If you watched our Facebook Live video on Friday about reputation management, you heard us talk a little bit about why it’s important to find the balance between staying in the moment and when to practice reputation management. This is something that every business needs to be made aware of in the case they one day find themselves in a situation like some noted in this blog.
With almost 9 out of 10 businesses in the United States using social media for marketing purposes, it’s easy for posts from different businesses to mix together. It’s unfortunate the bad posts out of all the millions of good ones that are typically remembered and talked about, however, we can work to avoid such instances.
Here are a few tips for you to follow in order to make sure your business doesn’t face its own reputation crisis:
Be Careful When Posting About Current Events and Anniversaries
When there are events in the news that affect those around the world, companies and businesses can show they are thinking of those people. The same is to be said about anniversaries of major events in history. There are good ways to show that you care, but there are also wrong ways.
For example, an apparel company called Tied to the South posted a tweet on September 11, 2014, that read: “Let’s get 2,296 retweets for the 2,296 people who lost their lives 13 years ago today #neverforget,” with an accompanied picture of Tower 1 after it had been attacked. On the same day, a yoga company based in Arlington, Virginia, took advantage of the date and posted “9+11 = 20% OFF! Patriot Day Sale on Bikram Yoga!” with an accompanying link to their online store. When people started responding negatively, the company’s next tweet read: “The goal was to point out what day it was an associate to patriotism and to remember it. It’s a shame some of you go to the negative” and “If you want to be updated, research the term ‘911 building 7’ and check the news because they are hearing “chatter” about us getting hit again.”
As another example, designer Kenneth Cole came under fire for a tweet his company’s Twitter account made in 2011. Following deadly protests in Egypt, a tweet was posted that read: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is available!” While an apology was made on behalf of the company, the uproar continued for months.
Make Sure You’re Logged Out of the Business Account Before Making Personal Posts
It is crucial to make sure when you are posting things that are meant for your personal account you make sure you are not accidentally posting it to your business’ account, and vice versa.
During the United States Republican National Convention in 2016, a tweet sent out from the United States Justice Department Twitter account. It had posted a link to a CNN article detailing the allegations that First Lady Melania Trump had taken parts of Michelle Obama’s speech and used them in her own speech. The tweet read “CNN is the biggest troll of them all #petty”. The tweet was quickly taken down and a statement was made to the press that said a staffer in the office “erroneously used the official Department of Justice twitter handle to post a tweet that was intended for a personal account.”
Don’t Forget Your Scheduled Posts
The morning after the attack at the Route 91 Music Festival in Las Vegas that left over 50 dead and 500 injured, rapper Future promoted his upcoming show in Vegas. This concert has been scheduled months in advance at the Drai’s Nightclub, where the appearance was labeled as “Drai’s Horror Story”.
This is a prime example of bad timing, and showcases the issue with scheduled posts; do you always remember what you are going to post, and when it will be posted? That is why it’s important for businesses to have a social calendar where they are able to go back and see what items will be posted on what days, just in case of a situation like this happening again.
At Pulse Marketing we put together social calendars that each client has full access to in order to make comments and changes. We learn your voice and your brand, and offer our assistance in staying true to your band. If you would like to discuss our social plans and what we can offer your business, contact us and schedule your one-hour consultation with our team.
