
Social-media disasters are surprisingly easy to come by. Organizations often misunderstand what people want and are frequently tone deaf to the potential impact of their messages.
We've seen tons of examples where companies have put their foot in it right up to the knee. The latest comes from the world of politics. The Democratic National Committee decided to reach out to its affiliated voters on Saturday, January 28--as the implications of Trump's ban on refugees from a number of Muslim-majority countries, including the prohibition of some green card holders from returning to the U.S. after traveling, became clear.
The DNC isn't a company, but it's an organization that can provide a great object lesson. At a time of massive protests and legal actions, all within the first week of the Trump presidency, the DNC wrote this: "We want to know what YOU want the future of our party to look like and what you want from our next Chair. Tell us:"
We want to know what YOU want the future of our party to look like and what you want from our next Chair. Tell us: https://t.co/wjUvnRVatM
-- Democratic Party (@DNC) January 28, 2017
Lawyers have a saying: Never ask a question in a courtroom for which you don't already have the answer. Surprises can be nasty. So can answers to a tweet. The ones the DNC received were so bad, the paint must be peeling off the organization's walls. Here are some examples--and although the answers are political in nature, because this is a forum about business, the point is to show just how deep you can sink in little time.
@DNC @TheDemocrats I want you to be holding a press conference on the steps of the Washington Monument about Bannon and the Muslim Ban
-- Brittany Cavallaro (@skippingstones) January 29, 2017
@DNC @TheDemocrats are you kidding me? You won't have a party in 3 days. Right now, get Republicans on board to stop this lunatic. WTF!
-- tasraz (@ComTasraz) January 29, 2017
@DNC @TheDemocrats - ummm...Hello? Do you have a clue what is happening right now? Stop tweeting, call a news conference & do something!
-- laurie diamond (@diamondl23) January 29, 2017
.@DNC I filled out the form but think again if you think you're getting one goddamn cent out of me until you start doing shit.
-- The Ing Pope (@ingdamnit) January 29, 2017
@DNC @TheDemocrats this is a spine. FIND ONE! Try starting there. pic.twitter.com/yhwkFQ3niJ
-- Jon Hamelin (@hamelin_jon) January 29, 2017
These were some of the milder comments.
Any organization--including companies--has duties toward its audience, whether customers or constituents. You have to understand them and what they expect from you. If you don't, you can't stay in business. Eventually, no one will deal with you. And if you want to use social media intelligently and usefully, you never ask something that suggests you might be out of touch. You won't like the cross examination that comes up.