If you are an elected official, getting the public to like you is a requirement for winning and keeping your job. In the "old days", you could focus on face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, and even email. Not so any more. Here's why:

1. The public expects more.
2. Your competition is doing more.

Pretty straightforward. But, the idea of using social media can be frightening to a public official, we get it. We've all seen the dark side of the Internet. And, you worry that using social media puts you on call 24-7.

But, it doesn't have to be that way. You CAN have your cake and eat it too, because you can control your social media. And, it takes VERY LITTLE time and knowledge to do it.

Here's how ...

First, if you are trying to WIN elected office against a strong incumbent or challenger, you are going to have to dive deep into socia media, and will probably need some help doing so. That's beyond the scope of our post here. Instead, we are going to focus on providing directions on the MINIMUM you can do to keep the public happy.

1. Don't bother having a personal website. It takes too much effort (and cost) to launch it and maintain it. (We are talking minimum effort here, remember).
   
   
2. Don't use Twitter. Twitter is mostly a bunch of people shouting at each other. It takes too much time and focus to make Twitter work for you, so it's best not to bother.
   
   
3. Create a Facebook Page or become a member of lokol.me (if it's in your community, like goCapeBreton.com). Doing both is best, but you can get by with just one.  The learning curve is minimal, maybe 30 - 60 minutes.
   
   

• If you use a Facebook Page (which is not the same as a personal account), set it so that people cannot contact you through Facebook and set the page to not allow anyone to post on your timeline. This makes it mostly a one-way communication and provides you with maximum control, while allowing you to use it on your own schedule (as frequently or infrequently as you like).
  
  
• If you use lokol.me, all you have to do is sign up for a free membership and you are all set to start posting, here's how.
  
  
• Once you are set up, then once every few weeks, post a photo and write a few words of text that show you active in your community. You at the bingo hall, you at the council meeting, you supporting (or not supporting) something ... maybe even explain your reasoning. Remember, the public is wondering what you are doing to earn your pay ... so show them.  Even one post a month will win many hearts and minds, reaching hundreds and maybe even thousands of people. And, it takes you less time than a single telephone call to reach one person.
  
  

That's it. Of course, the more you do, the more effective it will be for you (and better for the people that you serve). But you can start with the minimum and still earn a lot of love ... and those who like you (even a little bit) will share your news without you even asking.

Will some people say negative things about you?  Yup.  But, they are already doing that anyway now, whether you are using social media or not. By using social media, you are presenting yourself in a positive light and building your personal brand, even if you do or say very little ... and that will act as an antidote to any poison. Now, that's powerful.