Brands Facebook Fail

Working on The Internet Show, we came across plenty of social media mistakes. Obviously no company wants their social media page to be on a list of negative examples.

But I came across this article which I thought gave some interesting insight into ways that companies could still leverage the incredible opportunity that social media provides – while avoiding some of its challenges.

The article was called “Nine companies that should change their Facebook page” and it was written by Sarah Michael.

Here is an excerpt of the article:

Tip: Monitor your Facebook page for offensive material

Red Rooster’s Facebook page is littered with abandoned or unanswered posts, unappetising photos and complaints.

“Not all brands should play on Facebook, especially if they don’t have the resources or interest in maintaining a presence,” Keegan says.

Australia Post’s Facebook Timeline also shows a post left last week by a man who accuses his local delivery centre manager of reading other people’s mail.

It has been up since last Tuesday with no response.

Keegan says on Facebook you have to imagine yourself having a conversation with people in the same room as you – if you’re not responding “it’s just weird”.

“If you set yourself up and say ‘I’m a brand that wants to engage you on Facebook, I want to connect and I want us to be buddies, you have to keep that conversation going,” he said.

“Gen Ys tend to have a low threshold for being ignored.”

Tip: Be wary of Facebook’s terms and conditions on advertising

Last week Telstra had a cover photo that violated these terms by telling people to download the 24X7 iPad app from the company’s website.

Facebook Timeline guidelines state cover photos cannot include price or purchase information, such as “40 per cent off” or “Download it at our website”.

Telstra has since changed its cover photo.

Tip: Stay away from events unrelated to your brand

“I’m pretty sure every page ran branding for Mother’s Day,” McGinn said.

“If you’re a fan of Hyundai or Gloria Jean’s it might be a bit of a stretch.”

Asking questions can be a great way of starting conversation, but only if it’s relevant to your business’s page, she said.

Tip:  Don’t heavily brand your cover photo

Qantas has a picture of one of their planes which looks similar to the logo they use as their profile picture, but McGinn says companies should instead use the space to give Facebook fans a different perspective of their brand.

“We’re all aware that Qantas has airplanes, we don’t need to be told that,” she says.

Companies should use an image that speaks about their brand, customers or employees in a “less sledgehammer way” than a company logo, says Digital Chameleon content developer Debra Taylor.

“It’s not about going ‘Look at us, we’re great buy this,’ it’s about telling the story of your brand and [the cover photo] is a key place to do that,” she says.

For the full article, click here.

The Internet Show Sydney 2012 will let the brands tell you about times they failed, times their strategy worked and the times they wish they hadn’t!