The use of social media can be a huge boost to companies. It provides new ways of getting the company seen, it can potentially reach a HUGE audience and it creates opportunities for companies to engage with their customers in ways that they previously wouldn’t have been able to. Used correctly, it can be an extremely powerful tool.
With that said there are also pitfalls that come with the use of social media. If not used efficiently or allowed to fall into the wrong hands, it can also cause serious problems for companies and create embarrassment and even public shame.
When HMV laid off employees they made the mistake of firing the social media planner while she still had access to HMV’s Twitter account. She immediately retaliated with a tweet that stated “We’re tweeting live from HR where we’re all being fired! Exciting!! #hmvXFactorFiring”. Not content with this, she also went on to air the companies’ dirty laundry before HMV were able to regain control of their social media accounts and delete the offending tweets. Lesson learned? Ensure all passwords on accounts have been changed before you layoff any employees who operate your social media.
Qantas Airlines were criticized over the way they handled their social media during the time they locked out their staff after negotiations had failed and all flights had been grounded, back in 2011. Customers who had been stranded on the ground complained at the rather wooden responses the company had provided and even went onto social media to tell others of their plight. Qantas had even created a Twitter campaign with prizes just the day before the lockout. However, instead of receiving the creative tweets they had asked for, they were instead greeted with tweets that scorned the Australian airline. Other airlines jumped in and helped to get the stranded passengers home. Lesson learned? Don’t forget that social media is a powerful tool that can be used by both parties and that the competition can use this time to make their companies look more better than yours.
When Amy’s Baking Company (once featured on the show Kitchen Nightmares) were targeted by internet trolls on Reddit and Facebook after being given low ratings on Yelp, the owners decided to jump in and respond to these comments. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to well. As the comments became more scathing, the owners retaliated by cursing at the posters and generally making themselves sound less than stable. They have since posted on Facebook that all accounts were hacked, which was greeted with even more ridicule. Lesson learned: Don’t fight with internet trolls and stay professional at all times.
The above are just a few examples of how social media marketing can work against you. There are many more stories of people who forgot which Twitter account they were using and accidentally posted to the company’s one. The tweets in bad taste, the private posts that were made public. Point is, if you’re going to use social media, always double check where your posting and what your message is. Most importantly, don’t underestimate the power of unhappy customers. Social media can easily go viral and unhappy customers with social media on their side can prove to be your downfall, that is if you didn’t create your own.