Social Media and the NM Lt Governor’s Race
Here in New Mexico, the incumbent Lt Governor has stepped up to become the 2010 Democratic Candidate for Governor. On June 1, five candidates were on the ballot to be her successor in the Lt Governor’s slot. This is a small state, and this was not a high profile primary for Democrats. Still, about 125,300 people voted for one of the Lt Governor hopefuls. A simple majority was all that was needed to win.
The top two candidates garnered 53% of the vote with the margin between them coming in at only 5,397 votes. The results did reflect the amount of money raised and the number of ads placed on TV and radio around the state, but there was another difference between these candidates – their social media presence. The winner – Brian Colón – had about 2,800 Facebook friends on Election Day, and the runner-up – Lawrence Rael – had about 1,600 Facebook friends. Not only did Mr. Colón have a broader reach than Mr. Rael, but the level of comments and overall engagement was higher on Colón’s Facebook page.
Financial Service Firms are Cozying Up to Social Media
Pat Allen of RockTheBoat Marketing has done a good job of keeping up with which financial services firms are doing what on the social web. She did a synopsis of panel discussions held at two recent industry events – the Investment Company Institute (ICI) General Membership meeting, and their Operations and Technology Conference. Those paraphrased included senior people at big brand names like Vanguard, Hartford Life, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Fidelity Investments Institutional, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and Edward Jones, as well as other firms such as First Eagle Investment Management, Franklin Resources, LPL Financial, and Northern Trust.
The blog indicated that Hartford Life President and COO, John Walters, and First Eagle Investment Management President and CEO, Bridget Macaskill, said that they “don’t get it,” but the rest of the participants in the various discussions were either actively engaged or very interested in social media. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter were the most referenced social spaces.
The Art of Social Media and Politics
I’ve been working hard and not communicating online. Not a good choice for a social media consultant, and certainly not the advice I give to my clients. The hard work has been with a candidate in a primary campaign in a small state. There are five candidates for the same position so the small pie is being cut into very thin slices, and just edging out the other opponents is all that is needed. There is no requirement for a real majority.
I have a candidate who is a natural for social media. He genuinely engages with people, listens to them and remembers what they say. Facebook, especially, has been a strong means of communications for him. The mobile upload of pictures from meet-and-greets in towns around the state and his personal comments keep him in touch with his Facebook friends, and keep his supporters not only engaged with him, but also with other supporters. We’re on the final stretch of the campaign with Election Day coming up on June 1st.
FINRA Clarifies Some SocialMedia Rules
March 17, 2020: Today, FINRA hosted a webcast that was, primarily, and Q&A session between FINRA and two member companies: Bank of America / Merrill Lynch (BAML) and New York Life Insurance. They provided some clarification on their positions set forth in FINRA Regulatory Notice 10-06 (January 2010), but information from BAML and, especially, New York Life was the main focus.
