Nothing is more deserving of a staff email than being tweeted by a big brand name. After all, isn’t that why we love social media so much (apart from brightly colored backgrounds, ridiculous hashtags and @claytonroot)? It totally makes us feel like brands want to talk to us.
Unfortunately, to some of the savviest of socialites, there’s no faster way to look stupid than to spit out a poorly fashioned tweet in an effort to maintain activity and engagement. Here in the PR department, we’ve seen our fair share of Twitter mentions, both bad and good, so in an effort to learn from other brands’ mistakes, I’ve crowd sourced a few examples from the folks here at @mccPR to show you what a social fail looks like.
Please, stop cold-tweeting.
I love it when businesses that are really, seriously trying to develop leads through Twitter start talking to a brand or person who has absolutely no interest. It’s like watching a sleazy, drunk guy hit on a really hot, sober girl at a bar. It’s just not gonna happen. In this retweet, @TexasRealtyPros really wants @austin360 to consider them for their housing needs when they get ready to move to Houston. I know what you’re thinking – why would an Austin-based publication about all things Austin consider any other realtor when it gets ready to move…to Houston. Right?
Well, you have to give @TexasRealtyPros credit for its bold use of caps, but let’s get real. Cold tweets do not drive sales. In the case of someone tweeting about their house hunt in the Houston area, maybe the realtor would’ve had a shot at getting a call, but even if a user shows interest in your services, this is not what I would call an engaging tweet.
Don’t humor me.
If you know me, you know I like to joke around. If you follow me, you better like it, or keep your tweeter shut. In this example, I must’ve caught this particular @APStylebook administrator on a bad day.
Now, I’ll give whoever that poor soul is some credit – part of his or her responsibility on this platform is to resolve misunderstandings. I’m sure they were trying to help. I’m sure they took a second to look up any recent changes to that particular term in order to clear up my lack of knowledge. I’m sure they weren’t at all annoyed that some punk PR yuppie used their Twitter handle in an almost-pseudo-borderline-negative reference. Really, I am. I feel, however, that my mention did not merit a response. I think it would’ve been better left alone.
Regardless of misunderstandings or other possibilities, brands do not have to answer every single mention they receive – especially when their handles are used passively in a sentence. It’s not practical. People generally don’t expect you to. It’s a bit cumbersome. In this particular case, @APStylebook only tweeted six times that day, three of which were @replies. If you’re going to answer or comment on others’ tweets, pick your battles a little more selectively.
Learn how to read.
It’s always exciting when you check in on Foursquare and a venue tweets to thank you for visiting. Especially because you didn’t directly ask a question or make a comment that requires a response. For brands, it’s a great way to interact with customers as close to the cash register as you can get, which is a rare opportunity.
In this situation, our friends at Chili’s were just not on top of things. After hearing that you can get a free appetizer when three friends check in together, we got excited and hopped in the car for some good ole all-American fare. Once checked-in, @jennreeves got a tweet from @Chilis – no “thank you,” no funny anecdote, no acknowledgement about her compliment to the waitress (Angela is 4reelz awesome!). Just a sales pitch. Whaaaaaa? There are lunch specials at…lunch? Groundbreaking. Please tell us something we don’t know.
Then, after giving the benefit of the doubt and explaining that we received a free appetizer and are extremely pleased with Angela, @Chilis tweeted her back and tried to sell her AGAIN. This time, on something she had clearly already bought into. Like with any conversation, it turns out you should probably listen to what someone tells you before you respond with inappropriate answers. Also, just take the freakin’ compliment.
Aaaaaannddddd, here’s that lady in the purple rhinestone hat.
