Key takeaways:
- Proactive calendar management is key: Identify significant political events to adjust content strategy and anticipate online activity spikes.
- Foster cross-functional collaboration: Involve colleagues from various departments to understand the external political landscape and navigate it with care.
- Stay audience-centric: Focus on what resonates with your audience to maintain relevance and avoid politically sensitive topics, especially during election season.
As social media continues to evolve, the challenges of navigating politically charged environments become increasingly evident. Election years, in particular, pose unique hurdles for brands seeking to engage their audiences while remaining politically neutral.
To provide actionable insights for social media leaders, our members provided best practices for crafting content during this critical time in our leadership panel on social media planning during an election year.
1. Proactively Manage Your Social Media Content Calendar
Sandra Phillips, Director of Content Strategy at UC San Diego Health, emphasized the importance of proactive calendar management.
By identifying significant events such as debates and primaries, she shared that social media teams can anticipate spikes in online activity and adjust their content strategy accordingly.
Political season is about a year long, so we’re well into it. As social media planners, you have to look at the hot days that are coming up.
Sandra Phillips, Director of Content Strategy at UC San Diego Health
“Political season is about a year long, so we’re well into it,” Sandra said. “As social media planners, you have to look at the hot days that are coming up.”
For industries with overlapping events, such as healthcare systems during open enrollment periods, it’s particularly critical to strategize ahead.
“Look at your analytics and don’t be too disappointed if your content doesn’t get the reach it usually does during that time of year, because there’s a lot of competition and there’s a lot of noise,” Sandra added.
Danielle Thompson, Social Media Manager at Dartmouth Health, also highlighted the significance of not overlooking state-related dates and local issues, as political strategies extend beyond national elections and can have significant implications for businesses at the state level.
“I want to emphasize the importance of not overlooking state-related dates,” Danielle said. “While national elections often dominate the conversation, it’s crucial to recognize the evolving landscape of political strategy, especially at the state level. This can have significant implications for businesses, including healthcare reimbursements and local projects like housing and workforce development. It’s essential to remain mindful of these factors in our planning.”
2. Establish Cross-Functional Collaboration to Get a Better Sense of the External Political Landscape
John Nelson, Vice President of Communications at Kaiser Permanente, discussed the value of cross-functional collaboration. He said it’s essential to include your colleagues from government relations, public policy, compliance, and HR to gain a comprehensive understanding of the external landscape.
“Make sure everybody understands the massive controversy and difficulty that is happening right now on social media and across our country,” John said. “Get everybody on the same page and realize that this is a fraught time, and we’re going to have to be really careful.”
Look at your content, and maybe it has nothing to do with political content. But because of something that’s happening in a campaign, it can carry a message that you didn’t intend.
John Nelson, Vice President of Communications at Kaiser Permanente
This collaborative approach enables organizations to navigate the complexities of an election year with agility and sensitivity.
“Look at your content, and maybe it has nothing to do with political content,” John added. “But because of something that’s happening in a campaign, it can carry a message that you didn’t intend. Be mindful of that and assign folks to track what the conversation is in the political sphere.”
3. Maintain Relevance Through Audience-Centric Engagement
Sarah Rose Watkins, Global Media and Issues Management Manager at FedEx, advocated for audience-centric engagement. She explained that by understanding what resonates with your audience, your social media team can maintain relevance while avoiding politically sensitive topics.
“Find out what resonates with your audience and lean into that,” Sarah said. “People love those light-hearted things.”
People want to see [people, pets, and planes] during election season. They want to escape the political content.
Sarah Rose Watkins, Global Media and Issues Management Manager at FedEx
For example, she explained that FedEx focuses on universal themes like “people, pets, and planes” to connect with audiences in a politically neutral manner.
“People want to see that during election season,” Sarah added. “They want to escape the political content.”
4. Tailor Your Content Strategy for Each Platform
Danielle at Dartmouth Health highlighted the importance of tailoring content strategies to each platform.
Think about what you’re already doing for strategic social media storytelling. It should look different across your different platforms.
Danielle Thompson, Social Media Manager at Dartmouth Health
She advised social media teams to adapt their approach to suit the unique characteristics of each platform while maintaining consistency with brand identity. Danielle said this ensures maximum impact and resonance with diverse audiences.
“Think about what you’re already doing for strategic social media storytelling,” Danielle said. “It should look different across your different platforms.”
She suggested adapting your themes across different platforms to maintain strategic consistency while catering to each platform’s unique voice and audience.
5. Avoid Campaign Launches Around Election Day
John advised caution for social teams looking to launch new campaigns or initiatives on Election Day.
With the digital landscape saturated with political content, he shared that brands risk being drowned out or inadvertently offending their audience.
“It’s not a day to launch anything new,” John said. “You’re not going to be heard. You’re going to be swamped.”
Instead, John said post-election presents an opportunity for brands to re-engage with audiences as the political fervor subsides.
“It’s going to be jam packed and crowded, not just with the paid and organic content from campaigns and parties,” John said. “There’s so much of it that people will also want a break from it. They’ll want content that’s different and fresh and not about politics. It’s not a day, or even a week leading up to it, to launch anything new.”
Strategize with Your Peers Leading Social Media at the World’s Largest Brands
Navigating content planning during an election year requires proactive calendar management, cross-functional collaboration, audience-centric engagement, tailored platform strategies, and caution on Election Day.
By implementing these actionable insights, social media leaders can successfully navigate the complexities of election season while maintaining audience engagement and loyalty.
If you’re leading social media at a large organization, you can gain more insights from your peers at the world’s largest companies in our community. Our members meet weekly to confidentially benchmark their strategies and how to plan for emerging topics like election year planning.
