Here on the Dragonfly blog, we spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of social media. It gives organizations unprecedented access the the public at large! It’s connecting people all over the world! All it takes is an Internet connection, and you’re ready to go!
But is social media always a force for good in the world? Unfortunately, it’s not. As we wrote about in this Fast Company article, social media can have a negative impact on your organization’s reputation. It can also lead to the appearance of activism when in fact there is inaction. After all, membership in an online group does not equal true commitment; it might even make people less likely to take action, because they feel that their online group membership lets them off the hook.
Creating a focused goal and maintaining transparency are key to combating inaction and a negative perception of your company’s social media efforts. It’s also helpful to look at the mistakes made in the past, which is why we wanted to share this slide deck by Social Media Influence. It’s called “A Short History of Social Media Screw Ups” and it’s an incredibly interesting and informative resource for anyone interested in utilizing social media to promote their brand or organization.