Do Religion and Politics Belong in Your Business Social Networking?

by Nancy Marmolejo on October 20, 2008

in Online Branding & Visibility, Online Marketing, Social Networking, Twitter Marketing

Social networking allows entrepreneurs to increase their know-like-trust factors by revealing more personal information about themselves in their profiles on sites like Facebook or Twitter.

Successful social networking revolves around successful relationship building… but when do your personal opinions support or turn against your business goals?

2 scenarios to think about:

Scenario A:

Let’s say you’re friends with someone on Twitter. You send Tweets back and forth, you’ve created a great sense of rapport, you may even consider this person a respected colleague. Then one day you go on Twitter and learn you’re polar opposites around politics. What do you do? Unfriend the person? Unsusbscribe from their list? Avoid all interactions from this point on? Do you have a litmus test to determine the extent you’ll put up with?

Scenario B:

You feel like the world is going to hell in a hand-basket and want to leverage your social networking visibility to raise awareness for your favorite candidate/ballot item. Your business and your brand aren’t really “message” vehicles, but you can’t resist the call. What do you do?

These scenarios are general in nature but meant to get people thinking.

The 7 questions below offer some pondering points for you to consider:

1. By voicing my political opinion in my social networking or marketing, am I creating connection with the people I want to connect with?

2. I realize I am going to lose followers, friends, and potential business. Do the positive returns outweigh the negative?

3. Is this something that holds potential to jeopardize future opportunities? Am I putting my foot in my mouth?

4. Are my opinions creating so much of a distraction that people forget what my business is about?

5. Is this what I want to be known for? What are the pros and cons?

6. Does this align with my brand, my style, and my messages I want people to remember?

7.  How important is it?

Each person’s brand and business will fare differently here.

What are your thoughts on this topic? I also wonder if you’d stop doing business with someone because you learn you have opposite political beliefs. Hmmm, food for thought!

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  • Nancy, I love this article and have shared it on my Facebook profile. Every once in a while I run across posts on Facebook from my business colleagues where they express very strong political and religious opinions that I feel could be offensive to others. It makes me cringe to think what kind of negative impact those posts have on their business relationships.

    A good rule of thumb would be to keep political and religious opinions amongst your friends and family and always separate from business.

    -Carrie :)
  • Thanks for the comment Carrie. I got very distracted recently when a Facebook friend started spewing on a very hot button issue and said some pretty nasty things. It wasn't what I was expecting and left me wondering.

    Of course if our consciences point us somewhere we must follow but you really need to consider how it will impact relationships.
  • Cshallow
    I especially agree with Ali, Nancy: "If it is not part of your branding, don't bring it in." In general, don't mix politics with business and keep your opinions to yourself especially if you disagree; unless you really believe in something strongly enough to call someone out for being outrageous and insulting. Over time, people who follow you will learn what sort of person you are, anyway, from your posts. Where's the benefit in starting a heated argument?
  • I've tried to bite my political tongue a few times on Twitter, because my political views don't really do anything to build or support my brand. Of course, if part of my "brand" is being a wise-guy, I'll toss in a couple of jabs here and there!

    Still, I have to admit that there are a few people on Twitter I liked better before they voiced their political opinions...
  • I love diversity and reject non-sensical fanatism. I choose intelligence over stupidity; commonality over differences, authenticity over "being right".

    If it is not part of your branding, don't bring it in. Look at what other successful business people in your field are doing. Do they bring religion and politics into the mix?

    Remember, your own core values are your "treasure" - Careful who you show the map to.
  • What a timely post!! I'm a news/politics junkie with "well-defined" views, so it's hard for me sometimes to keep my attitudes from seeping out into my communications, but I try though! It's especially tricky with blogging & SN, as their value as marketing tools is tied in with fleshing you out as a three-dimensional human. That may include "letting it slip" now & then with regard to political views, or less tricky topics such as TV, sports or recipes.

    I have clients that are very liberal (like me) and others that are very conservative. As long as it's kept positive, light (and infrequent), I think politics and business SN mix just fine!

    <abbr>Mary Motzs last blog post..Skype Now Supports Caller ID in USA</abbr>
  • I've been thinking about this question and there is a point where I wouldn't choose to follow someone on twitter. If I see someone who is very negative and slamming other people I usually won't follow them (I don't care if it's someone of my own denomination, etc). When I first opened SheLovesGod.com back in 2000 I got a lot of people who said I would kill my business by getting religious. The opposite happened, it grew by leaps and bounds. I get religious all the time. I even get political on occasion, but I try to come at it from principles, common ground and respect. I don't resonate well with people who curse, name-call or bash other people's beliefs. I even made a policy about that early-on at SheLovesGod.com that I'd pull anything like that. Since then it's been a great forum for people of all faiths to share their love of God.

    So I'd likely tolerate negativity/bashing for a political season from a friend, but I would probably avoid a stranger's twitter if they seemed extreme and negative.
  • An interesting discussion.

    I don't hide my politics in business, nor do I flaunt it. I do enjoy having reasoned discussions with intelligent, well-informed people who have different viewpoints. I dislike overly partisan, obnoxious, foaming-at-the-mouth people of any political persuasion.

    Would I use political leanings as the basis of a relationship? Maybe. Everything being equal (that's the important part), I woud tend to choose a business that supported the things I believe in rather than one that didn't.

    If I already had a relationship with someone and then found out their politics were different, then I would go ahead -- assuming they weren't trying to force their beliefs down my throat. (Although, when I was dating, back in the day, I always tried to find out potential dates' views on abortion ahead of time -- no point in asking for trouble.)

    We all choose who we associate with on the basis of compatability. Why wouldn't political views be one of those points? For example, I almost invariably choose female doctors. And given the choice between patronizing a women-owned business or not, I usually go with the women. Is that wrong, to choose to do business with someone I feel more comfortable with?

    Just asking...

    <abbr>Joan Schramms last blog post..Belief in the Perfect Parking Spot</abbr>
  • It's important it is to embrace diversity in all aspects of life. I hesitate to share my political views and am learning to keep the love flowing even when I disagree with others.
  • Luckily as an artist I'm allowed to be outspoken about politics and religion. I will blog about politics as they relate to my artform and niche. I tweet about politics only occasionally but I don't mind if others do, the blow by blows of the debates can be interesting but a little tedious if it's every 30 seconds, I certainly won't unfollow someone just because of their politics.

    mind you, my demographic tends to be quite liberal. my twitter friends, the people I network with and my collectors are usually similar in political background. so I haven't had any clashes.

    <abbr>Jennie Rosenbaums last blog post..because one nude Sarah Palin just wasn’t enough</abbr>
  • When politics started rearing its ugliness in twitter, I did want to unfollow. But then I remembered, my children are on opposite sides and I still love them. I try to ignore the politics.

    I don't see much religion, and I'd like to. Who should I follow?

    http://twitter.com/jeanettejoy
  • If politics and religion are a big part of what you do then it makes sence to include them in your social media. Or keep your business tweeter and your personal tweeter separate if its not related to your brand or business and you think they may clash. I wouldn't unfollow someone if they have value beyond their political and religious rants.

    http://twitter.com/berimbauone

    <abbr>berimbauones last blog post..Crazy lady from Minn. McCain rally on SNL</abbr>
  • I'm so often in the opinion minority too, I actually feel uncomfortable when I'm around too many people who agree with me!

    I love a good mix... never one for blandness. Just as long as people show mutual respect, that's the deal maker for me.
  • I don't care what someone's religion or politics are. Maybe that's because I tend to be in the minority on both fronts so I've had to learn to be open minded and relate to people of all walks of life. :)
  • Oooh, is this a good one!

    A few weeks ago, I got bent out of shape by someone's tweets that I had been following for a long time. He started railing against the "idiotic liberals" in tweet after tweet and eventually I got sick of it and unfollowed him. As someone who grew up in Northern California in a family of Democrats, yes, I am definitely a liberal, but I really don't feel that affiliation makes me an idiot.

    I feel the same when I see some of my progressive business tweeting brethren rail against McCain and Palin, using blanket terms to describe their followers like "Anyone who supports McCain is racist."

    Ironically, as I twittered about questioning whether or not tweeting politics was a wise move, I got into a heated discussion with someone I like and trust, who shares my political views and she unfollowed me!

    I emailed, we made up, and all is well, but I sure think twice now about mixing biz and politics.

    I know that my clients and blog readers cross the political spectrum. If they listened to different music, wore different perfume or were of a different spiritual background, does that give me permission to call them "ignorant losers?"

    I say tread gently.

    -Pam

    (Which is not to say that I will not release one jump for joy tweet when my candidate wins for president. :)

    <abbr>Pamela Slims last blog post..Blog Action Day Today - It doesn't have to be about money</abbr>
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