5 reasons why every politician needs to be on Twitter

Communications continue to evolve alongside technology and shifts in social sharing. Mobile technology, for example, now dominates a marketplace that once relied on pagers and flip phones to spread information. Today’s communication platforms include an array of social media channels that furnish countless opportunities to make yourself heard, so more and more people are boarding the bandwagon to spread their sentiments.

Facebook and other sites sustain real-time connections between users who continually post and scrape information about one another. And brands like Twitter enable users to send shorter bursts of information to make their points, limited by the popular site’s 140 character maximum message length. And while many social sharing options were born of person to person contact, businesses and other organizations are increasingly involved in social media – including politicians and heads of state now taking to Twitter with their messages.

Though it may seem like an unusual platform to find success in the long-winded world of politics, Twitter is actually proving to be a valuable asset for politicians and leaders, who are engaging with followers for these reasons:

1. Sending brief messages is simple
Though you might think the world of politics relies on deeper sentiments, the nightly news is all that’s needed to illustrate how brief sound bites actually dominate public political perception. News channels and other resources furnish in-depth analysis, but many constituents digest political information through brief exposure to news stories of less depth.

Given the fact that brief communications seem to fit seamlessly with busy modern lifestyles, Twitter serves candidates and leaders effectively, enabling them to land messages efficiently. And since crafting 140 character Tweets is easily accomplished in minutes, the platform allows politicians to Tweet regularly without interfering with their leadership responsibilities.

2. Large captive audience
Delivering messages is a big part of political success, generating support during campaigns and building consensus around leadership decisions. Twitter fills a needed void for leaders, enabling them to connect with more than 200 million users worldwide.

3. Call to action
Twitter has proven itself as a viable platform for candidates and leaders, who see high participation rates from social media users committed to the microblog. In other words, Twitter users are called to action by the Tweets their representatives share, following up on resources their leaders suggest and making other proactive decisions based on links and information politicians include in their messages.

The platform also encourages participation among users who feel empowered by the relationship Twitter helps them establish with leadership. Grass-roots activism springs from Twitter campaigns, because followers feel like they are genuinely participating in the political process. And social media satisfies users’ desire to engage with politicians, especially using creative two-way communication like an Obama’s Twitter town-hall question and answer sessions.

4. High return on investment
Campaign managers and political pundits continually strive to make an impact while conserving resources. Advertising and other forms of communication are expensive, especially when compared to a no-cost social media platform that actually connects with constituents more efficiently than high-priced ads. And when users’ tendency to act on political Twitter messages is factored-in, the return on investment is impossible to beat. At the same time, damage control can be difficult on social media, so political users carefully craft their brief messages.

5. It’s effective at all levels of government
In the past, budgets had dramatic impacts on the way politicians communicated. As a result, municipal candidates and leaders used certain forms of cost-effective communication, while national leaders turned to expensive high-profile venues to spread messages.

Twitter evens the playing field for participants at all levels of government. The President, members of Congress, governors and mayors each maintain effective Twitter campaigns, increasing their exposure in ways that wouldn’t have been previously affordable. And since each level of government finds Twitter representation, followers experience leadership continuity by staying current with both local and national developments.

Social media provides a valuable service for politicians and leaders seeking cost-effective ways to deliver political messages. In addition to economic efficiency and massive audiences, Twitter furnishes an accessible platform for constituents to follow local and national leaders. As a result, the popular microblog is gaining favor at all levels of government, where leaders and candidates use it to influence voters and facilitate access to decision-makers.

Image: Geoff Livingston via Flickr.