Experts in digital media share insights on political communications

The fourth edition of the GMA Webinar Series has brought together experts from both industry and academia to discuss the influence of digital media on the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The webinar which was held via zoom on 25th August shed light on the various social media tools available, their reach and how politicians can utilize them in their campaigns.

Mr Maximus Amertogoh, a digital expert and consultant, opened the conversation by sharing and explaining the ‘A-G’ of effective digital political campaigning;

“Political parties have to start by profiling their audience on social media in order to tailor specific messages to them. They also need to be clear about the benefits they hope to achieve from campaigning digitally. The other factors are communicating clearly and through the appropriate channels, distribution of content using influencers and other networks, frequent engagement and monitoring using listening tools, making funds available to promote campaigns and identification of clear goals which must be achieved”, he explained.

Mr Eli Daniel-Wilson, Head of Digital, Global Media Alliance, shared insights on how political parties can use Whoopro, a new app which allows organisations to meet and employ influencers for their campaigns to reach their audience;

“One advantage that digital and social media offers is the ability to fully track what is being said about your brand or campaign. You also have the opportunity to identify and select influencers who appeal to your audience to disseminate your content directly. Whoopro will give you that opportunity to meet influencers, share content with them, monitor their posts and pay them all on one platform. This makes it easy to update campaigns with ease and speed. The app will be open to the public next month and we invite all politicians and other entities to take advantage of its many benefits”, he revealed.

Dr. Kobby Mensah, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School focused on the opportunity for politicians to use social media to build a loyal following;

“With the right kind of engagement and content, it is easy to build a loyal following because unlike traditional media where the content is generalized, digital media allows you to customize your content to suit specific demographics through influencers, Publicly Important People (PIP) and ads. Politicians are also able to receive feedback easily from their audience and this strengthens the relationship between the politicians and their followers”, he shared.

The series was hosted by Fati Ali-Shaibu, a Broadcast Journalist at Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company.

The Global Media Alliance webinar series was partnered by eTV Ghana, Happy FM, YFM, the Business and Financial Times and Perception Management International (PMI).