Social media is the gift that keeps on giving. While some companies acclaim their success to social media, others rue their failures due to social media. Social media has many pitfalls and it is best for you to know them. Take the example of a company that used the death of a celebrity to advertise their product.
They not only received a telling off from users, their products were boycotted to protest their insensitivity. You donโt have to run a murky campaign to reign supreme. Many companies, the likes of Google and premier glow have been able to run successful social media campaigns, let them be your motivators. In order to protect your brand here are few fails to steer clear of as an organization:
X-rated images and videos
The internet is a Pandoraโs Box of filthy X-rated images and videos. It is an all too familiar theme to find companies posting some of these images, in order to look โhipโ. However, do not try this, as you will be left to rue the backlash you will receive. Social media users have been known to report such matters to the authorities and administrators of the sites.
If you donโt want to answer awkward questions steer clear of these kinds of images and videos.
Diligence
The interfaces of social media networks are changing with time as a result of competition for users. It is, therefore, common to find users posting items publicly that were meant to be sent privately. A famous fail falling in this bracket is that of Twitterโs CFO, Anthony Noto.
In a message meant to be a direct message (DM) he talked about acquiring a company, he instead posted it as a tweet. Fortunately, the name of the company was not revealed. It would have otherwise been a costly mistake. Ensure you read through the information you plan to send and confirm it is going to the right sender.
Celebrities
Considered demi-gods by some of their fans, celebrities have major clout on social media. It would be therefore smart for you to steer clear of antagonizing them or their fans. You might land yourself in serious trouble. Take the example of Pepsi who posted a voodoo doll of Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in painful positions.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to criticize the multi-national for the images. It led to the celebrity creating a group against the brand, which amassed followers like a wild bush fire. Due to the huge backlash the company received, they were forced to issue an apology.
Discriminative messages
As an ill-conceived idea,an apparel store decided to issue a โ 25% off everything blackโ on Martin Luther king day. It is safe to say they didnโt expect the criticism they received. The post was criticized as offensive and racist. Facing the prospect of customers boycotting their products, the store issued an apology. It is important to understand your consumer’s culture so as not to offend them.
Take-away
You should strive to avoid all these fails mentioned. These are not the only pitfalls facing your business once it joins social media networks. Keep a look out for other fails to prevent gaffes that may end up costing your business heavily.
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