The American public is now digesting daily the commentary our President puts out on Twitter. Whether you agree with him or not, @realDonaldTrump continues to make headlines on a wide array of topics including the media, politics, policy and Hollywood (POTUS and the Terminator continue to have a spat over The Apprentice failing on TV). The question is, what impact will all this social media have in addressing the policy concerns confronting @NACD_RD members? A few years ago, I probably would have laughed saying that there would be no impact at all, but not today. This President’s social media prowess is unprecedented and continues to break new ground.
President Trump’s frequent Twitter commentary (he tweets almost 5-7 times daily) has reshaped how this country now addresses its priorities as well. And if you don’t believe me, I would encourage you to read a recent article from The Economist that clearly demonstrates the President’s impact on the stock market when he tweets about public companies.
#Trumpcare (the new Twitter buzz word for this administration’s take on health care reform to replace Obamacare), #TaxReform, #RegReform and #RailReform are just a few of the major issues confronting Congress and the Trump administration where social media will play an important and likely pivotal role in shaping policy important to NACD members. The fact is, today social media is used as a center piece for any and all effective grassroots and/or advocacy efforts in Washington.
If you don’t believe me, let me give you some proof. According to a survey on social media trends in advocacy, nearly 75 percent of advocacy organizations surveyed use Twitter to communicate with their audiences. In fact, 40 percent of them use Twitter at least once a week, if not daily, to communicate with Capitol Hill. Another recent survey shows that nearly 40 percent of advocacy groups believe the use of social media to influence policymakers will increase over the next five years. While Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram can amplify both the good and bad of any issue, social media is one of the key ways to influence policy and public opinion in today’s world.
What @realDonaldTrump tweets about will have a large impact, good and bad, on issues important to @NACD_RD members. And we as an association of chemical distributors and other supply chain partners must be ready to ensure that our industry has a voice in these discussions.
*As you will note throughout this blog, I have linked to a few articles and Twitter handles. If you do not have a Twitter account yet, please take a few minutes to set one up at www.twitter.com and make sure to follow @EByerNACD and @NACD_RD.
*As you will note throughout this blog, I have linked to a few articles and Twitter handles. If you do not have a Twitter account yet, please take a few minutes to set one up at www.twitter.com and make sure to follow @EByerNACD and @NACD_RD.