There was much talk at the end of 2008 of the Barak Obama Presidential Campaign and how he used social media to build a movement for change. It has been a marketing study for many. The power that was leveraged by sweeping a country one person at a time and using individuals as community organizers to build what became a global movement was cutting edge.

Well here we are in 2010 and most businesses and corporations have gotten the memo. Gotta be in the game if you want to leverage, engage and connect with your target audience. Most of you know that Ted Kennedy’s senate seat was up for election when he passed and his family members all declined to run for his it. The Democratic party chose a successor in Martha Coakley. President Obama was out in full force campaigning on her behalf and the coverage of his speech was on CNN no less. BUT here is the kicker—the very marketing tools that helped Obama and his “movement for change” campaign sweep the nation, were not leveraged. And as a result, Coakley’s opponent won!

The WSJ posts a study for you to review, by Susan Davis, that shows Martha Coakley’s numbers vs. her opponent by using the measurement of several popular social media tools. The amazing thing (and the reason for putting this study in my post today) is that the numbers are NOT HUGE from the perspective of posts and participants. They are not the kind of numbers that would lead YOU in your business to say, “well we can’t get that kind of engagement.” They are numbers that show that if you get in the game you can build your brand and get some mighty impressive results. Imagine the Ted Kennedy legacy—with 47 years in the senate and a well-established brand—being out done by using tools that appeal to a broad based community who engaged and demanded a change!

Can’t find a more crystal clear example of the power of Twitter, Facebook and Youtube in 2010 for your brand.

Best Nicole

If YouTube video views were to decide today’s Senate election in Massachusetts, Republican state Sen. Scott Brown would win in a landslide against Democrat Martha Coakley.

A study conducted by the Emerging Media Research Council out today found that Brown had a more effective strategy of using social networking tools including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote his campaign and connect with supporters.

Here’s a look at the numbers:

Facebook Posts since Jan. 1: Brown (128), Coakley (58)

Facebook Fans: Brown (70,800), Coakley (13,529)

Tweets since Jan. 1: Brown (142), Coakley (144)

Twitter Followers: Brown (9,679), Coakley (3,385)

YouTube Videos: Brown (57), Coakley (52)

YouTube Video Views: Brown (578,271), Coakley (51,173)

The study concludes that Brown’s use of social media helped in several ways, including boosting his name recognition both in and out of Massachusetts. They note that just 51% of Massachusetts voters had heard of Brown in a Nov. 12 poll, by Jan. 14 his name recognition was at 95%.

The study also found that Brown more openly embraced social media sites on his campaign Web site, where he “prominently” features social networking channels including a Twitter feed while Coakley “gives social networks less prominent real estate.”

In recent elections, Democrats—including President Barack Obama–have gotten the bulk of the credit for using social media networks to boost their campaigns. However, other recent studies suggest that the tech divide between the two parties is narrowing.

A report released last week on lawmaker’s use of Twitter found that Republican lawmakers are taking advantage of the Twitterverse significantly more than their Democratic counterparts. In the House, GOP lawmakers send out 529% more tweets than Democrats.

Enjoy. Best Nicole

There are lots of interesting people to follow on Twitter, but few as novel as @IvyBean104, who is celebrating her 104th birthday today.

While we can’t confirm if she’s Twitter’s oldest user, CNN has some more information on Bean, who resides in England and is also active on Facebook(), where she has reached the site’s 5,000 friend limit. On Twitter(), she currently has 32,000 followers – up significantly from the few hundred she had when she first tried out the service back in May.
 
Bean’s tweets are fairly typical of your average Twitter user, with updates about the TV shows she’s watching, TwitPics, the weather, and activities going on at the care home she resides in. Meanwhile, if this all seems a bit hard to believe, check out the video below where Bean shows her Twitter use to the world: