What mistakes can we find in social media management?
Social media management, especially on platforms such as Twitter, can be a challenging terrain. Over the years, this social network has evolved significantly from a space used by friends to communicate to a powerful tool for brands, media and even governments. However, with this power comes the responsibility to manage communications carefully and appropriately. This is vital to avoid mistakes that can generate criticism or major problems. Let's look at some famous examples and discuss strategies to prevent these situations.
How can inappropriate tweets hurt a brand?
A single tweet can have a huge impact on the public perception of a brand. Returning to some emblematic cases that occurred in Mexico, we can see how a poorly thought-out message can offend the public and cause significant reputational damage.
-
Walmart case: In 2012, after an earthquake in Mexico, Walmart published a tweet that said: "Now yes, we made the other stores tremble with our prices". This attempt at humor resulted in a great deal of criticism because in Mexico, tremors are a sensitive topic due to past disasters that have had tragic consequences. The lesson here is that cultural and social context must always be considered.
-
Crunch case: This case refers to a tweet related to a sensitive political stage, mentioning the disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa, a delicate and painful issue for the country. This insensitivity was harshly criticized and evidenced the importance of considering emotions and the situation of people affected by serious social issues when making public communications.
Under what circumstances can social media managers complicate a situation?
Human error, often caused by dissatisfied employees or mismanagement, can lead to social media crises. Some examples include:
-
INBA case: an official of Mexico's National Institute of Fine Arts used the institutional account to express his frustration at not having been paid for several months. This type of misuse can affect the reputation of the institution and demonstrates the importance of preventive measures and access control to corporate accounts.
-
Reforma case: The staff in charge of managing the account made a mistake by tweeting something personal from the newspaper's profile instead of a personal profile. This underscores the need to have clear and separate mechanisms for account management.
What measures can be implemented to prevent these mistakes?
Preventing these social media crises requires a proactive strategy and appropriate tools to minimize human error and ensure that communications are appropriate and effective.
-
Training and education: Make sure that everyone who handles social media accounts is well informed about the brand's communication policy and tone. Training should include examples of what not to do and how to handle sensitive situations.
-
Management tools: Use social media management platforms that allow tweets to be approved before they are posted. This helps to monitor and control the messages being sent and reduce the risk of errors.
-
Access control: Define who has access to social media accounts and make sure to modify or revoke these accesses in case of personnel changes or specific situations.
-
Content policy: Establish a clear policy on what type of content is appropriate, and provide guidelines on how to respond in crisis situations or sensitive topics.
Adopting these practices not only helps to keep the brand image intact but also to build a relationship of trust with the public. You are invited to share in the comments how your company has dealt with critical social media situations and the lessons learned.
Want to see more contributions, questions and answers from the community?