Like an awkward actor on stage, McDonalds has found itself at the mercy of hecklers. McDonalds promoted a tweet for feel-good stories regarding the brand, #McDStories, only to find the hashtag taken over by Twitter users with a sense of the absurd.
Now, #McDStories serves as a case study for what not to do when promoting a tweet. So, what can you do to avoid ever causing such a hashtag nightmare for your brand?
1.) Be self-aware. Know your brand. “If your brand is controversial, political, has been getting bad press, has fierce competition, etc., promoting your tweet may not be a good idea,” says one of MarketingProfs own marketing and tweeting stars, Corey O’Loughlin.
“Here’s why: Promoting your tweet puts you on EVERYONE’S radar—not just your fans’ who would normally love to hear from you.” And when you are top of mind for all of Twitter, it is far more likely that you’ll attract attention from haters.
“When u make something w/pride, people can taste it,” – McD potato supplier #McDStories mcd.to/zIlXXu
— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) January 18, 2012
2.) Know why you are promoting your tweet. “What’s your desired outcome?” asks O’Loughlin. “What’s your call to action? What’s the promotion linked to? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, don’t tweet.”
3.) Do a test run. Send the tweet as a NON-promoted tweet to see what reaction it gets. If it’s not positive, why promote it?
4.) Support your tweet. One promoted tweet won’t stand on its own. You need to develop a plan for the
promoted tweet. Be sure to support the promoted tweet with other tweets. If you’re promoting the world’s best mocha, also tweet about mochas, recipes, etc. Don’t leave the tweet out in the cold by its lonesome.
5.) Know when to pull the plug. If your promoted item is getting out of hand, pull the plug ASAP and start your damage control. (Reminder: Have a damage-control plan for your social media efforts.) “Hoping it will go away is not an effective social media marketing strategy,” says O’Loughlin.
Wondering about your own Twitter reputation? Check out our free guide, “How to be a Twitter Superfly in 12 Simple Steps.”
Tags: hashtags, McDonald's, Social Media, Twitter
Self awareness is a real challenge. Almost all brands tend to drink their own kool aid – and that means they are impervious to the views of some of their customers. But starting a program like this with a relatively anonymous quote opens the door to the wrong kind of engagement. I do like the idea of a non-promoted tweet as a test run. Great feedback!
Yes, the great lesson here is to think it out, formulate a plan … A random tweet without anything else to build on is like going out there with a “kick me” sign on your back. A little more thought could have prevented the nightmare.
Thanks, Gavin!
[...] If you promoted item is getting out of hand, pull the plug ASAP and start your damage control. (Reminder: Have a damage-control plan for your social media efforts.) “Hoping it will go away is not an effective social media marketing strategy,” says O’Loughlin. Not Lovin’ It: 5 Ways McDonalds Could Have Prevented a Hashtag Nightmare (& How You Can Avoid … [...]
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Most promoters always tend to think that the consumer’s are morons.
The truth is if I bought from you once and hated what I got than I’m not gonna buy from you again.
Even if you make a story about how you food is grown/raised/cooked fresh.
Most fast food places do not cook the food fresh! Unlike the promotions they make about it.
I used to eat from McDonald’s alot more as a kid.
Mainly because I was naive and innocent.
Now however I find myself eatting alot of my meals at home.
I know what goes into my body than and know what I need to do to boost my vitamin intake.
I may not like alot of McDonald’s food anymore but I still think some of the food is tasty.
The new Chicken McBites are good and I like the Angus Bacon and Cheese burger but I wuldn’t want to eat it everyday as that would get boring and be alot of unhealthy Fat.
Right. Companies need to keep in mind that social media is a conversation. McDonalds seems to have forgotten that in just sending a random tweet.
Thanks for chiming in!
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