Social media has become one of the most powerful tools for reaching people throughout the globe, used by countless businesses, organisations and public officials across the world to communicate with and inform people on a mass scale. This was demonstrated once again this week, as the White House made extensive use of social media in conjunction with President Obama’s State of the Union address.
In an unusual move, the entire text of the speech was released online before it actually took place, allowing the American public and others who have an interest in the content of the speech to read it in advance. This resulted in millions of tweets and social media posts as people shared the information and gave their opinions and views on the content. According to Facebook, 5.7 million users posted 13.8 million interactions on the subject, and #FreeCommunityCollege became a national trend on Twitter as one of the issues being addressed in the speech.
The aim of posting the content on social media was to create interest around this important political event and encourage discussion amongst the public. As TV ratings for the speech have been declining every year, the White House tried a new tactic to get people involved and engaged, and it seems to have worked. For once, the State of the Union was not simply a one-sided speech, but a national discussion where anyone could get involved.
This is just one example of the sheer power social media can have when it comes to engaging people, and demonstrates how any business, cause or organisation can draw attention and create a buzz with effective use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. If you are interested in using social media to its full potential, our team can provide a bespoke package that will help you create interest around your cause, product or service.