Examples of Social Media Screw Ups

& genius response

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Hashtag Hijack1A boutique tweeted a promotional tweet using the #aurora hashtag, during the shootings at a movie theatre in Aurora.

Lesson; Don’t use a sensitive or disaster hashtag to promote your business.

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Hashtag Hijack2Gap tweeted a promotional tweet on the #sandy hashtag as superstorm Sandy destroyed homes and businesses and lives on the US east coast.

Lesson; Don’t use a sensitive or disaster hashtag to promote your business – even with a related message.

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Scheduling a Tweet3During the shootings at a movie theatre in Aurora the NRA sent out a badly-timed pro-gun tweet. The tweet was sent via Hootsuite and probably scheduled.

Lesson; If you’re using a scheduling tool be prepared to delete

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Account Mix Up4A tweet dissing Barack Obama was published on a company account – apparently the employee running the account meant to publish it on his/her own account. (Not the only example of this happening in 2012)

Lesson; Keep your private and public accounts separate. Many apps will aggregate accounts and let you post from multiple accounts. Don’t.

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X rated images5A US Congressman Anthony Weiner tweeted sexually suggestive photos.

Lesson; Don’t.

picable

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Bashtagging6Starbucks started promoting a hashtag #spreadthecheer as part of a campaign. It was quickly taken over by tweeters more concerned about Starbucks’ tax record than coffee.

Lesson; Be careful when starting a campaign, if your company is in the news for negative reasons your social media channel can be taken over.

From Mashable

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Over-sharing7The CFO of a clothing company tweeted share-price sensitive information, meaning it was shared with his followers before the public. He was fired.

Lesson; Know what you can and cannot tweet. For publicly listed companies and those in regulated industries there are legal limits.

From Hootsuite

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Starting with the lawyers8Nestle’s facebook page is targeted by a well-executed campaign by Greenpeace. Their response is swift and legalistic.

Lesson; When targeted by such a campaign focus on the real issue; trademark abuse probably isn’t it.

(read more, at brandbuilder)

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Over-reacting9Applebee’s fired a waitress who posted an image of a note left by a customer. The story grew, all over their facebook page and into mainstream media. You can see how Applebee’s handled it in this photo essay.

Lesson; If you over-react in real life, over-reacting in social media will not make it better.

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Genius Response& 1Richard posted a tough question on Bodyform’s facebook wall. Bodyform responded on YouTube in a documentary style spoof. (Note the 3.7 million views)

Lesson; A perfectly-pitched, funny response works.

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