Ron Paul has taken over social websites like Reddit. Conquered the poles of Fox News. And spammed thousands of other websites and email addresses.

The “Ron Paul Effect” has created mainstream media attention. And people are wondering if winning online will mean votes at the primary election.

Most politicians treat online promotion as part of their offline PR. Online calls to action are not like their offline counterparts. This means online political activities don’t turn into action – votes - by viewers.

Ron Paul’s campaign is for internet users. Paul’s tactics are producing results, online and off.

Through online efforts, his campaign has raised millions of dollars. The buzz has poured into the offline world and claimed attention from international news programs and political pundits.

Will Ron Paul take his online victory to the offline world?

Not likely.

I keep thinking of the Clinton years when having a website meant a candidate was “revolutionary”. That was not long ago. Being innovative online has yet to make an election win.

There is an age gap between online users and voters. Many people pushing Ron Paul are young. I guess about a third of Ron Paul’s advocates – the people who know about online promotion - are too young to vote. Another third won’t vote because they are young enough to get distracted from the polls come Election Day.

You also have to figure the halo effect is in action here. It is fashionable to support Ron Paul online. That doesn’t mean people that vote for him online will vote for him in the actual election.

There are also non-qualified “voters” from other countries throwing the numbers off. It’s fun to be part of a trend.

Buzz or hype?

Despite the buzz, Scott Willoughby points out that the Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama have had more name mentions, searches conducted, and reported traffic to their campaign websites than Ron Paul. Ron Paul’s efforts may help him with the Republican Primary but that does not translate to the overall election.

It is not fashionable to support Ron Paul if you are over 30. Building online buzz doesn’t compare with reducing the crime rate of New York City and leading it through a major disaster. Or having past experience at top levels of the White House.

This is bad news for Ron Paul but good news for politicians of the next election. As Paul’s supporters gain influence offline, online promoters will know how to reach these people. I expect to have a very different opinion of the effects online promotion has on politics within the next 4 years.

The internet-elected leader of the free world

Maybe I’ll be surprised. Maybe the internet has advanced further than I thought. That would be great news for me considering my career. I just don’t think we’re ready for an internet-crafted president to lead us through the challenges of the real world.

On the other hand, I understand Ron Paul is doing very well in the debates. If he wins the election, internet marketers like myself will be sure to take some of the credit.

Note: This post is about how online marketing applies to politics, not how politics applies to anything. I’m not prepared to discuss the merits of any candidates. And I have not decided who I will vote for yet so I hopefully kept things politically neutral. Let’s play nice in the comments, shall we?

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