Snapchat is an app primarily used to send short-term content to other users. In the past few years, Snapchat has added the ability to subscribe to view more significant creators’ stories, read publications, and use filters. Throughout the growth of Snapchat businesses have utilized it to promote their brands.

There are so many social media platforms in todays world but Facebook cannot be forgotten. Facebook arguably revolutionized the social media world. It was the beginning of the phenomenon and houses a very large demographic of people. 

Lessons Learned from Mistakes Made

When digital communication goes wrong, it can have serious consequences for a company, from damaging its reputation to causing financial loss. As businesses increasingly turn to digital communication to connect with their audiences, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks that come with this powerful tool. Taking a look at real-life examples of digital communication gone wrong can provide current and future communication professionals lessons from these cases to help businesses avoid similar mistakes.

Be Aware of the Culture

One example of digital communication gone wrong is Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad. In 2017, Pepsi released an ad featuring Kendall Jenner joining a protest and seemingly solving a conflict by offering a police officer a can of Pepsi. However, the ad was widely criticized for trivializing serious social issues and cultural appropriation. The lesson here is that businesses need to be aware of the social and cultural contexts in which they operate and avoid using sensitive issues to promote their products. 

Monitor Your Channels

Another example of digital communication gone wrong is McDonald’s #McDStories campaign. In 2012, McDonald’s launched the campaign, asking people to share their positive experiences with the brand using the hashtag. However, the hashtag was quickly took over into a bashtag with people sharing negative experiences and criticism of McDonald’s. This shows the potential for negative feedback and the need for businesses to carefully monitor their social media channels.

Respond Quickly

In 2017, United Airlines faced widespread criticism after forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight. The incident was captured on video and shared widely on social media, leading to a PR disaster. This underscores the importance of having clear policies in place for managing crises and responding to negative feedback in a timely and appropriate manner. 

Get Feedback Before a Launch

Dove’s 2017 ad that appeared to show a black woman turning into a white woman after using Dove soap also received criticism for promoting racist stereotypes. This is a reminder that businesses need to be aware of the potential for unintentional messaging and carefully consider the potential interpretations of their content.

Manage Your Accounts

The final example of digital communication gone wrong is in 2012, a KitchenAid employee tweeted an offensive political joke about Barack Obama from the company’s official account during a presidential debate. While this tweet was widely criticized, KitchenAid successfully managed this social media crisis with a quick public apology from the company. This is an example of the importance of carefully managing access to social media accounts and making sure that employees are fully aware of the potential consequences of their actions.

Simple Steps

In conclusion, these digital communication case studies show the potential risks of getting digital communication wrong. Businesses need to be aware of the potential for negative feedback, carefully consider the social and cultural contexts in which they operate, have clear crisis management policies in place, be aware of the potential for unintentional messaging, and carefully manage access to their social media accounts. By taking these simple steps, businesses can avoid the mistakes of these digital communication case studies and build stronger connections with their audiences.

In the age of digital marketing, companies are constantly seeking out ways to establish their brand and engage with their target audience. One of the most powerful and effective ways to achieve this is through blogging.

Instagram is like a second language to any Gen Z, but to any grandma, it is a foreign language. We all know that Instagram is a popular social media platform that allows users to share photos and videos with their followers. But our feeds won’t be complete without the presence of our loving grandmas. Teaching your grandma to use Instagram is easy with just a few simple steps.

As a young professional, networking can be one of the most essential tools for advancing your career. One of the most effective ways to network is through LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional social network. LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can help you connect with people in your industry, explore job opportunities, and showcase your skills and achievements.

If you ask anyone worldwide, they have probably heard the name, Kim Kardashian. Kim Kardashian is more than just a reality TV star. She has created many brands and is a current billionaire; attributing a lot of her success to joining social media early on.

Since its recent release in November 2022, ChatGPT has quickly taken the world by storm. The innovative AI ChatBot can help communications professionals quickly perform tasks such as write essays, blogs, and press releases all within a matter of seconds.

Mitigating a Social Media Crisis

Social media crisis management is a critical aspect of PR and communications, and it requires a sincere and quick approach before things get out of hand. Social media has transformed the way we communicate, connecting people from all corners of the world. It’s also transformed the way businesses operate, providing a platform to engage with customers and promote products and services. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and businesses must be prepared to handle the potential risks of social media. As PR and communications professionals, it’s our duty to ensure that businesses are equipped to manage social media crises. These crises can arise at any time, and they can have a significant impact on a company’s reputation and bottom line.

Best Practices

To effectively manage social media crises, PR professionals must be proactive, vigilant, and authentic. This means being alert to potential risks, monitoring social media channels regularly, responding promptly to issues, and communicating honestly and transparently with all stakeholders. One of the most important aspects of social media crisis management is identifying potential crises before they escalate. This requires staying on top of industry trends and potential issues that may arise. By doing so, PR professionals can take preventive action to address issues before they become full-blown crises.

Another critical element of social media crisis management is having a well-defined crisis management plan in place. This should include a crisis communication protocol, key stakeholders, and a process for responding to crises. By having a designated crisis management team and a clear plan, businesses can reduce damage in the event of a crisis. When a social media crisis does occur, it’s important to respond promptly and authentically. This means fully acknowledging the issue, taking responsibility for any mistakes, and providing regular updates on the situation. Being transparent and communicating openly can help to restore trust with stakeholders.

Learning from Mistakes

Finally, it’s important to learn from each crisis experience and update crisis management plans accordingly. Taking a look at past case studies can teach you what to do and what not to do in an event of a crisis. By taking a reflective approach, businesses can identify areas for improvement and better prepare for future crises. Social media crisis management is a critical aspect of PR and communications, and it requires a dynamic, transparent, and genuine approach. By staying attentive, having a well-defined plan in place, and communicating openly, businesses can minimize the impact of social media crises and emerge stronger in the long run.

In recent years, the power of TikTok has taken the world by storm, becoming one of the most popular social media platforms in existence. It has revolutionized the way we consume and create content. It has provided a new space for people to showcase their creativity and connect with others. TikTok has widely impacted the world and is just the beginning of a new social era.  

It is easy to hop onto any social media platform and post whatever you want, whenever you want, and from wherever you are. But, with social media monitoring, it has been found that there are beneficial times during the day to post making social media posting time crucial.

Starting in 2010, Pinterest is a social media platform that dedicates itself to being a search engine for inspiration and ideas. The platform is limitless, as you can find posts and mood boards for fashion, music, art, fan fiction, sports, and so on. The power of Pinterest from a professional standpoint is simple: pins.

Pins

On Pinterest, each pin holds a different feature and usage. These pins are used strategically to optimize the effect you want to have on the viewers of your page. Learn more about how to become famous on Pinterest here.

Regular Pins

The regular pin prompts the user to link to any page (image, video, blog) that they are viewing. This is the most common and primary function in a user-creator perspective.

Collection Pins

The collection pin allows you to link specific product pages to a post. This will take the user directly to the page linked inside the post. This feature will also open up the viewer’s perspective of the page and allow them to visit more than what they specifically intended to discover. This is a MUST-USE feature for companies trying to engage with the viewer and increase the traction their page is receiving.

Promoted Pins

The promoted pin is essentially a glorified regular pin. However, these pins can be verified by Pinterest and show the viewer that this product, image, etc., is a promotion. This is essential for a company’s credibility and confidence from the viewer. You are showing your viewer that your company is legit and acknowledged by the platform and the users of Pinterest.

Why is this important?

Pins drive users to a page in the most effective way for browsing. Now, If a user is searching for styles for their summer lookbook, a company should not have them save the post of the dress they are selling but give a direct outlet for them to design an outfit around this dress using other products in their collection. Additionally, these products should be linked clearly and time-efficiently so that when they return to their lookbook, they can shop the creator’s website instantly. Enticing users to click on one’s pins may seem like the most obvious usage of Pinterest. However, effectively using the resources that Pinterest provides will skyrocket users’ online interactions with your business or your site.

Rihanna returned to the stage after six years for the Super Bowl LVII halftime performance and brought her Fenty franchise with her, turning Fenty beauty into Fenty Bowl. The billionaire spared no opportunity to promote her brands, Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, and Savage x Fenty, in preparation for this year’s Super Bowl.