When things go sideways on social media – and they will – it’s how you respond that matters.
Whether it’s an accidental tweet or an overeager trigger finger hitting the post button too soon, I guarantee you’ve encountered a social media fail.
But what happens next is key.
Do you panic, frantically racing around trying to fix what went wrong?
While that might work (sometimes), being proactive rather than reactive is truly the best strategy.
Because let’s face it —
There’s rarely a positive outcome when you’re reacting to a situation.
Typically, reaction leads to overreaction, which can quickly spiral from bad to worse to all-out catastrophe in a matter of moments.
The only way to combat being reactive (and possibly combative) is to put in place a plan. A plan that outlines the how, when, where and what of any social media misfortune.
Ready to put your best foot forward, no matter the social media situation?
Follow this simple three-step fix to your social media mistake!
How to Fix Any Social Media Fail
1. Assess the Damage
Was the error simply a rogue tweet or random misspelling within a post? No worries!
It might be as simple as leaving it be or deleting it altogether. No harm, no foul.
If the damage is worse – say one of your employees shared private information in a public setting – it might take bigger steps to rectify.
Take a few moments to determine:
- Was anyone harmed by the content shared?
- Was the content offensive?
- Was any information tweeted or posted for private consumption only?
- Was the content legally protected?
- Was there copyright infringement?
- Is there a possibility that this will spiral into a bigger issue?
2. Own the Mistake
There’s good news and bad news when it comes to social media mistakes.
While you can correct them, you can’t control how those affected will react.
The best you can do in any situation is to fess up immediately. Whether offline or online, honesty is always the best policy.
Don’t do what Chrysler did when someone with access to their account sent out this tweet:
Rather than come clean that someone within the company had sent the tweet, they first claimed their account was compromised.
Dumb.
If you’ve made an error, own it and don’t waste time letting everyone know. The longer you wait, the worse the situation becomes and the less authentic your apology will look.
Take this course of action:
- Notify all required parties within your company
- Admit your mistake
- Apologize
- Correct the error
- Move on
After all, we’re only human. Mistakes will happen.
You can only hope your fans and followers will be gracious in accepting your apology.
If not, it’s time to press forward and know that mistakes only make you stronger (and better).
3. Create Your Company Policy
The positive outcome in any negative situation is the lesson learned. That lesson is how to best handle it next time.
Whether you’re a solopreneur, local business or brand, having a social media policy in place is critical.
Not only does it create a communication hierarchy, but also a systematic way to handle any issue, no matter how big or small.
The goal is to put together a make-sense policy that any employee can easily follow. This will serve as a roadmap, offering guidance during a temporary lapse in judgment or social media crisis.
Steps to Creating a Social Media Policy
STEP 1
If you have employees, you must first determine what’s allowed and what’s not when it comes to social media. Be specific with your statements.
Examples:
- Prohibited social media conduct includes posting defamatory comments, pornographic images, proprietary content, or harassing statements
- No exclusive or confidential company information may be posted without prior approval from senior management
- Images may not be shared if you do not have copyright or ownership over the graphic
If you’re the only employee, this process will be slightly easier. However, take the same steps no matter the size of your company. It’s important to spell out what is allowed and how you will handle any negative situation.
Getting crystal clear on what you will tolerate and unacceptable on social media might save you from a situation similar to Kenneth Cole when a tweet attempted to use the Syrian conflict to sell shoes.
“Boots on the ground” or not, let’s not forget about sandals, pumps and loafers. #Footwear
— Kenneth Cole (@KennethCole) September 5, 2013
Yikes! Did someone actually approve that tweet?
If so, it better align with their mission, vision and values.
STEP 2
You now need to determine what the consequences will be for violation of the policy. Spell this out in no uncertain terms.
STEP 3
Now it’s time to clearly communicate your policy with all employees or anyone affected by the new guidelines.
When sharing your social media strategy, make sure to express:
- What company information can be shared?
- Offer examples and state what type of content or details must receive prior approval.
- What language is acceptable?
- How to support the current company social media strategy.
- How your employees can use company logos and additional branded content, such as registered trademarks.
The bottom line?
Always know your limitations and share your expectations. They can save you from a lot of heartache and a messy situation.
One of the biggest general blunders I’ve seen is tasteless jokes, specifically rape or racist jokes. Everyone thinks they are a comedian and are trying to launch themselves via Twitter. I don’t fault their method, just their madness.
Off hand, I can’t think of a time when I’ve posted something I wish I hadn’t on social media. But I will never forget the time I posted a private email to an email group I was in. It was a not-very-nice comment regarding someone in the group who was giving my friend and myself a rough time. The message was meant for my friend only, but was posted for the whole group to see. I apologized and the group member graciously accepted. But oh my! the embarrassment!!
Thank you for another great post, Rebekah.
Thankfully I have not screwed up to badly on social media that I am aware of. The biggest fail I’ve seen actually was the campaign that the NYPD did on Twitter that backfired on them.
This was a very informative post. Thank you for writing it.
Hi Rebekah. I occasionally stick my foot in my mouth (or keyboard, as it might be) and blurt out stuff I shouldn’t. I haven’t turned off too many people – hopefully – and I have been known to remove comments and apologize if I’ve been insensitive and hurt people’s feelings. I’m glad you shared this information in case I really get into trouble. LOL
All the best,
Leslie
Rebekah,
wow.. you sure got my attention with these 3 steps… I know I have lots to learn from you.. but I must say that it is a pleasure since you make things so easy to understand ..
You have shared very good advice on how to take care of what may be very harmful in certain situations….
Thanks so much again Rebekah
_nickc
Hi Rebekah,
Very good advice on how to take care of what possibly could be harmful situations.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Monna! Unfortunately, it happens to the best of us and its always better to be prepared than panicking about how to handle the situation.
Hi Rabekah,
Nice post!!!! I have to laugh when i hear of some of the crazy things that people think are acceptable on social media, like the Burger King WTFF hashtag. I mean come on, that is so close to swearing, why would you even ride that line – unless you are a controversial brand, which they are not by any means.
It is pretty crazy isn’t it? You have to wonder what some marketers are thinking when they approve certain campaigns. As you said, its one thing to be controversial when you’re known for that, but another when you’re targeting families who are going to be offended.
Hi Rebekah,
We all make mistakes, but as long as we own up to them and correct it, we will be OK.
I like what you said about reacting to a situation. If you react, it just will spiral downward.
We have to watch our P’s and Q’s before hitting that send button. We cannot do anything by reaction, but instead action.
You have given great tips to correct things and that is owning up to it.
-Donna
Hi Donna! You’re so right. I’ve watched simple situations spiral out of control because the person handling it overreacted and took a bad situation to worse in a matter of moments.
Sometimes people forget that everything we do is seen or heard. We definitely have to mind those P’s and Q’s these days as nothing goes unnoticed.
Hi Rebekah,
I think sometime or another we all may overreact to even the smallest thing like misspelled words on twitter. Whatever the situation I agree that owning up to your mistake is important. If it is something minor, I usually do not react at all. But if we are talking about something that could compromise the privacy of others I totally agree the damage has to be mitigated.
If we take a breath and think things through there is always a logical course of action to take. I do like your comprehensive social media policy as well. Thank you for sharing.
Great advice Nathaniel! Take a deep breath and slow down before responding. It’s never a good idea to instantly react, especially when your first response is combative or nasty.
Hey Rebekah
Indeed social media is becoming a bit of a battleground and a place to mess up.
I have to laugh when i hear of some of the crazy things that people think are acceptable on social media, like the Burger King WTFF hashtag. I mean come on, that is so close to swearing, why would you even ride that line – unless you are a controversial brand, which they are not by any means.
So great to see you offering some common sense advice and solutions for when it all goes wrong!
ashley
I tend to overcompensate to the cautious and overthink the message. I have spent so many years attempting perfect written communication that more relaxed social media and blogging rules are kind of refreshing. I’m slowly getting more comfortable and relaxed and just talking to people. “Authenticity” is actually kind a nice thing.
This is great Rebekah. As a solopreneur I have no choice but to “own” my mistakes – regardless of where they occur – but when I worked in the corporate world this was an issue that could get out of hand before anyone even knew what was happening. This is an excellent outline and well said – as always!
this is quite timely, as I was beginning to post something that would have been quite harmful to many of my friends in a reactive manner to realizing that I am far less important in the lives of other than they are to me and feeling hurt. I read your blog and realized that the absolute best thing I could do was to remove myself from social media and take a break from the assaults of others (who meaning or not) were hurting me terribly. I realized that life is more than a competition and that moving forward for me doesn’t require that those I consider friends, to be there to support me. I realize it would be quite nice, but it’s not necessary, it seems that I am far more independent than I realized and I have so much that I need to accomplish and social media doesn’t need to be involved in those goals. The down side, is that I limit my “social media” to what I consider to be good friends and family and it’s these people who are posting comments that are showing I am less than important to most people than they are to me… a disturbing realization to wake up. One I am hoping but not expecting, will change over time.
I can do more than what I am currently doing to be involved in these folks lives.
BUT Thank you for posting and emailing this when you did, I would have hurt a number of people in a REACTIVE post instead of responsibly responding to these posts…