My Three Cents

As we saw in one of our recent classes, automating your posts on social media can be beneficial up to a point, but needs to be used in moderation. Too many automated posts from companies can lead to consumers feeling disconnected. It’s key for companies to be aware of events taking place around the world and current trends to keep their posts relevant and appropriate (You don’t want to be that surfing company advertising your great surfing lessons when the tsunami hits Japan, #whoops).

Monitoring big events around the globe can also be beneficial for companies though. As we all are aware, the Apple iPhone 6, 6+ and Apple Watch were released last month in a massive reveal event. Companies all over the world were taking advantage of the hype around the release. Most posts on Twitter were hits…

HTC mocks Apple with this light-hearted tweet during the iPhone 6+ launch event.

Chili’s Grill and Bar posts a tweet jokingly promoting their new iGuac.

…but there were some certain misses, too.

Papa John’s tweet about the Apple Watch neither made sense or was it funny. As you can see, it got a very small number of interactions.

Papa John’s, what were you thinking? Big miss. Even when you’re just joking around, you need to provide quality content.

 
I think it’s inherently smart for companies to ride along on the buzz around big events. Whether it’s a release of a new product like the iPhone 6, or a major tragedy, companies need to be in-line with what consumers are thinking about and posting. You need to stay relevant. It can only help build those business – consumer relationships.