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U.S. elections are crucial to good governance at all levels, whether local, state, or national. But there’s no denying that the presidential election, held every four years, is particularly important, especially in recent years as division and partisanship make it harder for politicians to work together across party lines.
Elections are important to all business owners. Our elected officials, especially at the national level, help shape economic policy and access to markets, all of which have a direct and significant impact on our business’s bottom line.
Regardless of which political party you identify with, and whether you want your company to take a similar stance, you can use election season to build momentum and increase revenue, improve your company culture, or both.
If you’re looking to bring a little more activity to your business this election season, try one of these five suggestions.
Related: A fierce election is coming up. How to weigh your options this election season
1. Build engagement with creative content
Election season is a great time to get a little creative with your social media and other digital content. Remember the 2008 presidential election? That’s when AirBnB launched two “new” cereals in honor of the two leading candidates. Obama O’s and Captain McCain.
Luckily, you don’t have to spend that much money or effort to get noticed these days. Instead, hone your TikTok skills and create and share short, memorable videos. If video isn’t your forte, memes are a great alternative. Memes are visually stunning and relatively easy to create thanks to today’s graphic software tools (Canva even has pre-sized templates for your creative content).
Think about content that responds to the latest election issues and developments. As a writer and content creator myself, this is something I’ve advised online businesses on this past election season. Maybe you could interview a local candidate for office? Or maybe you could create an elaborate, eye-catching infographic that helps explain important election issues, specific candidates’ policies and how they differ, or procedural aspects of your local vote. You don’t need to create an entirely new channel or account; just schedule your content carefully so that it coincides with your other posts and can make an impact.
2. Be active in your community
Elections aren’t just about winning or gaining an advantage. They’re also about citizenship, civil rights, human rights and community engagement. Your company or organization can get involved on this level by sponsoring voter registration drives, debate watch parties, community service activities, workshops, networking events with candidates and more.
Consider participating as a corporate donor to a political action committee or sponsoring other issue-driven advertising initiatives. Advocate for causes that impact your community, team, or business. Aligning your brand with political or social issues that are meaningful to your company’s values ​​can help you reach consumers who share those values.
Related: Survey asks small business owners what they really care about in the 2024 election — and the results are surprising
3. Help employees communicate more effectively about the issues they care about
It’s no secret that the United States has seen a surge in division and conflict in recent years, especially when it comes to politics. We must all do our part to foster more effective and respectful communication skills.
So why not start in the workplace? I met the founder of a company that offers communication workshops for employees, who recognize the rising hostility in public discussions and use frameworks such as role-playing to explore better alternatives to yelling and insults.
And don’t forget to lead by example: show your team that you’re serious about this issue by attending workshops yourself, and demand the same from all top management. Co-create a new respectful communication policy for your company with employee input and follow through.
4. Make it easy for employees to vote
Long wait times, tight competition for top candidates, and polling place “consolidation” (resulting in fewer in-person voting options in communities for the same or even greater number of voters) all put additional pressure on America’s existing polling places, making it increasingly difficult for many people to actually vote.
As an employer, you are in a unique position to help mitigate or completely remove these obstacles, even if you want to avoid political discussions. Consider the following actions:
- Before Election Day, host voter registration drives and encourage employees to take advantage of any early voting or mail-in voting procedures available in their state.
- Give employees paid time off to go to the polls during their working hours, eliminating lost wages, additional child care costs, and extended work hours.
- Provide carpools and group transportation from work or offices to polling places.
At the very least, ask your employees how you can make it easier for them to vote and think about ways to make that happen.
Related: Trump says US president should have ‘say’ in Federal Reserve decisions
5. Host an “Election Day” themed sale or special event
Finally, consider holding sales or other commercial special events around the election period. While “Show me you voted sticker” giveaways are probably not a good idea, It may be illegalHere are some other ideas you can use:
- Create thematic product or service collections based on nonpartisan election concepts, such as “People’s Voice,” “Freedom,” or “Unity.” Display these collections prominently in your stores and on your website, and encourage customers to vote for their favorite theme. The winning theme can be featured in special post-election promotions and sales.
- Prior to voting, ask your customers to vote on the amount of discount you would like to offer on Election Day.
- During your election-themed sale, designate a local charity to which you will donate a certain portion of your profits.
- A results viewing party will be held on-site and door prizes will be offered.
Encouraging others to vote and participate in the democratic process is both an essential part of being a good corporate citizen and good business. Get creative and implement one or more of these ideas, or one of your own, to drive both voters and sales. But remember to focus on supporting general issues and the electoral process, rather than specific candidates, to avoid creating a politically unwelcoming and toxic company culture.
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