Many times, I’m sure you’ve heard some social media marketer say, “People are talking about you, why aren’t you part of the conversation?” I’ve seen business owners and CMOs roll their eyes when this old chestnut is trotted out.
But it’s true.
The Presidential debates tonight underscored this sentiment with the creation of the Facebook page “Binders Full of Women” within minutes of Governor Romney making a statement that included these words. Regardless of what candidate you support, you cannot deny the power of social media generating over 50,000 likes in an hour for this satirical page. This kind of virality is unheard of even in this age of Gangnam Style.
While this page will most likely fade away into obscurity, imagine what could be done if it was co opted by either party. What an opportunity for some social-saavy politico to reach out to voters of all stripes and spin the wheel their way.
While President Obama is known for his strategic use of social media in the last election, I firmly believe that this election will be marked more by the social media use of the people than it will be by either candidate or sadly by the fourth estate itself.
UPDATE: As of this morning, there are over 40 Facebook Pages and numerous Tumblr sites called Binders Full of Women. The original Facebook page has over 240,000 likes!