Earlier this fall, the Buzz Bin spoke to pseudo-candidate Ray Hopewood in an interview that exposed how technology and social media trends affect political campaigns.
Back in the real race for the White House, Republican candidate Ron Paul made headlines for using social media to raise $4.2 million dollars in online donations. His substantial financial gain and popularity have likened him to Howard Dean’s “tidal wave of online hype” from strong grassroots outreach.
Ron Paul is not new to the media, but he certainly has made his mark this week. Although he may not completely understand the internet and social media, he was smart enough to enlist bloggers and other experts who do. Online campaign strategists are nothing new, but this year will prove to be big for Web 2.0 as candidates are all but required to participate in and monitor blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and other social media outlets.
The question is, in the end will online support equal out votes? (Maybe, maybe not) Who are these people donating money, where 
do they come from, and what compels them to donate online? Are these anonymous internet donors a solid base of untapped and loyal supporters that could make or break the polls this year like the “soccer moms” of the 1990’s or Evangelicals in recent election years?
Sources say that Ron’s success is due to the fact that he was able to tap into the 80% of Americans that regularly use the internet, and impress them with his candor and consistency. In that sense he’s a breath of fresh air among a jaded and critical public tired of politicians that flip-flop and don’t seem to “get it”.
Isn’t that what social media is all about? Providing an opportunity for open dialogue, conversation, and giving people something to really relate to?
In this case, for now, Ron Paul’s authenticity proves that a good social media campaign can definitely reap huge returns on investment, not only for developing credibility and support, but with an actual dollar amount. It’s the kind of ROI that anybody can relate to.
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