back
Internet Marketing Marketing
6 Reasons Why You Should Not Publicize Outdated Political Opinions through Your Company
Companies and organizations have always supported certain causes. Every company is run by people with certain beliefs, and certain ideologies. These ideologies and beliefs often translate to philanthropy as these organizations increase their profitability. With philanthropy comes in the lobby as well. Most corporations and even small companies donate money heavily to organizations that represent their core values and beliefs. This of course helps people to see you as a great company that cares, instead of only taking home profits to feast on. However, when certain causes take political overtones, you may actually do your business a disservice.
Though you may have a great product to boot and people from different backgrounds like what you sell or offer, an explicit statement or publicizing of a political opinion can cost you a lot in terms of sales. It is of course unethical to stop believing in our own beliefs and not supporting those who are fighting for causes that we believe in. However, if your cause is something that is political and may cause a lot of controversy, it may be a good idea to go ahead supporting your cause financially or otherwise, but do not blow a trumpet over it.
- Overtly Professing Your Political Ideology May Hurt your Sales
- People usually like companies that are neutral and that which do not expressly state whom they favor. People who do not believe in your political ideology may lose interest in your product and choose a competitor’s. Moreover, those who follow your own ideology may expect more than what you can afford to donate, for a certain cause. Either ways, it is a good idea to keep a low profile when it comes to expressing political opinions on public platforms.
- Making Controversial Comments
- Many public companies have seen their stock prices decrease or increase when they make political comments. That sort of fluctuations in the market is totally unnecessary and can give a bad signal to investors, who may again not share your political opinions.
- Spurious Donation Campaigns
- A number of companies and organizations have been deceived or misguided by individuals and charity organizations into donating large sums of money, without actually revealing how the money was spent. If you plan to donate money to charitable organizations, you might want to make sure that it is a credible institution.
- Hurting Certain Demographics’ Sentiments
- By lobbying for a certain cause, you may end up offending or hurting another market segment. For instance, by choosing to donate to a laboratory that conducts animal experiments, you may lose out on clients and customers who do not believe in unethical experiments conducted on animals
- Political Conditions May Change
- By being extremely political overtly, you run the risk of wrath by the opposing party. If that group comes to power in the region where your business is located, you may face unnecessary delays and complications. It is not always necessary that your political opinions are shared by everyone you do business with.
- Outdated Political Ideas Will Not Find Appeal with Customers and Clients
- Several companies have lost significant amounts of profits and sales because they either supported or made statements that offended minorities, social groups, LGBT people, disabled, women and children. Many companies have also suffered because they did not support a certain environmental cause or ethical standards within the industry. If your ideologies are in sync with time and if they reflect the larger opinions then go ahead and publicize your political opinion. However, if you subscribe to less appealing political ideas it may be better to not make them explicit and overstated.
- No matter what your political agenda is, your business can and must always contribute towards it, if you are making enough profits. The only thing that you need to remember is not to offend anyone because it is just not pleasant to do business if you continue to take a controversial position on sensitive issues. If you do think you have an opinion that is not popular among minorities and other groups of people who may be disadvantaged, you might probably keep your political opinions subtle and not explicit. A business does not require you to change your ideologies and you must not. However, subtlety can go a long way in keeping all your customers happy and coming back to you for more
