Karger because he failed to meet the criteria to participate in the televised debates, but he’s running for president. You can watch his spliced-in answers to the debates, nevertheless, not to mention short documentaries and traditional campaign ads. Karger’s spokeswoman Rina Shah explains to The Concord Monitor, “The opportunities are really endless, and that’s what’s exciting for a small campaign like ours. We’re bold, but we’re not moneyed. We’re tying to carve out our place. I can’t imagine what this campaign would be like if we didn’t have these sorts of opportunities.”
It’s a great way to show highlights from the campaign trail. Candidates can post town hall meetings, debate clips, high profile endorsements, news appearances, attack ads, official TV spots, press conferences, and behind-the-scenes mini-documentaries about their families and ideals.
Candidates can also get a sense of what topics interest Americans most. Campaigns can track the most-viewed and most-shared political videos. They can also follow comments and discussion boards to gauge the public’s reaction to certain hot-button issues. Candidates can use the medium to clarify their positions or address particular concerns. This is political marketing at its finest.
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Recently, YouTube unveiled a new political hub at YouTube.com/Politics, where viewers can go to quickly and easily access political news and channels on the site. YouTube News and Politics Manager Ramya Raghaven says, “You’re really seeing candidates master their own destiny on YouTube. That’s a real difference from 2008 when you saw candidates as rather skittish. There’s such an appetite for political content.” Viewers can expect candidates to do more live streaming of events and posting TV series type content, Raghaven adds.
Getting traction with a rapid number of views in a short period of time is the key to generating buzz and creating a YouTube “hit” that will be viewed by millions. In the past, political campaigns were on their own in terms of soliciting viewers and building YouTube subscriber bases. However, given the increasing interest in YouTube as a medium, you can now outsource some of your political marketing to WebVideoPromoters. You create the videos, and we find people who are most interested in viewing your political content. If you’d like 30,000 to 250,000 views overnight, then it behooves your campaign to work with a political marketing company that can put the focus into your video promotion.
