Rick Perry playing catch-up to 2012 field on social media

Good governor, who emerged recently as the current front-runner for the Republican nomination is mounting an aggressive game of catch up.


Apparently, his campaign brass sat down with him, discussed his momentum, and weighed options in putting some distance between he and Mitt Romney.


Now, he is relying less on traditional resources like yard signs, and more on building social networks on the Internet.


Besides, today if a candidate wants to get their message to their constituency, television and radio networks may only reach a small number, while social media targets a larger audience.


Furthermore, using fan pages and sending out tweets is less expensive than costs of running television commercials and booking radio spots. In short, it's based on what gives Gov. Rick Perry more bang for his buck.


However, other GOP rivals are making a stronger impact in reaching potential voters. For example, Governor Mitt Romney has about seven times more followers on Facebook than Gov. Perry.


"Social media makes it easy to identify and reach out to those individuals who are very engaged and then turn them into proselytizers," said an expert according to a Miami Herald report.


The number of social media followers or fans a candidate does not translate directly into campaign success. Perry soundly defeated Democrat Bill White in the 2010 race for governor even though both had built similar audiences on Facebook.
For 2012, Herman Cain has launched the most comprehensive Facebook page of the GOP candidates, with videos, discussion boards and live streams from the campaign bus. But he continues to trail well behind Perry and Romney in polls.
But given its place in American life, campaigns can't ignore social media.
About 54 percent of adult Americans online in 2010 used the Web for political purposes, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. More specifically, almost one in four turned to social media sites to engage in politics during the 2010 midterm elections, a separate Pew study found. And the use cuts across party, age, gender, race and ethnicity, according to Pew.
The early start by Perry's rivals has allowed them extra time to build heartier followings, identify their most active online supporters and enroll them as digital campaign evangelists.
Jon Huntsman's Facebook page goes as far as to include a "Top Supporters" link that ranks and rewards users based on how active they are on his campaign page.
"Social media makes it easy to identify and reach out to those individuals who are very engaged and then turn them into proselytizers," said Aaron Smith, a senior researcher and author of the Pew social media study.
"They can then take action by sending information to their friends, encourage their friends to vote and create their own content around the campaign," Smith said.
Obama's 2008 campaign was the first to use social media to rally voters on a national scale. And he continues to take his online campaign to new levels, underscoring the challenges Perry would face should he reach the general election.
In addition to accumulating big followings on his main Facebook (23.1 million followers) and Twitter (10 million) accounts, Obama has individual feeds for every state. He also maintains targeted Twitter and Facebook feeds representing key constituencies, including teachers, Latinos, women and students.
All of Obama's feeds, powered mostly by volunteers, feature tailored content and have helped him construct the most sophisticated online social network in politics.