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Know what you're doing before you start getting political with your company



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Know what you're doing before you start getting political with your company

Many times online or in the media we've seen a company get behind a certain presidential candidate or voice their side about a certain topic like abortion or gay rights, and it tends to lose sales on one side and increase them on another.  If you don't know what you're doing, or who your customers are, you could actually be hurting your company far more than you think if you open your mouth about politics before doing any research.

Sure, you could support Hilary or Trump, but your business and personal life are different, so you should keep your opinions off of your business Facebook pages or off of your blog.  It doesn't matter if someone asks you in the comments of a blog post "Who did you vote for?", your response should usually be "We don't discuss politics on our blog, sorry" if you don't want to get into it.

Now, if you do want to get political, understand these 3 things.

Know what your customers expect of you.
If you don't know your customers, you're likely going to lose them with a single post that is politically charged, and that's because you have a blended customer base that trusts you.  Your customers likely expect you to stay on topic, which means you should be posting about your niche and industry, and you should likely avoid politics.

If you decide to post something political, it should always be something that is neutral so you don't piss off someone on a different side and they leave your website forever.  Remember, you're running a business and not a presidential race, so be neutral at all costs even if you side with one party and not the other.

Only write messages that align with your brand.
If you're a sportswear company and you're talking about politics, you've strayed and you're likely going to lose loyal customers.  People don't want to go to the Nike Blog or Adidas Blog and see something about Trump, because they're there for sports gear. 

If your message aligns with your brand, even if you're posting something political, you will be able to show people you're an honest company and they can trust you no matter their point of view.  They may not like that you're a neutral party, but they will still come back and purchase because you're honest and stick with your industry.

Have clear messages and don't be a hypocrite
If you do decide to bring your business into politics, you need to be sure you've been one-sided the entire time because people will rage out against you if you flipped sides.  People like loyalty, which is why they stick with you, but if they see you supporting one type of candidate 4 years ago and now you're supporting a different one, they'll jump on you immediately and you'll lose a lot of customers.

This happens often when a new CEO steps in and decides to go rogue and post something to social media, but they didn't do their research thoroughly enough, and now Twitter is blowing up on you because you're consistently flipping sides and you seem like you're just trying to please everyone.

In conclusion
In my honest opinion, you shouldn't bring your company into politics, unless you're a politically driven blog.  I say this because a sports company, apparel company, SEO company, web design company, etc. don't belong in politics because that isn't what they're all about.  Stick to your niche, publish quality content about that niche, and keep everyone happy by not picking sides in politics Know what you

Remember to follow me!
https://www.seoclerks.com/user/TommyCarey


Thanks!

Tommy Carey

Comments

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Kakashi2020
Aligning your business to a certain political faction can he quite lucrative at first more so if it's related to election politics. During a campaign big money is being spent and if you could tap into it then it's a good thing for your business more so if your candidate wins. But if your candidate loses then that's another story although you've already earned from it, future business and profit trends wouldn't be so good.



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TommyCarey
If your business is a political niche then it's likely ok to do this, but for the majority of websites out there that aren't, you should probably stay out of politics because you're just going to piss off 50% of your visitors Know what you

Staying out of politics and religion is a good thing to do if you're a business owner. You're protecting your profits by not pissing off a ton of people who would rather spread hate about you and your business instead of ignoring your words.



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Corzhens
I admire business owners who have the courage to be open with their political color. It is good if their candidate wins that they can get an advantage with contracts and recommendations. But for the losers I guess they will have to suffer the consequences of siding with the losing candidate. It is not a good business move to be political when you are a businessman. Just stick it out with the business and don’t show your political color.



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amelia88
I definitely think that this is important in this day and age. I guess that's why the saying exists "never talk about religion or politics!"

People can have some very strong feelings on different ends of the spectrum, and I do think that like you said it's just easier not to bring politics into the work arena.



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Barida
I agree with you that such situation is always about feelings which is really strong can swing up when we take sides with any party. The thing is that religious and political issues is always one that does not end easily and getting involved is not always that easy.



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Martinsx1
Politics is one delicate subject, before venturing into, it's very important to know the therin of what you are heading into. Also get to know about your audience and what they like. If getting into political writing is not going to go down well with them, it's better to keep it at bay and focus on what will influence them.



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amelia88
It definitely is a delicate subject and it can be easy to cause offense unintentionally when it’s brought up. I try and steer clear of political conversations at all costs in the workplace!



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Barida
It is essential that we always understand that the need to make writings that align with the brand that we are promoting. Going into any political writing without analyzing how our customers feel about it is going to be dangerous especially when we back a controversial politician.



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Kakashi2020
There's a lot of pros and cons when it comes to business and politics but for me there's only one concern, that is profitability. If there's a risk that it would harm my future sales/profit schedule bigtime then I would choose not to get my company involved with politics. But in a case where my company could earn a windfall for a short time that could equate with earnings for a year or two then I'll gladly join and identity myself as a political supporter if that party.



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Barida
That is one aspect that many busines personnels miss out. I have come to realize that some are just concerned about how popular that they can become without taking out time to think of the big goals that earning better profits will bring.



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TommyCarey
I try to stay away from politics at all costs because you never know how it's going to come back in 5 or 10 years. It could be a nice comment now, but it could be considered a hate crime later on after everyones views and opinions change.

I guess you could say you need to avoid talking about politics, religion, sports teams, sexual preferences, and anything else people hold tight to them. Saying you're anti-gay or you hate a specific sports team will likely get you a wave of negative comments online from people all over the world. So it's probably best to run your business as a neutral party instead of posting your views and opinions Know what you



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Martinsx1
The whole point about all these is to have an extensive knowledge of your business and it all comes down to research and know more about what you are getting yourself into. Getting to know about your audience and what they want is the only way to offer it to them which will fetch you profit as they will patronize what you are offering.



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cmoneyspinner
I do understand that one should try to not to bring their politics into their business, on a regular basis. Political winds blow this way and that way but your business needs to keep running no matter which way that wind blows.

BUT! I have a bit of a problem with people who say they object to mixing business with politics because … hear me out! … if you are a company or corporation or organization (established by persons in business) and you donate lots and lots of money to support a political candidate – are you not bringing your politics into your business matters? However, if you dare exercise your freedom of speech and make a political statement OUT LOAD – be it fact or opinion – WHY YOU GOTTA BE BEAT UP ABOUT IT?

You follow me?

Also, if you make a political statement and then at a later date, change your mind or your views and make another statement to the contrary – WHY YOU GOTTA BE BEAT UP ABOUT THAT? Perhaps I made the statement based on a lie or misinformation that I genuinely believed was the truth, at the time. Perhaps some additional information was given to me at a later time and now I KNOW that I have to revise my statements. What am I going to do? Disregard the corrections and say "Aw forget the facts! I already said it and I ain't taking it back!"

~ Speaking specifically of the USA, are we not a nation of free thinkers?

~ Isn't that what makes US great??
~ Are we not allowed to speak our minds freely?
~ Can we not discuss matters of great importance, i.e. that we feel strongly about, OPENLY and PUBLICLY that can or that we believe can critically impact our everyday lives (and working or running a business is a part of our everyday living)?

The bottom line or rather a guideline for me ... whether I'm talking about politics or any other topic - in whatever setting I am in - be it a professional/work/business environment or a social setting - is a proverb by King Solomon (my paraphrase or interpretation): "A word fitly spoken or the right word or spoken at the right time is like gold apples in a silver bowl." It's priceless!


As a general rule, whenever I open my mouth I've already thought very carefully about what I'm going to say and about the consequences for saying it. If I'm willing to take the risks, I go stand on the mountain and SHOUT IT OUT! Whatever blows my way, I braced myself for it. The only thing that sort of concerns me is ... the adverse impact my words might have on my family. Sometimes instead of people taking aim back at you, they aim at those around you. That's the way of the world.



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amelia88
Ah, I've definitely heard of this happening in the States, but in my country I've never heard of a business supporting a political candidate. Private donations happen, but I've literally never in my life heard of a business supporting a political party.



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mark8625
Politics in company is everywhere. I used to work overseas and politics there are really strong. I think it will never fade this kind of things but it is avoidable.



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vinaya
You may avoid separating your business from politics, however, you will surely be influenced by politics. It is hard to separate yourself from politics. In fact, politics give you tools to drive sales. Let me illustrate. You sell clothes. During the political campaigns, you can produce items with party flags and symbols and sell your products. You can even lure supporters of a certain political party by siding with them.



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overcast
I have to agree that political things surely affect the country. I know few religious people who dont' serve to LGBT folks. And they were tortured by left wing for the same. I can tell you that being true to the right wing views is surely going to affect in the modern era. So for business people they have to be seriously strong about what they can do about those.



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cmoneyspinner
In the real world, especially in the business world, one must learn the fine art of discretion, tact, and diplomacy. Sure you want your business to thrive. But you don't want to sacrifice your convictions and your integrity in the process. It's a tightrope you walk on trying to “keep the peace”, “respect the beliefs of others” and “be true to your heart”. Sometimes you open your mouth and you put your foot in it. Hey! It happens. Who goes through life without making any mistakes? Learn from your experiences and carry on. At the end of the day, you need to be able to sleep at night without your conscience bothering you for being a hypocrite! Being a double-minded person is a dreadful thing. It could cause you to lose your sanity.



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overcast
I agree the people who stand for their words are the people who survive the end. And the thing is that people in order to be politically correct have lost a lot of their integrity. And that needs to be changed over a period of time. Left wing views and how they are attacking business with integrity is something we can learn in due process. That's what my experience says.



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Youngshark
Politics can be very controversial and getting engaged as a businessperson only invites trouble. One should be careful getting themselves in such. People will always attach their anger on any politician or party to the people who support them. If it happens that one is a representative of any business then the customers will avoid it.



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aeon
I agree with that, business owners just risking the status of their business by involving in politics. They should just be quiet about their favor politicians and focus on business.



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Youngshark
Its better to keep the neutral point of view when in public unless you are prepared to go all out. Because once you voice out your support there will be no going back.



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aeon
Honestly, this is what's happening in some bias media in our country, who keep destroying the current administration in favor of the loser politicians, so the government did is not to renew their license. Know what you



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treecko142
Definitely, a lot of businesses have lost a lot of income just by supporting particular candidates during the campaign period. It also sticks as well as most people do not forget when a company openly supports a particular party.



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NesMarcos
Politics is always dangerous in many ways. It is always better to keep out and separate your business into politics as it may dig into a deeper lose. Voicing out about politics on your business pages will make bigger damages as some customers and investors won't like it.



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jaymish2
I think getting political is a horrible idea. Why would you do that to your brand? A good example we can see is the Washington post and Amazon that are owned by the same person. The Washington post is anti-trump and because of this we can see that Trump is trying to bring down Amazon. This space remains to be watched but this is a lesson in keeping your business out of politics. Imagine how many customers you miss by taking political sides in public.



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amelia88
I never knew that about the Washington Post and Amazon...I always think that it's a bit of a conflict of interest when a single person owns a media outlet. I worry that it's easy for them to push an agenda and they lose that sense of being impartial.



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vinaya
Some people always like to side with the political parties and politicians that are in the government or are supposed to be in the government soon. However, I always believe that you should always have your ideology and support the party and the politician that you believe is the right one. Your business may not have a direct involvement in the politics, however, supporting a political cause might help you drive sales sometimes.



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Youngshark
How are you sure that when you are too vocal about a certain party or politician your clients will not interprete you the wrong way? Is there really much that separates your business from you when you are the face of the company. This is especially bad with the media of today that will connect even the invisible dots.



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vinaya
Let me illustrate this. You sell shoes. You support the Republican party. Now selling shoes does not have anything to do with politics directly. However, if you are supporting Republican, you might gain favors from people who also support the Republicans. IN the modern times, there is nothing such as neutral views. You all have to side with on ideology.



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Youngshark
Remember that you taking one side means that you accept to totally neglect the other side. Hence you will be accepting to lose a whole client base. Are you ready for that just because you have some views about politics?



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vinaya
It is difficult to go neutral. The people who have neutral views are often tagged as the ones without any ideology. You need to support a cause, you need to have an ideology. There is politics everywhere. Even a purely social cause can be interpreted as being one side. You cannot get away from this wave. Business has nothing to do with politics, however, you can use political tactics to generate sales. You are supporting Republicans does not mean you are angering the Democrats. You will still have Democrats as your customers, after all business means business.



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Youngshark
I get your point now. There is a need to take a side I also acknowledge that. I also pretty much agree with you about having to avoid angering the other side. Its what I was basically saying but the point was not clear I guess. Thanks for the clarification.



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overcast
I think social media is really getting fascist lately. Because left wing and the SJW seems to have been constantly attacking normal people who don't value their opinion. So you can see that having non left wing opinion can affect the brand too. So it'd be reasonable to say that companies need to be serious when it comes to profit and loss. So we have to be understanding how this works in terms of the managing the politics and branding.



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treecko142
It's best to just stay away from posting opinions on the business social media page because it could negatively affect the brand. If you really want to voice out your opinions, use your personal page which can only be seen by your friends.



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overcast
Yes. I never discuss politics with the business people. And at the workplace. That way I can keep my calm. You can see that it's always a good idea to keep the political opinion and personal opinion aside. That is what makes things a bit understandable and make it easy for you to work around. I have learned that from my experience.



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treecko142
Yeah, in some workplaces it's not even allowed to mix friendship and work discussions how much more for more politically charged sentiments which could destroy not only working relationships but also friendships, leading to a more chaotic work environment which is bad for productivity.



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overcast
I think that is also good thing. Because mixing the friendship and the work is only going to affect that part. I have seen many companies going through the law suit for this type of the work. And they are having the issues on that front. YOu can see that being politically correct can some of the time affect many cultures.



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Corzhens
Knowing what your customers expect of you is very important for a business owner. I have seen some businesses that failed because of this issue. As one Chinese businessman said to me, knowing your customers is like knowing your family which means it is best if you can establish a close relationship with your customers. In my dealings with businesses, it is common to be treated like a friend and I think that is one good act on the part of the business people.



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treecko142
Part of being in business is knowing your customers' views political alignment and recognizing what is your best move in order to improve sales. Staying neutral is a good thing but some companies are bold enough when they truly know their customers and support particular causes that help them increase sales.



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treecko142
It's usually not a good idea to get political in terms of candidates and certain debatable issues because you alienate part of your audience as a result when they have different opinions. There are certain issues where you can get your voice and opinions heard, which are the ones where there is a clear right from wrong.



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Barida
The different opinions is something that we should always think of when we are looking at getting them to speak at different events. They know that some many not like them and that will put your media team under a whole part of discussion.



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aeon
Or I think much better to avoid the politics and focus to your business. Business owners should have great marketing strategies to promote and advertise the business without doing anything related to politics.



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Youngshark
When you mix the two one will always get hurt and in many instances it can be your business. The worst part about this is that a bad reputation can run on forever. People will hate you and your business for a very little issue.



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aeon
That's right, and even your politician won the election, it's not guarantee that it will helps you and will gives you additional sales, and honestly even the politician not even care anymore, but the consumers will always remember you.



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Youngshark
This happens more when you are a little cog in the industry. The big names in the sector will always forget about all those insignificant people as they call them they needed to get into office.



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Chinet23
Being political in the business is quite risky, it can have some benefits for a time but we can have uncalculated risks long term. If you have mastered the skills of tactfulness and integrity when you voice out your opinion, then you may want to go for it. But to be safe, I'd rather separate politics or my personal views from the company's business. It's very sensitive topic that can offend other people's sensitivities which can impact the business.



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Youngshark
Haha. Now. When you reach that level of being a skilled shifter of support from where the popularity is diminishing to the winning sides you will eventually become the politician yourself. I agree it wise to have a rough idea of where the scales seem to be tipping but when you get engaged in it too much you will be the one making a political influence in no time.



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mark8625
Political effects in the company is given. The people who always stand for it are those not happy in their job. Or people who wants to be like a hero as always. Sometimes this kind of person is usually dont have brain and lazy to their assigned tasks. Politics would not be avoided for sure for those who likes, thats how they day completes.



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stbrians
Politics can really bring a company under????. Politics is a dirty game and should be treated as such. Keep it out of a business completely.



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blackmist
I agree. Talking without thinking can bring you down or worst the entire company. Knowing the goal of the company, customer etc. is a must. Involving in politics is a little bit risky so try to avoid it if necessary.



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romyter013
I totally agree. Always stick to what is your statement is. You can make it more fun and interesting but still stick with the brand you have so your customer will not get confuse of what product you really up to. You can be unique but you don't have to please anyone. We understand that we do it sometimes so we get the attention of all kinds of customer but we have to be neutral so we cannot hurt both sides of their points of view about your brand or business.



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mhingnhormz
Know what you're doing before you start getting political with your company: When your running or handling business you should know your limitation in politics world. Because these might affect your business sales and profits earning. In business, you should set aside those political issues that may affect your business. Just focus on doing your sales increased and don't entertain those comments in your blog. Don't stick your nose on other issues to avoid casualties in your business.



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