2012 Republican Candidates and Their Landing Pages

A lot can be said about the way the 2008 Presidential election was won. Some will say Barack Obama would never have become President if it wasn’t for his aggressive online marketing and social networking exposure. As internet marketers, we can truly appreciate the power of the internet and how we can influence people through social networking. Through the use of capturing email addresses and using Twitter, Obama was able to connect with the younger generation and be cool with technology, in addition to being able to instantly contact millions of followers for donations. After the 2008 election, people finally started to realize the power of social networking and how online communications will affect the way elections can be swung and won.

With all of that said, let’s take a look at how some of the top 2012 Republican candidates are making the most out of their web sites and email and social media efforts, while trying to win the 2012 election.

Mitt Romney

From the landing pages listed in this article, I would have to say Mitt Romney has the best setup. There is already a massive following behind Gov. Chris Christie, and by associating his approval with Mitt Romney, it gives you more of a reason to follow/like/vote for Romney. In addition to an immediate call to action (email/zip code), the page also demonstrates all of the necessary social networking buttons than many of the other candidates lack.

Rick Perry

Though he may not be running in the election for much longer after her little stunt last night during the debate, Rick Perry still has a decent landing page for his web site. An immediate call to action with a nice looking design, along with the option to skip right to the web site if you don’t want to signup. Not providing this option, or making it hard to find, can really irritate web site visitors.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain has been in the news from the start, with his 9-9-9 plan, to the recent allegations against him. We don’t care about any of that… instead let’s focus on his web site landing page. A great looking design with minimal distractions (various colors), but still an immediate action, which is to enter your email address and zip code. Again, the option to “continue to website” is still prominent.

Michelle Bachman

The web site for Michelle Bachman has taken a different approach from the others in the group, which is to offer a choice to the visitors… something I don’t recommend. If you click “Donate Today”, you are sent to a long registration form about donating and volunteering. You also have the option to get email updates… which just doesn’t sound that exciting. Adding one more distraction to the page, you have the option to buy her book. When giving the user too many options, many will just leave or start browsing without a direct goal in mind. I would have just went along with the other candidates and grabbed the users email on the main page.

Ron Paul

It’s not surprising that Ron Paul has taken a different approach from all other candidates, not just in his politics, but also with his site structure. When you visit Ron Paul’s web site, that’s exactly what you get… a full web site. There is no email caption or donation button in your face, but all of the content on one page. You will see placements through out the site for email updates, donations and social links, but they are not stand alone lead generation pages like many of the other candidates. This is an approach New Gingrich did with his web site.

Republican Candidates… Who Get’s Your Vote?

No… not to become the leader of our country, but for the best web site and landing page? With the ridiculous amount of money that will be spent and wasted pushing users to vote for these candidates, if they don’t have the right online setting and social pretense, their campaign may already be doomed. With the simple means of ONE CLICK to “like” or “follow” through Twitter and Facebook, it’s surprising to see more candidates aren’t making use of these powerful means of communication.