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Every U.S. election is critically important to good governance at all levels, be it local, state or national. However, there's no denying that our every-four-year presidential elections are particularly crucial, and that's especially true in recent years when divisiveness and partisanship make it harder for politicians to cross party aisles and work with each other.
Elections are also important to every business owner. The people we choose to serve as elected officials — especially at the national level — help shape economic policy and market access, all of which have a direct and profound impact on your bottom line.
No matter what political party you feel more closely aligned with, and regardless of whether you want your business to take a similar stance, you can use election season to gain momentum and drive revenue or improve company culture — or both!
If you'd like to help your business get a little more active this election season, try one of the five suggestions below.
Related: A Contentious Election is Coming. Here's How to Process Your Options This Election Season
1. Build engagement with creative content
Election season is a great time to try something a bit more creative with your social media and other digital content. Remember the 2008 Presidential election? That's when AirBnB rolled out two "new" cereals in honor of the two main candidates — Obama O's and Cap'N McCain.
Fortunately, you don't have to go to that kind of expense or effort these days to make a splash. Instead, up your TikTok game and craft some short, memorable videos to share. If video isn't your strong suit, memes are a great alternative since they're equally visual and relatively simple to put together thanks to today's graphics software tools (Canva even has pre-sized templates ready 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 an area in which I've advised online businesses during past election seasons. Perhaps you can interview local candidates for office. Alternatively, make some elaborate and eye-catching infographics that help explain critical election issues, the platforms for specific candidates and how they differ, or the procedural aspects of local voting. You don't have to create a whole new channel or account, either. Schedule out content carefully so that you time it right among your other posts and still make an impact.
2. Get to work in your community
Elections aren't just about winning or pressing an advantage. They're about citizenship and civics, human rights and community involvement, too. Your company or organization can get involved at this level as a sponsor of voter registration drives, debate watch parties, community service initiatives, workshops, meet-the-candidate events and more.
Consider getting involved as a corporate donor to a political action committee, or by sponsoring other issue-driven advertising initiatives. Advocate for causes that impact your community, your team or your business. Aligning your brand with a political or social issue that is meaningful to your company's values helps you reach consumers who share those values.
3. Help your employees communicate more effectively about issues that concern them
It's no secret that in recent years, the U.S. has become exponentially more divisive and conflicted, especially about politics. We should all be doing our part to help foster more effective and respectful communication skills.
So why not start in the workplace? I've met founders at companies who offer communication workshops for their employees that acknowledge the rising hostility in public discourse and use frameworks like roleplaying to help explore better alternatives than yelling or calling the other party names.
And don't forget to lead by example: Show your team you're serious about the subject by attending the workshop yourself, and require all top management to do the same. Follow through by working collaboratively on a new respectful communication policy for your company, with the input of your employees.
4. Make it easier for your employees to cast their votes
Long wait times, hotly contested top-of-ticket races, the "consolidation" of polling places (so that a community has fewer options for in-person voting for the same or even a greater number of voters) — all these things have put additional pressure on existing polling places in the U.S. and make it increasingly difficult for many people to actually vote.
As an employer, you are in a unique position to help mitigate against or even remove those obstacles altogether, even if you'd rather not get political. Consider the following moves:
- Before Election Day, host voting registration drives and encourage employees to take advantage of early and mail-in voting procedures available in your state, if any.
- Provide paid time off for each employee to get to the polls during work hours so they won't have to lose wages, pay extra for child care or extend their work days for hours.
- Offer rideshare or group transit to the polls from your workplace or office site.
At the very least, you can ask your employees what would make it easier for them to vote. Then think of ways to deliver that.
Related: Trump Says the U.S. President Should Have 'a Say' in Federal Reserve Decisions
5. Host "Election Day"-themed sales or special events
Finally, consider hosting a sale or other commerce-oriented special event during election season. While "show us your 'I Voted' sticker" giveaways are probably not a great idea, and may even be illegal, there are lots of other ideas you can put into play:
- Create themed product or service collections based on non-partisan election concepts, such as "Voice of the People," "Liberty," or "Unity." Display these collections prominently in your store or website and encourage customers to vote for their favorite theme. The winning theme could then be featured in a special post-election promotion or sale.
- In the run-up to voting, get customers to vote on the amount of the discount you offer on Election Day.
- Designate a local charity to which you'll donate a specific portion of profits during your election-themed sale.
- Host a results-watching party on-site and offer door prizes.
Encouraging others to vote and to participate in the democratic process is a crucial part of being a good corporate citizen, and it's also good business. Get creative and pursue one or more of these ideas — or one of your own — to help drive both voters and sales. Just remember to focus on supporting issues and the electoral process generally, as opposed to specific candidates, to avoid creating a politically unwelcoming and toxic corporate culture.
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