We can learn a lot from Ford’s unveiling of the 2011 Explorer on Tuesday.  Rather than introducing the “100% reinvented” Explorer at an auto show (which is standard procedure), Ford revealed it exclusively on its Facebook Page.  Talk about making your Facebook “fans” feel special.

Ford’s Facebook unveiling is the twenty-first century version of General Motors’s Parade of Progress.  From 1936-1956, GM ran road shows called Parade of Progress, which brought GM products directly to every small city and community across the country.  They believed that a “well done, non-commercial, entertaining, educational, free road show would do wonders to help put General Motors’s message across.”  Ford is taking those same ideas and applying them to Facebook.

Of course, political campaigns should not be expected to produce an event as extravagant as Ford’s, but giving your supporters a few exclusive insights is a great way to keep your existing supporters happy, generate new followers and have repeat visitors.

A lot of campaigns get sucked into the conventional notion that they have to post multiple times a day to achieve online success.  This leads to a lot of “babble” being posted on each account.  My suggestion is to reduce the bulk posting, while mixing in at least a few exclusive posts every couple weeks.  Exclusive posts could incorporate campaign video, an opinion piece or a short Q&A with supporters.

I’m not saying that campaigns should significantly decrease their posting habits, but there is no need to post six things a day.  Over posting ensures that a lot of content will be washed away in a few days because most people won’t click beyond what is immediately visible to them.

Everyone likes to feel special, so show your online supporters “the love” and give them something exclusive because at the end of the day a happy supporter is much more valuable to the campaign than an unhappy one.

--Christopher Walling serves as the Political Editor at ProjectVirginia, “Where Politics Meets Social Media”