Good Or Bad: Politics On Facebook?

The debates are over.  We have watched from the edge of our seats as both presidential candidates have taken swing after swing at each other and like a car accident, it is hard to turn away from.  But if you are like the rest of us and truly cannot look away as one of the most important elections plays out on live TV during the debates, also beware to not confuse the morbid curiosity of your Facebook friends as genuine interest in hearing what YOU might have to say on the topic.  And if you own a business, it would be our recommendation to not, under ANY circumstances, align your political views on social media with your company.

You have all heard the saying, “never talk politics in mixed company”.  Sayings are said for a reason!  Social settings in our day and age more often than not, occur on our Facebook pages.  Your failure to realize that many people are easily offended regarding their political views will definitely result in your being un-friended and that may be completely fine with you.  We know many people will say, “go ahead and un friend me!”.  But what if you own a business and you rely on your Facebook contacts to patronize your business?

Many companies make this mistake every single day.  Even if it is NOT an election year, your politics may serve to polarize certain contacts who will simply not do business with you in the future.  The idea with your social media efforts is to engage your users, followers and friends on THEIR turf, meaning where they congregate and that includes Facebook.  Why do anything that may alienate some of your most important contacts or future customers?

Our advice is simple:  Stick strictly to the business at hand.  Stay away from politics on your Facebook page or anything else that might offend certain aspects of your fan base.  In your personal life, you may choose to throw political correctness to the wind, and that is O.K., but when marketing your business on social media sites, do the exact opposite.  In the name of you business!

Simply do NOT talk politics on your business Facebook page!

To learn more about Social Media Marketing, please visit the PCB Social Blog!