A Company Guide To Using Twitter Responsibly

Twitter is a social network that seems to spark extreme reaction: people either see no good reason to use it, or they simply can’t live without it.
Like it or not, in just a few short years the proverbial water cooler of the internet has truly changed the way we share ideas and communicate. From political uprisings and presidential campaigns to re-inventing celebrity PR and the idea of marketing oneself, Twitter is a 140-charactered force to be reckoned with.
Unsurprisingly, brands, government organizations and corporations have been keen to get in on the act. They see Twitter as a unique way to engage with their target audiences and stakeholders, and also as a much cheaper and more direct method than other means of official communication. Why send out a press release to dozens of journalists hoping for coverage when you can simply send a well-timed Tweet? Equally, why pay tens of thousands of dollars for a commercial when you can pay a B-list celebrity a couple of grand to Tweet about it? For better or for worse, Twitter has democratised communication for all players.
The problem, of course, arises when people who are not familiar with the style of the medium start using it to connect with the masses.
There are so many Twitter blunders that they can be hard to keep track of. From embarrassing “you should’ve known better” gaffes—like when none other than NASA recently confused the moon with the sun—to frequent cases of “bashtagging”, Twitter is a minefield for mistakes. McDonalds was a case study of the latter when their #RonaldMcdonald campaign completely backfired and had Twitter users co-oping the hashtag to highlight the company’s questionable health and ethical standards. Then of course there was the New York Police Department’s well-intentioned effort to get citizens to share their positive interactions with police using the #myNYPD hashtag: unsurprisingly, Twitter users shared the exact opposite.
However, just because there are mistakes to be made doesn’t mean that companies, brands and startups should stay off the platform. Here are some general rules to follow if you want to make your Twitter feed a source of engagement rather than embarrassment:
Beware the screenshot: The internet has made it remarkably easy to fix or delete our mistakes. However, when it comes to Twitter gaffes, a simple “delete” will rarely erase your sins thanks to the power of the screenshot. Almost any embarrassing, inflammatory or off-color Tweet that sparks outrage gets screenshotted, making it easily shareable even after deletion by the account owner. Keep this in mind when sending Tweets—like it or not, they tend to live forever.
Keep PR/Marketing and Customer Service accounts separate: Big brands often have one account to promote products and deal with customer queries and complaints. This is a mistake. If your company is big enough you should have a dedicated team to respond to customer queries, and a separate feed to share content and promotions. This way you avoid a feed that is muddled with infuriated customers and specials, two things that definitely don’t mix.
Don’t jump on hashtag bandwagons: Frozen pizza company DiGiornos learned this the hard way when they attempted to use the domestic violence awareness hashtag #WhyIStayed to promote frozen pizza. Bad call. If a trending hashtag has nothing to do with your company or product, do not use it as an excuse to sell something. It reads as shallow and disingenuous.
Don’t delegate to an intern: We are far past the age when recruiting the only twenty-something in the office to handle social media is a wise choice. Twitter has the power to reach millions of people, so you should staff it accordingly. A good Tweeter is someone who understands communication, branding, marketing, and the specific art-form of writing compelling copy in 140 characters. While young people may be more natural at using social media, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t provide them with some training before you hand over the reins.