Online Marketing Blog from Radical

It’s official. Barack Obama is the president of the United States and for those of us in this industry around the world; he might also become the President of Online Marketing. After the success of his online marketing campaign during the election, so many people wondered if Presidential Candidate Obama would take his Social Media followers and friends with him when he became President Obama. It appears that one of his Presidential policies will be…No “friend” Left Behind.

Watching the Inauguration yesterday evening was truly historical, especially as an American; but it was hard to ignore the many references to how citizens can interact with Obama online. References made to online activity throughout the day from the Official ceremony to the Inaugural Parade were many, citing Facebook, Page views on the Inauguration website, Viral Photos taken of the event, and a virtual transition from the campaign trail to the official White House website at exactly 12 Noon (EST), yesterday.

CNN’s coverage told us to “watch live coverage with your Facebook friends,” with over 1.26 million confirmed guests on the Inauguration event profile.  Interestingly enough, several of the confirmed guests on Facebook were logging on from all over the world, from places like Nigeria, Italy, London, Kenya, and of course several viewers from Ireland.

During the coverage of the Inaugural luncheon, Master of Ceremonies, Senator Dianne Feinstein, announced that the Menu page on the Inauguration website got the most page views. I’m certain that sharing the page views of the event website is not something the MC has done before. Perhaps she used Google Analytics to learn of that fact.

A compilation of the photos taken at the event happened almost continuously following “the moment” that the President was sworn in. CNN encourages viewers to send in their photos to create an entire collage of “The Moment.” The amount of photos submitted is evidence of the future for the Online and Mobile industries, and how important buzz-worthy moments are naturally viral. This was just one example of how one can take advantage of it.

One of the most significant parts of the Inaugural coverage online was the transformation of the website Change.gov at exactly 12 Noon. The website, which so famously inspired the American public to support Obama during the election, flawlessly transitioned into the WhiteHouse.gov. The website will be a way for Obama to garner support throughout his four year term. Now, why didn’t someone else think of that?

There are many lessons to be learned from the President; but yesterday’s coverage taught us the importance of staying in constant contact with the people in your social communities. To truly gain ground in the social networks and online, be sure to give back to the people who are giving to you. It works! And the proof is in the White House.

Now for those people in Ireland who still aren’t convinced that Barack Obama’s presidency will truly be Web 2.0…you haven’t seen or heard the Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys song, “There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’bama.”

Emer Lawn, Online Marketing Executive, Radical