When it comes to being savvy at social media and online persuasion, Barack Obama is better than Mitt Romney — at least according to the results of a recent Google Survey: “Who’s Better at Social Media and Online Persuasion: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?”

Querying 2,500 Internet users nationwide, a little over 64 percent of those polled chose the incumbent president over the Republican candidate, the exception being within the category of Americans over the age of 64. Exploring the demographics a little deeper, the survey showed:

• Suburban areas (38 percent) picked Romney more than urban areas (38.8 percent vs. 31.0 percent);
• Among people earning $25,000-$49,000, those in rural areas picked Romney more than those in urban areas (47.5 percent vs. 30.8 percent);
• Among people earning $25,000-$49,000, those in the South picked Romney more than those in the Northeast. (45.1 percent vs. 27.5); and
• Age affected how people picked Romney and, with one exception, the younger the respondents, the less likely that group was to vote for Romney — 27.3 percent of those ages 18-24 picked Romney over Obama.

What’s so significant about these latest factoids? According to Terry Dean and Dr. Glenn Livingston, the two internationally esteemed marketing experts who orchestrated the survey, they provide some compelling insights into what people of various ages, incomes and cultures think about the candidates relative to their online persuasion and social media smarts. Those perceptions could be useful in assessing overall candidate popularity, competency, popularity among various demographics, and even election probabilities.

“If you were to look at just this survey and make a call about which candidate has more momentum, synergy and support, Obama would appear the winner, hands down,” says Livingston, who heads several marketing firms, including UnlimitedTrafficMachine.com that have provided  $20+ million in consulting to clients big and small. “It’s really been a fun and highly revealing experiment.”

With this recent Obama vs. Romney poll, Livingston and Dean also constructed a “media website” and, among other things, an illustrative 35-minute YouTube video. The video reviews the candidates’ online campaigns and gives expert opinion on why people voted nearly two-to-one in Obama’s favor.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyVFLEOuY3U

“When people watch this video, they learn about the poll and get our in-depth analysis of why people likely voted the way they did,” says Dean, the project’s co-creator and CEO of My Marketing Coach. “We showcase some of the clear distinctions between Obama and Romney’s current online persuasion and social media competencies, and it gives us a way to share our knowledge about the online marketing topic, examining everything from websites to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. For business owners who are either looking to boost their own traffic and convert browsers into customers, there are some excellent lessons offered here. Of course, we could have looked at two traditional business’ websites and examined their online persuasion capabilities, but given the timeliness of the election, scrutinizing the candidates simply had a lot more appeal.”

Currently the owner/CEO of several marketing companies, including UnlimitedTrafficMachine.com, Dr. Glenn Livingston has coached countless Fortune 500 companies and has been featured by media and publishing outlets worldwide. Livingston has created savvy marketing solutions plus cultivated a niche in hyper-responsive marketing for achievement-oriented, introspective entrepreneurs. He’s available for consulting, interviews and speaking engagements.

Since 1996, Terry Dean has helped thousands of entrepreneurs sort through conflicting Internet advice and find viable ways to reduce their stress and workload while raising profitability. As the founder/owner of MyMarketingCoach.com, Dean provides proven solutions for developing, owning and implementing winning online-business strategies.  Specializing in online persuasion and is the author of “Internet Integrity,” a popular book about converting prospects into valuable customers online, Dean is available for coaching, interviews and speaking engagements.

Source: Terry Dean; Dr. Glenn Livingston

Image: DonkeyHotey, via Flickr (CC)

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About Francis Rey Balolong

A coffee junkie who spends most of his time writing about the latest news on social media and mobile technology. I would definitely consider myself a nerd (in the coolest most hipster way possible). That being said, I love technology, music, writing, and all things mobile. Follow me: Google+ Twitter

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