How Your Brand Should Approach a Political Crisis on Social Media (While Staying Authentic and Relevant)
If you ask any marketing expert for their top tips for social media strategy success, most will include the sage advice to “be authentic” and “be relevant” (along with “don’t try to go viral” and “don’t say anything stupid”).
However, these two concepts–authenticity and relevancy–can feel a bit challenging these days, thanks to the current political climate.
For a long time, the general advice around political issues and activism content on social media was to stay out of them. So brands either avoided that type of content with a ten-foot pole. Or they towed a razor-thin line of sharing content with more neutral views (i.e, brands that encouraged people to #GoVote). That way, audience members could take the message however they wanted.
It’s increasingly challenging for brands to stay mum on issues because even staying silent can now be misconstrued as a stand. Not to mention, companies are getting conflicting advice from marketing experts about being authentic and relevant. For example, experts sometimes say:
Be authentic because consumers want to buy from companies that they like, know, and trust.
Ok, but not that authentic - you’re turning potential buyers away with your polarizing content.
Be relevant, so it looks like you’re paying attention.
Ok, but not that relevant - you’re putting a damper on my feed.
In this article, we’ll address these social media marketing challenges. Let’s dive into how brands should approach a political crisis on social while actually staying authentic and relevant.
Should brands take a stand on social media?
“It Depends”
If you’ve read one of our articles before, you may know what we’re going to say:
All together now: “It depends.”
Some social media experts will put a more concrete line in the sand and advise “most brands that they shouldn’t actively be part of the narrative surrounding global events.” For these experts, taking a stand is the exception to the rule.
We at Lauren Perna Communications work with life sciences companies whose missions are directly influenced by current events, like:
the availability of funding for research
vaccine requirements
the climate crisis
and much more. So, from our perspective, the line is less concrete. In general, our advice is still the same as before:
Whether your brand should address current events and political issues is truly a question only you can answer by leaning on your brand’s mission and values.
So here’s what you need to think about: How do these current events relate to your brand mission and values?
Politics, brand mission, and values
Before you even consider taking a stand, make sure there is a reason to. Don’t just post for the sake of posting or because everyone else is.
Post about a current event because:
it relates to your company values
directly impacts your community
your audience expects you to get involved.
Listen, it’s even sometimes OK to take a stand that negatively impacts sales and revenue goals. The main point here is that if you engage in political content on social media, make sure you have a reason for it.
Every social media post must be part of a larger strategy and goal. That’s why we never suggest incorporating random awareness days or holidays into your roster. The same rule applies to current events, especially highly polarizing current events.
So, you decide to comment. What’s the base case scenario? What’s the worst that could happen? Let’s dive in.
Benefits of taking a stand
If you’re in the let’s “we stay out of politics” camp, you might be genuinely confused as to why a brand would consider taking a stand on social media. Who would willfully stick themselves into the lion’s den of unhinged keyboard warriors?
Here are five benefits of taking a stand on political issues on social media:
You can double down on your ideal audience and improve brand engagement.
You’ll deter all the lurkers who wouldn’t engage with your brand anyway.
You can elevate your credibility and trustworthiness
Taking a stand on political crises that matter to your audience builds loyalty and fosters more meaningful connections.
By touching upon real-world issues, you show your audience an element of humanity and relevancy.
If your company takes a stand, these pros can far outweigh the risks. Still, it’s important to make sure you have a well-crafted, thoughtful strategy and crisis plan. Because if not…well, keep reading to find out.
Risks of taking a stand
Trouble happens when a brand’s political statements on social media are misguided or lacking strategy. Typically, when brands fear taking a stand, they envision these top five outcomes.
You upset and alienate your audience because your statement missed the mark or didn’t align with your values.
Your audience loses trust in you because your stance is so far off from your brand identity.
You lose sales because your audience is no longer interested in doing business with you.
A political misstep could quickly lead to you becoming the industry “example of what not to do,” negatively impacting your credibility.
You become irrelevant because your audience sees your post as a performative measure rather than a thoughtful, mission-centric statement.
Doing anything for relevancy is risky (see our post on the Tom Brady Roast!). Sometimes, the risk pays off, and you build a whole new level of credibility. Ben & Jerry’s is a great example of a brand successfully leaning into political activism.
But sometimes the risk falls flat, offering “a cautionary tale” to bandwagon jumpers. No matter what side of the political spectrum consumers are on, no one likes an inauthentic brand.
When you should take a stand
If you’re in a business directly impacted or influenced by current events, your audience wants to see you taking a position. They’re following you because they believe in your stated values. So, if you aren’t willing to address an issue publicly when it matters, your words seem hollow.
If we were writing this article when we first started posting on social media, our advice might be different. But in today’s world, if your brand mission or values overlap with a current political crisis, staying silent will do you no favors.
That said, taking a stand and being adversarial are two different things. You don’t need to come out swinging or overcomplicate the message. Taking a stand can be as simple as saying, “We believe in saving the planet,” like Patagonia, or “We believe academic and scientific research should be objective and neutral,” like Wesleyan University’s President recently did.
On the other hand, if you’re reading this and your brand has nothing to do with any relevant political crises, our advice is slightly different.
If your audience isn’t expecting you to say something, then if you do so, proceed with caution. Also, proceed with strategy, thoughtfulness, and your mission statement guiding the way.
How to take a stand on social media
Not every brand can be bright-colored social activists like Ben & Jerry’s. Purpose-driven marketing isn’t for every ice cream brand in the freezer, and that’s OK.
If you aren’t sure whether to take a stand on a current issue or event, follow your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable posting about it, then posting isn’t doing anyone any favors. If you don’t feel comfortable staying silent, then own that stance and post away. But just know, either way, you need to have your rationale ready.
This framework from Sprout Social lays a good foundation for deciding whether or not to take a stance on an issue:
If all signs point to yes and you want to take a stand, here are five steps to take before hitting that post button:
Make sure your statement aligns with your marketing strategy and has a business rationale.
Craft and test several different campaign ideas.
Work with internal stakeholders to finalize a campaign that has executive buy-in.
Make sure the whole team understands your brand’s viewpoint and abides by your social media policies.
Have a crisis plan in place in case comments need addressing or further statements are required.
Tackling political topics can bring about any number of social media challenges, but don’t do anything on the fly or as a knee-jerk reaction. Always keep your strategy as the guiding light.
How Lauren Perna Communications Can Help Your Brand Take a Stand
Taking a stand on a political crisis isn’t nearly as fun as getting the whole office to do a viral TikTok dance, but sometimes it’s necessary. And for companies in some industries, it’s not just necessary–it’s their entire purpose.
The most important thing to remember is to stay true to your mission.
However, if even that sounds overwhelming, consider turning to outside counsel for help navigating social media challenges. Oftentimes, that’s even easier because it takes the pressure off the internal team to handle difficult questions.
At Lauren Perna Communications (LPC), we often work with clients impacted by political crises, especially on the ostensibly “agnostic platform” LinkedIn. We craft messages that feel authentic to your brand voice and align with your mission. And our team will be ready to respond to those sassy keyboard warriors with a carefully considered reply.
Ready to hand over the reigns on your politically sensitive content? Learn more about Lauren Perna Communications’ LinkedIn writing services.
