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Hillary Clinton vs. Marco Rubio: Their Social Media Report Cards

By April 15, 2015 at 2:05 pm

The 2008 Barack Obama campaign was the first in history to use social media to win a presidential race. With over 3 million supporters on Facebook and over 50 million views on YouTube, his social media strategy smoked the competition. How are this election’s candidates stacking up? Here’s a first look at Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio’s social media report cards.

Twitter

Hillary Clinton: B-

Marco Rubio: B+

Facebook

Hillary Clinton: B

Credit: Facebook / Hillary Clinton

A few hours after making her announcement on Sunday, Clinton joined Facebook. In just 24 hours she hit 642,144 likes and over 2 million views on her kickoff video. Not bad for a newbie, right? Her feed started off as a list of her milestones, but since kicking off her road trip, Clinton’s Facebook feed is starting to include pictures of the people she’s meeting and the conversations she’s having along the way. Think she’ll check-in next time she stops at a Chipotle?

Marco Rubio: C

Credit: Facebook / Marco Rubio

On the flip side, Rubio can be called a Facebook vet with an account that dates back to 2009. However, his growth isn’t as impressive with only 753,509 likes in it’s six-year span. His anti-Obama and Rubio merchandise posts may account for most of those likes. Lets keep it classy, Rubio.

YouTube

Hillary Clinton: A-

Credit: Hillary Clinton/YouTube

Clinton gave the first glimpse of her political campaign via a YouTube video that appealed to everyday working American families of all sizes and color. She used her 30 seconds on camera to highlight that she wants to be the “champion” of the everyday Americans. What got ears to perk up, however, was the subtle, yet noticeable use of Spanish to attract Latino voters. Well played Hillary, well played.

Marco Rubio: C+

Credit: Marco Rubio/YouTube

Rubio quickly contested with his own video – a mashup of previous speeches – pledging to move forward into “a new American century” where the next generation will inherit “what they deserve.” Rubio didn’t speak Spanish, but he did include a clip reminding viewers he comes from a working-class family and is the son of a former bartender and maid. This collage of clips has a feel of an assignment that was done the night before.

Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and Flipboard

Hillary Clinton: Grade In Progress…

It’s evident that Clinton is late to the social media game and she’s still absent from newer platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Hopefully her new publicist, Kristina Schake, the woman responsible for Michelle Obama’s dance moves on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, will get her up to speed. Oh, and she’s not the only tech-savvy woman on Clinton’s team. Google executive and former Facebook product manager, Stephanie Hannon is charged with running her technology operations. With a team like that, we’re sure she’ll be dominating the social feeds in no time.

Marco Rubio: A-

Credit:  marcorubio16/Snapchat

Rubio’s definitely ahead of the game. Back in June, his team announced they were rolling out even more social media accounts to grow engagement and allow people to “easily discover” content. Their social portfolio expanded to include Instagram, Snapchat, Vine – all which are heavily consumed by millennials. Rubio took it a step further to become the first senator to launch his official Flipboard account.

READ: Hillary Clinton Takes Stance on Immigration

Website

Hillary Clinton: A

Credit: Hillary Clinton

Clinton sprinkled a few Spanish words in her YouTube video and Twitter feed, but she really outdid herself unveiling an entirely Spanish site. Everything from her slogan to her bio is en español appealing to Latino voters. Don’t miss her surprisingly punny 404 page. Check it out here.

Marco Rubio: B

Credit: Marco Rubio

Rubio’s site doesn’t have an entire Spanish version, but there is an en Español button under his biography as well as his wife’s. His page is loaded with content with everything from videos of his speeches, to thorough information about his stance in Iran and again takes more jabs at President Obama. Apparently playing with puns on 404 pages is a thing because he also gave it a shot. See his version here.

Tumblr Street Cred

Hillary Clinton: B+

Credit: Tumblr / Texts From Hillary

Clinton unknowingly upped her cool factor after Diana Walker captured her in sunglasses, checking her blackberry on a military plane to Tripoli, Libya in 2011. The picture went viral and opened the door for hundreds of memes to be created and caption imaginary conversations with pop culture icons like Lady Gaga, Jay Z and everyone in between. But the coolness factor doesn’t stop there. Adam Smith and Stacy Lambe launched Texts from Hillary for one week, posted 32 times and got 83,000 shares on Facebook and over 45,000 Tumblr followers. It also gained mention from Morning Edition and ?uest Love. It doesn’t get cooler than that.

Marco Rubio: C

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