Sensible Social Media

The careless tweet that may have cost a woman's career.

Social media is becoming an ever more popular form of marketing for businesses worldwide, but used incorrectly this instant, and free, form of communication can become a disaster for even the biggest of companies. This week has seen another three social media blunders each resulting in a huge backlash from the public. There are lessons to be learned here.

Making an 'opportunity' out of a crisis will never work

Without a doubt the biggest social media error of the week comes from Friends Reunited, who posted a rather insensitive tweet following one of the most horrific incidents to affect the UK in recent times. After public reaction to other such social media mishaps in the last few months, it is seemingly obvious that unless your sending your thoughts / condolences, it's probably best not to say anything at all, let alone newsjack and try and force a marketing opportunity out of a tragedy. Friends Reunited have since apologised, suspended the person responsible, and have stated that the post was not cleared by management. Another lesson here, know who has access to your accounts!

Strong personal opinions should be kept away from the internet
 
It's not just companies that can be affected by the power of social media. A flippant tweet by a 21-year-old trainee accountant explaining how she hit a cyclist may have jepordised her career. The girl has already been suspended from her job and has stated her contract may be over. It doesn't matter whether you are the social media manager for a huge company, or simply expressing your opinion on your own personal social media accounts, you are at risk of putting damaging information out there. Do not post anything which you may later regret. Sure there is a delete button, but you can't delete those hundreds of screen grabs just by removing the original post, and you can't stop those hundreds of screen grabs from being circulated, and hate being directed towards you. Do yourself a favour and think before you tweet / post, please!

If someone loves your brand, do not give them reason not to
 
Not as controversial as the other two examples, but potentially as damaging to the company, was the way that Fererro handled a Nutella superfan this week. Sara Rosso created World Nutella Day in 2007, and the event has over 40,000 fans on Facebook. However, Fererro initially panicked, and delivered a cease and desist notice against the event, claiming that their branding was being used incorrectly on the fan page. Luckily, Ferrero backtracked and are now supporting the event. But why the panic? Fans are a great asset to a brand, they are an opportunity, not a threat, especially when they already have 40,000 fans of their own!  We hope Fererro are now making the most of this and are assisting Sara. Send her the brand guidelines, help her use them correctly, make her a brand ambassador, reward her loyalty.

There are those who get it right
 
A great example of how brands can reward their superfans, and use social media in a positive way, comes from Taco Bell, who have been sending rings and hand written letters to their 'special ladies'. These ladies are all high profile celebrities, but they are also people who apparently promote their love for the chain on their social media accounts. This may seem a little bit odd, but a picture is worth 1000 words and some of the receivers of these rings have taken to Instagram to show them off, jackpot for Taco Bell.

What lessons have you learned through using, or watching others use, social media?