Grace, that’s what a politician needs to get on TikTok. There is no way to think of your content appealing to the audience if it lacks this great quality. And it seems that the candidates in Mexico do not have it, or at least that is what the consultants in political marketing consulted say, after seeing the videos they publish on the platform.
“It is a network that helps the user to uninhibit and to do so you have to have natural grace, otherwise we see people making a fool of themselves, who end up being rejected and even more so if they deal with political issues,” says Andrés García López, director of the consulting firm Ayopa Marketing Político.
With the June 6 elections just around the corner, TikTok has been filled with candidates trying to attract the attention of users, many of them demonstrating their few dance skills, one of the most popular topics on the Internet. Social. And, in the face of attempts, rather than positive comments, what predominates are questions about their political proposals.
“If you vote for a candidate who is only known for his dances, do not complain when he leads you to the dance with the budget already in power,” they complain on social networks about candidates such as José Luis Romero, known as ‘El Tecmol’. The Progressive Social Networks (RSP) candidate for governor of San Luis Potosí, who has more than 8,000 followers and almost 94,000 likes.
And this little step perron 🤟🏼
Iván Gamboa Song, managing partner of Sufragio Consultores, says that the candidates have not received positive comments because they take the social network as a recreational space and forget their main objective, which is to place messages in public opinion.
For the political consultant, the problem is believing that being on the platform solves their problems, but TikTok should be a complementary exercise to the communication of their campaign. And getting on the platform must be accompanied by a strategy.
“They have to listen, propose, propose solutions to the problems of the voters. They believe that being in this situation they will avoid all this way, which is completely wrong ”, he adds.
To the conquest of the young elector
The ‘tiktokers’ candidates themselves for some of the electoral positions have said it: their foray into the social network aims to attract the youngest voters in the country. It is about 26 million people between 18 and 30 years old, according to the National Electoral Institute (INE).
In Mexico, TikTok has more than 25 million users. Most are between the ages of 13 and 18. In addition, there is a significant percentage of people between 20 and 29 years old. “If we consider the figures, it becomes an ideal network to reach this audience, but the candidates are entering it without a clear strategy and without prior studies that determine their efficiency for the campaign,” says Andrés García.
For Alonso Cedeño, founder and director of the political marketing consultancy Strategy Online, the competition on TikTok is fierce because it is a young segment that seeks pure entertainment, so they expect that from a candidate.
“There are candidates who are not photogenic and who cannot dance, but if they show an empathetic and entertaining message, things change. The problem is that we only see them make fools of themselves. They may not have been born graceful, but they end up putting unattractive content on a platform dominated by witty people, with good productions, fluid and entertaining messages, “he adds.
The medium is not the problem
Although the search for new digital platforms is part of the need to reach new audiences, the general director of Ayopa Marketing Político explains that the incursion of politicians in TikTok is also due to the fact that the pandemic has prevented mass events and changes on other platforms.
“Many candidates have been infected, this becomes complex. Likewise, Facebook and Twitter imposed new rules. This ends up modifying the strategy of the politicians. It is necessary to look for new horizons ”, he refers.
But beyond this, Iván Gamboa Song says that social networks give a great advantage when it comes to making the proposals of citizenship candidates known, it is an area of conversation that cannot be missed, that is, it is not try to fill only the spaces, you have to give an echo to the work that is done every day.
In this sense, TikTok is like any other social network. You have to generate a strategy, have structure, seek a goal, understand your audience and deliver consistent messages.
“It is not an alternative game space to the personality of the candidate, it is one more medium that must be treated like this, you have to understand the platform so that it does not become counterproductive, like any other. Proposals, content, solutions, that must be shown. Being there by tendency is a danger and people show it ”, adds the consultant.
Alonso Cedeño recommends doing interesting things, with caution and strategy. Otherwise why be on TikTok? “Don’t get involved if you don’t have the ability to compete,” he warns.
