When social media is done right, it goes very very well. But when it’s done wrong, you could have a tidal wave of complaints, criticism and chaos on your hands in a matter of minutes. Here are four recent social media disasters and how to avoid them.

Netflix launches Qwikster. Netflix’s failed attempt to split their services by launching a separate streaming service called Qwikster was an undeniable disaster, but not just because of the business model. Around the time of the attempted launch Twitter users who tried to follow @Qwikster found someone who talked about drugs and uttered an impressive amount of profanities. So, always search online for potential names of products or services BEFORE you tell people about them.

Kenneth Cole’s Cairo joke. The uprising in Egypt last year was a hot topic on Twitter. Fashion label Kenneth Cole failed to make light of a very serious situation by tweeting: ‘Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumour is they heard our new spring collection is now available online.’ Never use sensitive issues such as world conflict or death to promote yourself – especially if you’re a big brand.

Burger King’s Whopper Sacrifice. This short live Facebook campaign was shut down because Burger King asked people to defriend ten people for a free Whopper burger. Avoiding this one is a no-brainer: don’t’ do anything that directly goes against the whole point of social media (i.e connecting with people!)

Ketchum offends FedEx. Ketchum, a public relations and marketing agency based in New York, took the philosophy of showing your brand’s human side on Twitter too far when a vice president tweeted about how he would die if he had to live in Memphis Tennessee. There are worse things you could say on Twitter in normal circumstances, but Ketchum happened to have a big meeting with their biggest clients, FedEx, the next day. Guess what? FedEx are based in Tennessee. Therefore, be careful not to tweet personal views that could be taken up the wrong way.

Source: Hubspot

Tags: Burger King, Fed Ex, HubSpot, Kenneth Cole, Ketchum, Netflix, Qwikster