Twitter Mistakes Are Normal

Twitter mistakes are going to happen. Most of the time…no one cares…unless you are a substantial brand/company/individual — then your tweet becomes the fun “Digg” moment of the day where people share an online tidbit with their friends, chuckle about it and move on. What are some of those common eyebrow raising Twitter mistakes?

1. Accidentally tweeting personal opinions or updates on a client account
2. #Abusing #the #use #of #Hashtags via #trending #topics
3. Tweeting something you think is clever by tying it into a horrible disaster or current crisis
4. Just saying something really stupid (lots and lots of athletes)

Let’s examine further — today’s Secret Service tweet slamming Fox News reminds me of Chrysler‘s mishap following the Super Bowl (both of which fall under #1 above). It’s pretty apparent both cases involve someone responsible for tweeting on the official accounts who mistakenly tweeted what was intended for their personal accounts (or direct messages perhaps). Generally, a FRENZY ensues…every social media expert comes out of the woodwork to explain the dire effects of the tweet(s) in question, ultimately giving the tweets (and the accounts from which they came) immediate viral exposure and increased PR.

Luckily most people running Twitter accounts for clients aren’t going to abuse hashtags, but if you think for a second this is a good idea, you need to re-approach your strategies for gaining exposure.

The most damaging of Twitter errors however are the ones that make you look the fool. Specifically tying in your promotion or product to a natural disaster or a national crisis is a sure way to cement yourself in Twitter history with a big “duh” stamp over your head. Kenneth Cole went through his #Cairo tweet nightmare, remember? But again, when do the masses become outraged? Do you have to be a huge company or brand? Probably. For example, no one seemed to care about a company that makes really neat construction toys (as they say “with a twist”)…the person behind that Twitter account thought it would be a good idea, after the Japan quake, to tweet “There are two ways to build a structure…the old way (implying the way the Japanese built their buildings) and the new way (of course implying to use these particular toys)” then providing a link to this photo. It just doesn’t work — it doesn’t come through funny, hip or clever…so best to just stay away from that approach to tweeting.

Listen to Jim Rome if you want to hear a near-daily take on athletes who should just stop tweeting. If you need some examples, google “reggie bush bad tweet” and you’ll see why every athlete needs a course in Twitter 101.

Enjoy your tweeting people…mistakes will happen. Delete, apologize, move on.

-Dan TWW