Something happened recently with one of my clients that inspired me to write this blog. They are currently in the middle of a PR nightmare due to a staff member carelessly uploading an image that some people have found offensive. Sentences like “condoning domestic violence” and “absolutely inappropriate”, are not terms you ever want associated with your brand.
They are now all over online news sites and their page has a lot of negative traffic. This just confirms the belief that what goes online, stays online forever. The original post may have been deleted, but screenshots of it still exist and are doing the rounds.
There have been so many examples since social media became a part of our lives of people making mistakes online. And unfortunately the repercussions of this could potentially be felt for a long time. Especially if your brand is part of a franchise – this one post could harm the entire business. Given that this is the space I choose to work within, I am always very careful about the content I choose to share.
Make no mistake – if you are managing a Facebook business page, the online reputation for that business is in your hands. It is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. Just because you can easily post content from your phone, doesn’t mean you can be careless. What you’re about to post can either help your business build relationships and engagement, damage it.
With this in mind, I felt it timely to share with you the four questions I ask myself each time I schedule a post, whether it is for my business or my client’s business:
- Will this content help solve a problem my target market has?
- Will this content be funny/interesting to my target market?
- Is there any way this content could be deemed offensive or inappropriate?
- Am I the only person who thinks this is funny/interesting?
Let’s be honest. There will be times you’ll be scrolling through content and find something you find funny. If you go to post it, and there’s that niggling doubt in the back of your mind, don’t do it. It’s not worth it.
Hardcastle Social Media is an independent social media consultancy based in Inner Brisbane. We provide strategic social media marketing to organisations of all sizes. Specialising in Facebook business page management we provide services from setting up your Facebook business page through to total management of your current page. Contact us today on 0401 505 423 or info@hardcastlesocialmedia.com.au. We offer expert social media advice and look forward to discussing your business needs.