DISCLAIMER: This article has nothing to do with who to vote for; nor is it really about politics. You just have to bear with me.
Here is a question:  as of September 16, who has the following number of Facebook fans?

1. 1,848,075
2. 1,572,946
3. 817,873
4. 335,792

Here are a couple of hints: one is a movie; another is an athlete and two are politicians. The interesting thing is three of the four are people who have become brands in their own right.
The answers break down as follows:

1. Barack Obama
2. Michael Phelps
3. Batman: The Dark Night
4. John McCain

Yes, you just read that right. Barack Obama has more fans than any other person/thing/brand/athlete on Facebook. Michael Phelps has more fans than any other athlete and that includes Lebron James, Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. What makes these two stars so interesting is that they have leveraged social networking to grow their fan base, and in Barack Obama’s case, he hopes that this will translate into votes for him come Election Day.
Why does Barack Obama have so many more fans in Facebook than John McCain? There are probably a couple of answers to that question, but it most likely has to do with demographics. Demographically, the social networking crowd online is younger and will probably slant more democratic.

This is a good jumping off point because it raises a very important concept that goes back to my previous article (check it out here) about knowing your customer. Obama knows that a large portion of the “noise” in his campaign is going to happen on the ground with those supporters online. In fact, his online campaign fundraising has been very impressive. Conversely, John McCain’s support in social networking has not been as strong. Perhaps it has to do with generational differences of the candidate’s supporters or the Republican base skewing slightly older. Obama’s online social experiment will be interesting to watch. In the end, the effectiveness of Obama’s campaign will be reflected not in the number of fans on his Facebook page, but rather the number of Millennials who actually turn out to vote for him. That will be the real test of whether social media is a significant social influencer.
What are some of the key takeaways from the political campaigns in social media that can be used to help grow your business?

1. Pick your message and niche. If you find the right audience and deliver the right message, it will spread like wildfire.
2. It is essential that you believe in your brand because when you expose your business to social media the audience will say great things about your brand and not so great things.
3. User interaction and discussion are great! Let the brand ambassadors speak for you while you address the concerns of consumers. Remember, it is a social medium and it is alright to talk back.
4. Leverage your current network. You have a huge network of contacts in your employees, friends and family. Tap your network to extend your brand online.
5. Maintain interaction. Don’t just create a Facebook or MySpace page and let it sit there and expect people to join. If you don’t interact with the audience, they won’t interact with you.

These are just a few things you can do to put social media to work on growing your business. Like the social networking phenomenon of election 2008, social marketing will help you get your name out. It’s simply a matter of knowing how to approach it.