Michelle Obama and Ann Romney: Social Media Breakdown 2012

Social media has played a huge role in this year’s presidential campaign, not just representing the candidates themselves, but also their biggest supporters: their wives. And Michelle Obama and Ann Romney are no exception.

Traditionally, candidates’ wives have supported their husbands by reaching women voters and humanizing the candidates by highlighting their life outside of the campaign. In the age of social media, the channels for broadcasting these messages are new, but the voice is very similar to first ladies and aspiring first ladies we’ve seen in the past. Social media’s wide reach makes their messages even more prominent and even showcases these remarkable women’s personal accomplishments more than we’ve seen in past campaigns.

To give you a view of each wife’s social media efforts, we’ve compiled the following breakdown of activity from their social channels with compiled screenshots and various social media examples from around the web. Take a look at how both Michelle Obama and Ann Romney have capitalized on the potential of campaigning in the social world.

Social Stats

Here’s the lowdown on the networks both women use and the followings they have. You’ll notice that although Michelle Obama has many more followers in the networks, Ann Romney is relatively new when it comes to social media and hasn’t had as much time to build up a comparable following.

Michelle Obama

@MichelleObama

• 1,659,570 followers
• 547 tweets
• This account is run by #Obama2012 campaign staff. Tweets from the First Lady are signed -mo.

Facebook

• 8.4 million Likes
• Doesn’t seem to update personally

Pinterest

• 41,840 followers
• 53 pins
• Boards:
  • People who inspire me
  • Recipe ideas
  • Around the White House
  • Great memories
  • Family

Ann Romney

@AnnDRomney

• 132,865 followers
• 59 tweets
• This account is run by Ann, herself

Facebook

• 318k likes
• Updates personal – first person

Pinterest

• 12,493 followers
• 167 pins
• Boards:
  • July 4th Recipes
  • Crafts / DIY
  • Things I Love
  • Patriotic
  • Inspiration
  • Family
  • Recipes
  • Campaign
  • Books Worth Reading

Supporting Her Husband

As mentioned above, the candidates’ wives are some of their largest supporters and their social networks provide a unique viewpoint. Both Michelle Obama and Ann Romney do an excellent job of supporting their husbands, not only by advocating for votes and donations, but also backing their respective platforms.

Michelle Obama

Ann Romney

Celebrating Family

During the campaign, the both Michelle and Ann use their social networks to remind followers that their lives encompass more than politics. These women are mothers as well, and through sentimental photos that show the other roles of their husbands, the wives humanize their husbands in a way that the candidate might not be able accomplish on his own.

Michelle Obama

Ann Romney

Reaching out to Women Voters

The spouses each have the ability to relate to women voters in a way that their husbands cannot. They often reach out to women voters individually and promote their events through their social networks.

Michelle Obama

Ann Romney

Milestones on Timeline

Both wives have utilized their timelines to show important events. This allows followers a glimpse into the lives of these women.

Michelle Obama

Ann Romney

Personal Causes

It’s not all about the campaign trail for these women, it’s also about reaching out to people and donating their personal time to raise awareness for causes each fervently believes in. Ann is known for her support for breast cancer research and Michelle is known for promoting a healthy active lifestyle through her organization, Get Moving.

Michelle Obama

Ann Romney

Key Takeaways

Both Ann Romney and Michelle Obama’s social media channels demonstrate the time and effort each puts into their husbands campaign, as well as reinforcing their goals. The campaign then becomes visible through another set of eyes and followers are able to see facets of the candidate, which may not be readily visible in the news. The audience is also privy to the lives of these women, and are able to connect to the candidates in a way that may have not been otherwise possible.

6 Ways Young Treps Can Make Time for a Vacation

When was the last time you took a vacation? For many young entrepreneurs, the answer is probably, “That's a joke, right?” But you just might want to rethink your aversion to time off.

To run a successful company, you’ll need to be there, of course. But you’ll often need to also take time to clear your head or even distance yourself from the business in order to think about how to grow more effectively. Plus, it’s good for you. Working long hours without taking time off to renew yourself can beat up your immune system, making you vulnerable to any mal-intentioned germ that comes along. It's much nicer to take a vacation and enjoy yourself than spend time recovering from not taking enough care of yourself.

In the end, time off can be just as vital — if not more so — as actually running the show. Here are six ways that even uber-busy start-up entrepreneurs can make a vacation work:

• 1. Take a tax deductible vacation. Attend a conference on a topic related to your business. Spending time with other professionals in your field can be incredibly energizing. You can learn something, deduct the cost and skip enough sessions to make a vacation out of it too. Or if there's a company, supplier or customer based in a potential vacation spot, include a visit, giving the tax folks a rationale for deducting some or the entire trip.

• 2. Take a short vacation. Start with a three-day weekend — or even the July 4th Holiday. Place an automatic response on your email, turn off your cell phone and let yourself have most of the day with no work on your plate. Even if you stay home, you can take in a movie or hit that new restaurant everyone's talking about. Consider a trip to some place of interest within a half-day's drive.

• 3. Take a family vacation. How long has it been since you saw Uncle Bob, Aunt Geneva or your brother in grad school? Take a few days and visit them. They'll want to hear about what you're up to, and they'll probably feed and house you — all except your brother, of course. You can relax and not spend too much money beyond transportation.

• 4. Take a road trip. Pack a cooler, grab a map or GPS and cruise the back roads around your home. Pick a destination but get there slowly. Stay in cheap local motels, B&B's or camp out. Time in the car will be good thinking time. You can stop anywhere you want, for as long as you want.

• 5. Stay connected to your business. With smart phones and wifi all over, you don't have to lose touch with your business or your customers. Designate an hour every day to checking messages and emails. Then turn your phone off and enjoy your vacation. After all, you earned it.

• 6. Start slow. Does even a three-day weekend seem like too much right now? How about an hour? How about an afternoon? Take a walk, go to the gym or see a movie. Think about doing something you haven't done in a long time — or ever. Visit the best park in your community and walk through the woods. Even if it's only for a short time, you're giving yourself the sense of what a vacation can do for you. It may give you an incentive to take more time for a real vacation soon.

Remember, one of the reasons why you chose to be an entrepreneur is so that you could be in control of your own life. If you let your business take all of your time and energy, you will soon lose sight of one of the best reasons for being an entrepreneur, the ability to fit your business to your lifestyle. Even as you grow your business, a vacation can be an excellent reminder of the good life you're working toward.

6 Ways Young Treps Can Make Time for a Vacation

When was the last time you took a vacation? For many young entrepreneurs, the answer is probably, “That's a joke, right?” But you just might want to rethink your aversion to time off.

To run a successful company, you’ll need to be there, of course. But you’ll often need to also take time to clear your head or even distance yourself from the business in order to think about how to grow more effectively. Plus, it’s good for you. Working long hours without taking time off to renew yourself can beat up your immune system, making you vulnerable to any mal-intentioned germ that comes along. It's much nicer to take a vacation and enjoy yourself than spend time recovering from not taking enough care of yourself.

In the end, time off can be just as vital — if not more so — as actually running the show. Here are six ways that even uber-busy start-up entrepreneurs can make a vacation work:

• 1. Take a tax deductible vacation. Attend a conference on a topic related to your business. Spending time with other professionals in your field can be incredibly energizing. You can learn something, deduct the cost and skip enough sessions to make a vacation out of it too. Or if there's a company, supplier or customer based in a potential vacation spot, include a visit, giving the tax folks a rationale for deducting some or the entire trip.

• 2. Take a short vacation. Start with a three-day weekend — or even the July 4th Holiday. Place an automatic response on your email, turn off your cell phone and let yourself have most of the day with no work on your plate. Even if you stay home, you can take in a movie or hit that new restaurant everyone's talking about. Consider a trip to some place of interest within a half-day's drive.

• 3. Take a family vacation. How long has it been since you saw Uncle Bob, Aunt Geneva or your brother in grad school? Take a few days and visit them. They'll want to hear about what you're up to, and they'll probably feed and house you — all except your brother, of course. You can relax and not spend too much money beyond transportation.

• 4. Take a road trip. Pack a cooler, grab a map or GPS and cruise the back roads around your home. Pick a destination but get there slowly. Stay in cheap local motels, B&B's or camp out. Time in the car will be good thinking time. You can stop anywhere you want, for as long as you want.

• 5. Stay connected to your business. With smart phones and wifi all over, you don't have to lose touch with your business or your customers. Designate an hour every day to checking messages and emails. Then turn your phone off and enjoy your vacation. After all, you earned it.

• 6. Start slow. Does even a three-day weekend seem like too much right now? How about an hour? How about an afternoon? Take a walk, go to the gym or see a movie. Think about doing something you haven't done in a long time — or ever. Visit the best park in your community and walk through the woods. Even if it's only for a short time, you're giving yourself the sense of what a vacation can do for you. It may give you an incentive to take more time for a real vacation soon.

Remember, one of the reasons why you chose to be an entrepreneur is so that you could be in control of your own life. If you let your business take all of your time and energy, you will soon lose sight of one of the best reasons for being an entrepreneur, the ability to fit your business to your lifestyle. Even as you grow your business, a vacation can be an excellent reminder of the good life you're working toward.