5 Tips to Avoid a Social Media Disaster

When you run a business, there are so many things that can go wrong. You could lose customers, face dwindling profits, or have your entire staff hand in their resignations at the same time. You could be sued by clients, make poor strategic decisions, or your office could burn down after flouting the health and safety regulations. 

But there’s one new business disaster that was never an issue until approximately a decade ago: the social media storm. All too often we see brands make poorly-judged tweets or inappropriate adverts that go viral online. Perhaps you post a tweet that offends a significant portion of your customer base, or you insensitively reference a tragic global event for marketing purposes. Although some brands are known to use well-judged controversy as part of their marketing strategy, most businesses want to avoid any contention whatsoever. It can be damaging to your reputation, cost you customers and money, and in the worst case, make you susceptible to legal action.

So how can you avoid falling into this marketing pitfall? To help you steer clear of controversy and stay in your followers’ good books, here are five tips to prevent a social media disaster.

Create a social media policy

The most effective way to avoid courting controversy online is to create a comprehensive social media policy. This should outline specific guidelines for the kind of content you post, the style of messaging, and things to avoid. If you have multiple employees in your social media team, this policy will ensure that all online messaging is consistent with your brand and non-contradictory. That’s not to say your social media content should be bland and boring, however. A little humor and levity is a great way to engage your followers and attract new fans, but it’s very easy for it to cross the line into offensive if you’re not careful. The social media policy will allow you to have peace of mind that you’re safe from controversy, without the need to police and monitor every single post that goes out.

Avoid controversial topics

A safe way to prevent a Twitter storm is to stay away from controversial topics altogether. Religion and politics are particularly risky areas to mention, and if you do, you should refrain from opinionated posts. Some brands are inherently controversial. For example, companies involved with drugs, alcohol, and gambling services will inevitably have some naysayers no matter what they post. It’s hard to create a CBD oil marketing strategy that won’t upset a single person. Nevertheless, use your messaging in a positive way that adds value to your followers. Don’t be intentionally controversial and do your best to avoid arguments.

Issue guidelines for employees

It’s not just your business social media channels you need to worry about. Your employees will most likely use various forms of social media for personal use, and these platforms can easily be tied back to your company. Many people mention their jobs in their social media bios, so anything they say or post will reflect on your business. Therefore, it is a good idea to issue guidelines to your employees for personal social media use. You can’t police what they do or don’t say on their own platforms, but you can offer recommendations. By all means, encourage them to be advocates for the company by sharing positive stories and posts. However, they should refrain from weighing in on public debates involving your company and use their common sense throughout all online activity.

Reference current events carefully

When reference topical events, you need to be careful about how you do so. Take the current coronavirus pandemic for example. There’s no business on the planet that hasn’t been affected in some way by these events, so you will undoubtedly need to refer to it in your content. You’ll need to update your customers about how the current restrictions affect your business, operating hours, and products and services. This is essential information for your followers, but there are several red flags to avoid. The worst thing you can do is appear to be capitalizing on tragic events for the benefit of your own marketing. And this goes for any global event. By all means, provide updates and offer sincere thoughts and prayers, but if you use a tragedy to drive people to your product pages, you will be inviting an almighty Twitter storm.

The US election is another great example. It's been a huge talking point for much of the world in the past few months, and it’s impossible to ignore. But it is such a divisive topic that you need to tread incredibly carefully. By all means, make reference to it, but refrain from being opinionated or offering support for either side. Even if you’re not a fan of Donald Trump, the chances are that 50% of your customers are. All it takes is one pro-Biden tweet and you’ve enraged half of your followers.

Have a crisis management plan in place

No matter how careful you are, these things do happen and there’s a good chance that you’ll be fighting a fire at some point. To prepare for such an eventuality, it’s a good idea to have a crisis management plan in place. This will outline the steps you’ll take to respond to your mistake and mitigate the effects. Apologizing and admitting blame can go a long way and will help to protect your business reputation. Even if you avoid major incidents, you will likely experience negative feedback online at some point. This could be from customers who are unhappy with your product, the service they received, long delivery times, or even something as minor as the layout of your website. Make sure your team responds to this feedback promptly and appropriately. Be personal in your responses, rather than copy and pasting the same old boilerplate text. Remember the old adage that the customer is always right. Stay calm, be helpful, and try to offer a solution to their problem.

In conclusion, a social media disaster can have enormous consequences for your business. But if you have a solid social media plan in place and a plan-B for dealing with emergencies, you will successfully preserve your reputation.