- It's fine to have a political opinion, but don't let voicing it cost you business.
- Use cocktail etiquette to gauge whether you should post something or not.
- Regardless of your political opinion, it's likely the opposite of about half of your potential buyers or sellers.
On your business social media accounts, there are a few rules around mentioning Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders — any election or political talk — that are similar to the first two rules of “Fight Club.”
Rule 1: You do not talk about fight club
Rule: 2: You do not talk about fight club
If you’re out voting for a particular candidate, that’s great, but it doesn’t belong as a LinkedIn status update.
Agents need to approach social media like a formal cocktail party where they know a few people. This means no discussing politics, religion or if ghosts are real. Nobody wants to be around that person at the cocktail party or around that type of business.
At a cocktail party after talking with people around the room, learning about them, you’ll have people comfortable around you — social media is no different. If you spend time investing in your audience and starting conversations, then people will be comfortable interacting with your accounts.
Some people reading this might think posting your political opinions is not a big deal — I can assure you, it is. It does not matter which candidate you support; there is someone in your network who hates that candidate.
You don’t want any potential buyer or seller to have a sour taste in their mouth when they think of you. You are in business with your clients — you are not there to preach political ideologies — keep that in mind before you queue up your next rant about Obama in a Facebook status.
Talking on politics is topical, controversial and relevant to the U.S. right now — and always, really. There are a ton of topics and opinions floating around the Web regarding the election, and your business’s shouldn’t be one of them.
So, next time your inner politico wants to come out, make sure it doesn’t happen on your business Facebook wall.
Jordan Scheltgen is the founder of Cave Social. You can follow him on Twitter @cavejordans or connect with him on Facebook.
