Candidates plan social media campaigns to reach voters, save costs

AMMAN — Candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections are using social media to reach out to voters, reducing the amount of funds spent on advertising.  

Hind Fayez, who is running for election in the Central Badia, said social media is the “number one tool” to reach voters.

“Most Jordanians have access to social media, but not everyone has access to the candidates’ phone numbers,” Fayez told The Jordan Times.

Former deputy Fayez will rely mostly on Facebook and YouTube in her campaign, she said, adding that she is also active on Twitter. Her social media campaign will not affect her overall budget, she noted.

“My [advertising] budget has not changed since 2007 and will stay the same this year,” Fayez said.

Former MP Tarek Khoury, a candidate on the Aqsa list in Zarqa, said he has hired a social media company to manage his campaign online.

The candidate said he is focusing on Facebook, as Twitter has a different audience. 

“Facebook is the main social media channel [of the campaign] not only through my page but also through pages that have 400,000 followers to reach more people,” Khoury told The Jordan Times.

But he said that it is also important to spend time canvassing voters face-to-face.

“Campaigning [in the streets] has a psychological side,” he said, explaining that voters remember meeting candidates but might forget seeing a Facebook post.

Nassar Qaisi, who is running on Al Hazm list in Amman, said 35 per cent of his campaign will take place on social media, reducing his budget by 20 per cent. 

The former lawmaker will also rely on a social media expert to manage his posts.

Economist Isam Qadmani predicted a sharp drop in advertising budgets as most candidates would rely on social media to reach voters.

“We cannot say how much the budget will drop,” Qadmani said, noting that some campaign funds would be diverted towards online campaigns.  

It is too early to judge the impact social media will have on campaigns, he added.

Candidates started registration to run in the September 20 polls on Tuesday, and the Independent Election Commission will be receiving applications until Thursday.

Aous Quteishat, an adviser at the IEC, said on Tuesday that candidates were allowed to start their advertisement campaigns after filing paperwork with the commission.