It’s safe to say that the fourth presidential election season with social media as part of the campaign strategy is the most contentious yet. From AI-generated content to the changes made on X after Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform to talk of political influence by other countries, the landscape social media professionals work in is tumultuous at best.

If 2020 reminded us of anything, it’s that elections don’t always end that first Tuesday in November. The increasing media attention on the potential election result disputes similar to the events leading up to Jan. 6. has reignited discussions online.

As a social media professional who doesn’t have the luxury of turning off your accounts for weeks or months, how can you care for yourself and your team during this time of stress?

 

Understand The Landscape

Know where your brand stands on political issues. Political discourse on social media can alter your customer’s language and attitudes toward brands, messaging and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Discuss early how your brand might adjust in light of national events, including when you might go dark.

Keeping on top of the day’s headlines doesn’t mean you must be chronically online. Commit to checking headlines or trending topics once in the morning and then later that afternoon. This allows you time to course-correct any content that could seem insensitive in light of current conversations.

Listening workflows can ease the monitoring load. Flag key phrases in your monitoring tools and determine a notification frequency to alert your team. Develop a communication escalation policy that includes after-hours and weekend coverage for monitoring and internal response. 

 

Know Your Brand’s Policies

Review your organization’s policies and processes with legal, human resources, risk management, public relations and security teams. By discussing key issues, you can avoid delays in response and indecision when an incident occurs.

• How will your company handle complaints, doxxing, or threats against employees for personal postings or conflicts online? About 40% of Americans had experienced online harassment, and half of that was because of political views, according to a 2021 study. 
• How will you escalate threats to your company from an account that may not agree with your brand’s position or services?
• Will your brand take a stance on political issues, and does it align with your organization’s mission and strategy? Not doing so is a communications misstep and could trigger social media attention.

 

Coping with Negative Content

While the negativity in the digital space may seem higher, continue to follow your monitoring plan, but prepare to pivot and bring in additional staffing resources to monitor or take other tasks from social media team members. 

Be aware of these issues with managing negative content:

• Are there bad-faith conversations that your brand finds aren’t worth engaging with? 
• How will your team handle AI-generated misinformation?
• Are there stances or topics that your organizations will stand on and back up with strong sources of information? 
• What is your blocking policy?

Additionally, as a social media professional, you risk encountering disturbing content online due to news events or malicious actors. This exposure to graphic or traumatic material, such as video from live news unfolding on Jan. 6, may harm your mental health. A fantastic resource to help is the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, which offers tips for journalists and communications professionals exposed to violent content. Also, ensure that your team knows about your employee assistance program and other stress-management and mental health resources before a crisis occurs. 

 

Vote For Self-Care

The last months of 2024 will likely be busy ones in the digital space, but the bumpy political landscape allows you an opportunity for grace. Deciding what social media success looks like for your team in light of heavy online conversations and lower audience reach is part of practicing self-compassion.

Creating work rules for your team can help reduce the feeling of needing to be online 24/7. These team rules can include:

• The team’s core working hours
• Communication methods for project work
• Dedication to time off work 
• Identification and training of supporting players for crisis management 
• Commitment to being offline by a specific time of night unless a true brand crisis happens.

The future of crisis communications in social media lies in our ability to support team members’ mental health. By investing in proactive planning and support systems, our crisis communications teams can be equipped to handle challenges and be supported in recovery and growth.

 

Author: Robbie Schneider, SMS

Connect with Robbie on LinkedIn.