Increasingly tense – less than a week until America votes, that’s the prevailing feeling on social media with the polls too close to call. This is no surprise given the increased polarisation of social media users over the years.
Whatever your personal opinions of the presidential candidates, your brand must toe a fine line.
Hopefully, you have already established a clear social media policy to guide what to post, how to respond to political comments, and who will monitor interactions. But, with only days to go until the voting booths open, your brand’s social media messaging should be more considered than ever.
Last-minute social media advice:
Monitoring
Proactive measures to identify and address potential issues before they escalate:
- Deploy social listening tools such as Meltwater, Sprout, Brandwatch and Pulsar
- Track sentiment metrics throughout the week to note if sentiment declines
- Establish clear thresholds for content pausing
Moderation
It is more important to manage engagement and comments during the next week – protect your brand’s reputation by ensuring you are vigilantly monitoring your social media feeds:
- Implement clear comment moderation protocols
- Set up auto-block/hide features for problematic content
- Create standardised professional responses for common scenarios
- Assign specific team members to monitor and respond
Messaging
This one is obvious – but avoid any political messaging – or messaging subjects that (rightly or wrongly) could be perceived as political e.g. climate change, health, and data privacy:
- Focus on company values and expertise
- Share educational content and industry insights
- Highlight company achievements and news
- Avoid political commentary or partisan topics
Timing
Ensure not to schedule content during politically significant moments – the posts may get lost in the discourse, or worse, accidentally insert your brand into the discussion:
- Identify peak political conversation times
- Schedule posts during quieter periods
- Target early morning/late evening slots
- Adjust posting frequency during major events
Advertising
Implement some protective measures to maintain brand safety in ongoing paid media campaigns:
- Create political keyword exclusion lists on platforms that target by keywords
- Apply exclusions across all advertising platforms
- Review advert messaging and placements
- Set up alerts for comments and engagements on ads
Documentation
Keep note of what happens on social so that you can change tactics at the drop of a hat. Document everything and keep the documentation saved for future elections:
- Log all moderation actions
- Record response times and outcomes
- Document any content pauses or changes
As the day draws near, keeping your brand neutral and informed on social media is more important than ever. By implementing clear monitoring, moderation, messaging, timing, advertising, and documentation strategies, you can safeguard your brand’s reputation through this complex period. Whether it’s adjusting posting schedules or actively tracking sentiment, these proactive steps will help you stay responsive and agile. Whatever the outcome, a thoughtful, prepared approach will position your brand to navigate high-stakes social media landscapes with confidence—ensuring that your message remains authentic, professional, and resilient.
