I have gone on a politician purge, unfollowing the vast majority of elected officials and candidates that I previously followed on Twitter. Why? No single group of people is more boring on Twitter. Don't take my word for it, a recent study by the University of Maryland agrees.
So to keep your elected official or candidate from making the same mistakes their tweeting predecessors have made, I have compiled a list of The 7 Deadly Sins of Tweeting Politicians:
- Only using Twitter for "the ask." I get it - at the end of the day social media means nothing to your candidate unless it raises them more money. And while I sharply disagree with that philosophy, I understand that's the conversation going on in most campaigns. But just as in offline fundraising, to raise the most money online a relationship must first be built. Obama New Media Director Joe Rospars has said, if you have 10 emails, it is the 8 emails that don't ask for money that lay the groundwork for the two that are. The same rule should be applied to Twitter.
- Using Twitter as another press release distribution service. First off, the press release is dead for political campaigns. Instead of using press release corporate speak, listen to the way people communicate on Twitter and adapt the way you communicate your message directly to your supporters.
- Not listening. Most politicians see Twitter as a one-way channel to push content out to. The good tweeting politicians see Twitter as a chance to gain valuable feedback from voters. Politicians who are not listening to what the Twitterverse is saying about issues important to them are missing out on a huge opportunity. Twitter can and should be used to test and tweak your campaign's message. Listen and consider engaging with an @reply to a voter once in a while.
- Forgetting that you are human. The point of social media is that it is, well, social. Learn how to take off your online tie and show that you are a human being. Yes, this means sometimes tweeting about your personal life! Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill said it best when she said, "It's important for my constituents to know that I do my own laundry."
- Sending your followers on a treasure hunt. Twitter is a great way to drive traffic to stories, videos, donation pages, etc... but make sure you are linking directly to the content you want your followers to see. If the content you want your followers to see is not on your homepage, don't tweet a link to your homepage and force your followers to dig through your site to find what you want them to find. The key to success on the web is eliminating friction and that's an important value to remember when linking to content via Twitter.
- Lying (or hiding) who is actually tweeting for you. In an ideal scenario (mostly for the potentially disastrous entertainment value) all politicians would personally tweet, but it is widely understood that the majority do not. A bigger mistake than not personally tweeting though is lying about it. If your staff tweets for you, make that clear. You don't want to be giving an interview on CNN and have a staff member send out a tweet, supposedly from you, at the very same moment. It is not difficult to know who is genuine and who is not on Twitter and other social platforms.
- Tweeting your favorite quotes from historical figures just because you have nothing to say. If you don't have anything valuable to say, say nothing at all. An occasional quote from George Washington is inspiring, but your followers would much rather hear something you may think is mundane (such as the fact that you are walking your dog) than you proving that you are an inspirational-quote-buff.
