Archive: Social media management: think twice, act wise
Social media management is a thankless task.
You're often trapped between senior management asking you to post yet another sales message, while customers are taking your head off in public.
You remind yourself that any issue is with the brand, not you, and crack on with your strategy.
Nevertheless, it's hard not to take it personally.
Brand social media accounts are mercilessly abused – frequently and consistently.
Very rarely do you get the chance to write something akin to an 'open letter' to the public. When it does happen, it must feel liberating:
Speaking directly now, as the person who's been answering these tweets, I know it could have been much worse. It's easier to be on the receiving end of this as a brand than as an individual. There's more emotional distance and I've had a team to support me when it got a bit much.
— Yorkshire Tea (@YorkshireTea) February 24, 2020
For what it's worth, Yorkshire Tea handled their moment in the political spotlight brilliantly.
Bringing it on yourself
The glaring truth of social media management is that you will probably make an honest, but rare, mistake. Something easily fixable that will probably go unnoticed by many – apart from yourself – but, it will happen.
While you may be unwittingly dragged into a scenario not of your own making, you can usually extract your brand from the conversation through solid management.
Usually.
What's worse is bringing heat on the brand itself – without provocation.
Following the news concerning textile factory conditions during Covid-19, and the issues surrounding fast fashion as a whole, you would have thought any brand with even the loosest connections to this world would be keeping a low profile.
Not quite:
We've probably got a pair of these for £3 😜 https://t.co/IgUwP7uRTb
— Primark (@Primark) August 20, 2020
Trying too hard
A popular strategy in recent years is to add humour to your social.
From the 'lad banter' of Paddy Power, the irreverence of Innocent, or the general sassiness of any major fast food brand.
But...
The social teams behind Primark (and let's not forget ASOS) are not doing themselves any favours with tweets like that.
It's draws angry comments and creates more work. Even if that work is purely monitoring without responding, it can detract from their core strategy.
I feel for social teams, I really do, but simple mantras are essential when managing social accounts, one in particular: think twice, act wise.
Of course, they may not be bothered, but the topic of fast fashion will not disappear. Nor will negative social comments.
Best to try a different route next time Primark.
The same might apply to the 'bubbling-under' issues in your market.