The election is coming right up, and I will be so glad when it is over. While I have paid some attention to the discussions that are going on in order to make an informed decision of how to vote, I have refrained from participating in the outpouring of political discussion that has been going on on Facebook. That may seem odd to some people, I mean, I am a lawyer – don’t lawyers like arguing and debating? Sorry to disappoint, folks, but I only like arguing and debating if I am getting paid to do it.
Anyways, as the owner of two home – based businesses I prefer to keep my politics private, especially on social media outlets like Facebook. I do not use social media much as an advertising tool for my businesses because I am fortunate to have enough work that I do not have to advertise in order to fill my calendar. However, the day may come when I do use social media for business, and I know that countless small and home – based businesses use it every day.
Since many small and home – based businesses use social media and the election is such a hot topic on social media these days, it is only natural to wonder about what the impact on your business will be if you choose to join in the fray and start talking politics on social media. One important thing to consider before writing a political post is whether everyone in your business shares the same point of view. If not, do not post it. As a home – based professional, it is quite possible that you are the business, and therefore the only one who is responsible for creating your brand. That makes things less complicated, but you still may want to think twice before posting.
A few questions you may want to ask yourself are whether it is really worth it to state your support for a candidate when doing so may alienate potential clients, and whether you may be better off posting your opinions on your personal profile instead. If you do choose to mix business and politics, try to keep your statements brief and phrase them in a positive light. For example, “I support Candidate X because of Y” instead of “Candidate A is a moron, case closed”. Remember, your posts are going out there into the public eye. As the person responsible for creating the public image for your home – based business, it is up to you to make sure that the image that you create is one that you are proud of.
Photo by kconnors on morguefile.com.