Should companies share their political opinions online?

There’s no doubt that the world of politics is a tricky subject at the moment, it’s hot in the headlines and everyone seems to have very strong opinions on a variety of arguably controversial topics.

The two headlines that are dominating our newspapers are that of Brexit, and of course, the newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump. A day doesn’t pass where one of these topics isn’t a headline. These topics have crept into everyday life, and heated discussions are undoubtedly happening over family dinner times, at drinks at the pub with friends and even across colleague desks at work.

Whilst it’s great that people are showing an active interest in politics, these topics have certainly divided opinions, even causing tension within families and between friendships. It’s for this reason that companies should always have a mutual online presence.

Understandably, it’s highly unlikely that the world of business is on the fence about these current issues. But avoiding the topic of politics is to be advised on both the company website and any social media channels.

But, shouldn’t I adopt a ‘human’ voice?

Whilst adopting a ‘human’ on social media is to be advised, it comes with its warnings. There are a number of topics and writing styles that should be avoided, and unfortunately politics is very much on that list.

An integral part of being human is to have freedom of speech and to share your opinions with others. Social media has made it easy to engage online, but that means someone, a potential customer perhaps, will have the opportunity to engage negatively.

With such controversial topics, it’s inevitable that not everyone will agree.  This is why your ‘human voice’ needs to be tailored to appeal to the masses, with the hope of attracting as many people as possible to engage in a positive way.

But, will it be like ignoring the elephant in the room?

Whilst social media is full of opinions about topics including Brexit and Donald Trump, it’s also a platform to share good news and interesting stories. The world is not all doom and gloom, despite what newspapers like to report, and therefore your business should be able to tell followers about things they actually want to know about. This might be a newsworthy topic related to your business, or even better, a deal or offer that you might be running.

The best thing you could possibly do would be to become a welcome distraction from the political drone dominating our newsfeeds. Bring something different to the table!

But, won’t using newsworthy hashtags give my business page more exposure?

For those of you with strong opinions, the temptation of reaching a larger audience through an established company social profile could be appealing. Couple this with the power of hashtags and you have the potential for a huge disaster.

Hashtags enable you to tune into a particular topic online, with #Brexit trending for weeks through last year’s summer. Tuning into this with your own post about a specific topic can work in your favour, but where politics is concerned, it’s most certainly to be avoided at all costs.

Putting your business post amongst a stream of political ranting will not give off a professional appearance, and therefore it’s imperative that business posts remain relevant and on topic. Remember, you are not a newspaper.

This by no means that your business’s social feeds should be monotonous and uninspired. If you need any help with your social media posting, then please get in touch!