Are political parties leveraging social media effectively?

Political parties need to reach out to their potential voters primarily for two reasons: 

1. If not in power, convince the voters to vote for them by sharing their manifesto and vision (if elected)
2. If already in power, update the residents of the party's constituency on their progress towards meeting the goals which were promised in the election manifesto and vision

Social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are free to use and can be leveraged to meet the above two requirements. But in order to reach the intended audience organically, following best practices need to be applied.

• When registering for a new account, choose a sensible username. Example: party name (https://www.facebook.com/AamAadmiParty/ or https://www.facebook.com/GOP)
• Post fresh content regularly (at least once a day or once a week) to highlight party's agenda and accomplishments
• Include visual content and not just text. Example: image of party leader or video of party workers listening to voters' needs or articulating their future plan to help meet those needs

Case studies:

There have been some success stories of parties who followed above social media strategy to win complex elections with limited budgets. 

Example 1: In 2022 Punjab state elections, there were more than five parties who contested. Even though, the incumbent party had higher campaign budget while others had alliance, a new party AAP won the elections due to their alignment with voters' needs and targeted marketing of their vision. Their crystal clear USP of building quality schools and hospitals while eliminating corruption further helped them win the hearts and minds of the voters.✌✌✌

Example 2: In 2016 US Presidential elections, Donald Trump contested for the first time against a seasoned politician of Democratic Party. He used the campaign slogan Make America Great Again which resonated with blue collar workers across the country. His party used social media to market that message and reached out to the American voters by conducting rallies in all 50 states. Finally, he won a tough elections against a party who had more campaign fund and political support. 👌👌👌

Winning party's social media videos:

Aam Aadmi Party won in 2022 Punjab State Assembly elections

Donald Trump of Republican Party won in 2016 Presidential elections