As a local business owner, if there is anything you can learn from social media’s role in the upcoming presidential election it’s that it has become a marketing medium that shouldn’t be ignored. After all, Big Bird has received more publicity in the last two weeks than he has since 1985 — and that’s all thanks to social media’s explosion after Mitt Romney’s comment that he would cut PBS’ spending, Big Bird’s home, if elected.

What does this mean for you? Well, if your business isn’t leveraging social media yet, why not use all the press it has gotten lately as motivation to get started? In the meantime, we’ve put together a little roundup for you that details how social media took over the last presidential debate, and how it’s most likely going to continue to happen throughout the rest of campaign season.

Presidential Debate and Social Media Roundup

As the presidential candidates are learning, social media is a powerful platform for voters to speak their minds. Twitter, especially, has become an outlet for people to not only share their thoughts about the presidential debates, but a place for them to predict the outcome of the election. Check out this article on how Twitter is showing a tighter presidential debate than mainstream media views.

It’s because of social media’s popularity that both presidential candidates, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, are using it in their campaigns. In fact, the presidential candidates are using both Tumblr and Twitter to reach younger voters. Do you think social media will have an effect on the outcome of the election? Take a look at this article that details the use of social media in the 2012 presidential campaigns.

The first 2012 presidential debate was the most tweeted-about event in U.S. politics history, according to the Huffington Post. Twitter got hit hard with non-stop tweets about a certain big yellow bird after presidential candidate Romney’s controversial comment. Watch this 60-second video that details Twitter’s part in the first presidential debate of 2012.

Interested in setting up social media accounts for your business but aren’t sure how to get started? We’ve got you covered! Download our free e-book: Facebook Timeline Basics and be sure to read our eight-part blog series on determining which social media sites are right for your business.

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