Small Business Election Playbook: Navigating a Contentious Election
Election seasons are always a time of heightened emotions and intense debate, but when the political climate is particularly contentious, small business owners can face unique challenges. The decisions made during these times can impact your business, from customer loyalty to your brand’s reputation. So, what’s the best course of action when the election season rolls around?
In this Small Business Election Playbook, we’ll explore three main strategies you can consider: backing a candidate, supporting specific policies, or staying apolitical. Each approach has advantages and drawbacks. The right choice will depend on your business’s unique circumstances.
1. Back a Candidate: Making Your Voice Heard
Aligning with a candidate during an election can be a bold move for a small business. If you’ve found a candidate whose platform aligns closely with your business interests, publicly supporting them can be a powerful statement.
Pros:
Energize Your Base: If the candidate’s policies directly benefit your industry, this can galvanize your core customer base. For example, if you’re in the health and wellness sector and a candidate advocates for better healthcare policies, your endorsement could resonate strongly with your customers.
Brand Clarity: A clear, decisive stance can attract customers who share your values, fostering brand loyalty and a more engaged community around your business.
Networking and Influence: Supporting a candidate can also open doors for networking opportunities and partnerships with like-minded businesses and organizations.
Cons:
Risk of Alienation: Political endorsements can be polarizing. While you may strengthen ties with some customers, you might alienate others who disagree with your choice. This can lead to a drop in sales, negative reviews or even organized boycotts. As Michael Jordan famously said, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” Furthermore, if you are based in Charleston it’s worth noting that the past few congressional elections in Charleston have been tightly contested, with both parties achieving over 45% of the votes each time.
Potential Backlash: The political landscape can shift rapidly. If your chosen candidate loses or becomes embroiled in controversy, your business could suffer by association.
Long-Term Repercussions: Political decisions can have long-term effects on your brand. Customers and employees may remember your stance long after the election, for better or worse.
Before making a public endorsement, weighing these factors and considering how your decision might affect your long-term business strategy is crucial.
2. Policy-Specific Support: Focus on What Matters Most
If endorsing a candidate feels too risky, consider focusing on policy-specific support. This approach allows you to advocate for the issues that directly impact your business without fully committing to a political figure.
Pros:
Targeted Advocacy: By focusing on specific policies, you can highlight the issues that matter most to your business. For instance, if tax reform is critical to your bottom line, you can support initiatives that align with your position without getting entangled in broader political debates.
Broad Appeal: Policy-based advocacy can appeal to a wider audience. Customers and stakeholders may appreciate that your focus is on the practical aspects of business rather than partisan politics.
Flexibility: Supporting policies allow you to engage with multiple candidates or parties, depending on the issues. This can help you maintain relationships across the political spectrum and avoid the pitfalls of outright endorsement.
Cons:
Potential for Misinterpretation: Even when focusing on specific issues, your stance can still be misinterpreted as an endorsement of a particular party or candidate, which could lead to unintended consequences.
Ongoing Effort Required: Policy-focused advocacy requires staying informed and active in politics. You’ll need to keep up with legislative developments and be prepared to explain and defend your positions.
Keeping your support issue-specific may protect your business from the more polarizing aspects of election season while still advocating for the changes you believe in.
3. Stay Apolitical: Keep Your Focus on Business
For many small business owners, staying apolitical is the safest option during an election. By focusing solely on your products or services, you can avoid the potential pitfalls of political engagement altogether.
Pros:
Avoiding Controversy: Staying out of the political fray can help you avoid alienating any segment of your customer base. Your customers come from all walks of life, and by staying neutral, you show respect for all views.
Brand Consistency: Keeping your messaging consistent and focused on your business helps reinforce your brand’s core values. Your customers know what to expect from you, and that reliability can build trust.
Long-Term Stability: By remaining apolitical, you protect your business from the uncertainties of the political landscape. Whether the election goes one way or another, your business remains steady and focused on its mission.
Cons:
Missed Opportunities: By staying neutral, you might miss out on the potential benefits of political engagement, such as influencing policies that could benefit your business. Additionally, some customers expect companies to take a stand on important issues in today's social climate.
Perception of Indifference: In some cases, staying apolitical could be considered indifferent to important societal issues, affecting customer loyalty. It’s important to communicate that your focus on business is a strategic choice, not a lack of concern for the world around you.
For many small businesses, staying apolitical is about focusing on what they do best: serving customers and building their brand. It’s worth noting that most Americans DO NOT want businesses taking a stance on current events. According to a Gallup poll, only 38% want businesses to voice their opinions, meaning 62% would rather owners stay mum. Axios pointed out that this marks a 10% drop in two years, indicating that the public has changed course on whether they want businesses to engage politically.
Conclusion: Tailoring the Playbook to Your Business
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when navigating election season as a small business owner. Whether you back a candidate, focus on policy-specific support, or remain apolitical, it’s essential to consider your business’s unique needs, values, and customer base. Most small business owners will likely opt to stay apolitical. If they decide to “get political,” it will be on the local level at which they do business, focused on community concerns, rather than entering the morass of national contentions. Furthermore, every business owner can donate and volunteer personally without engaging their business in the conversation.
As election season approaches, take the time to develop a strategy that aligns with your business’s long-term goals. Most importantly, stay true to your brand and values because, in the end, that’s what your customers will remember.
Have questions? Contact our firm; we will help guide you through this season and the ones to come.