Ghosted 👻
Ghosted 👻
How to make three scary social media scenarios disappear...
Meta is being sued by dozens of U.S. states by lawmakers who claim that Facebook and Instagram have done significant harm to teens. According to an article in The Verge, the lawsuit states that Meta knowingly rolled out features — such as allowing “Likes” on posts — that “has profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans.” I can see their point.
In today’s newsletter:
Ghosted: How to Make Three Scary Social Media Scenarios Disappear
Social Snack: Instagram Tests Collaborative Carousel Posts
Trending: The Ghost Photo Shoot Trend 🐶
Ghosted
There are a lot of heart-pounding moments for anyone who uses social media. These include having a brand account get hacked, having a public-relations (PR) issue drop in your lap, or posting something you shouldn’t have.
In today’s newsletter, I’m going to talk about how to take the fright out of social media management, and in many cases, make it disappear completely.
1/3 Hacks
There are a few ways that hackers are going to gain access to your account:
Through a weak password. First of all, don’t use the same password on all accounts. Secondly, make it as strong as possible through various upper and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and general length of characters. Hive Systems has a helpful chart. Also, consider turning on multi-factor authentication.
Through phishing (those emails you get that look like they are from a real person, but really just want you to click on a link so they can get access to your account). We’ve all been caught on this one (at least, I have). If your gut tells you something is off, just don’t click the link. And if it’s from a provider that you have an account with, go directly to the source instead of clicking on the email (for example, when you get an email from “Netflix” telling you to update your payment info).
Through a compromised internet connection. I know how tempting it is to log into your social media accounts at an internet cafe while travelling abroad, but just don’t.
2/3 PR crisis
There are two types of social media managers: those who have already lived through a social media crisis, and those who will eventually live through a crisis. We all go through it eventually.
Here’s how you can prepare for a PR crisis you might not see coming:
Immediately after you see the issue, take screenshots of the posts and save them to a folder somewhere safe (and screenshot all future communications with this person).
Take the issue to your manager or team leader, and you two can decide whether the issue is one that needs to escalate to the next level.
Depending on the issue, you may also want to start scouring all of their social media accounts to get as much information as possible about the situation, and the person. For example, is this someone who is affiliated with your organization in some way (an employee, customer, etc.)?
When crafting your response, it’s best practice to never discuss the issue on social media. So, you’ll need direct the person to your DMs or an email address; and the more specific the better. A general inbox likely isn’t going to cut it.
This template works well for responses.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We appreciate your [comment, feedback, post]. Please contact <insert personal email here> to discuss this matter further.
*If you’d like an example, here's how fast-food burger chain Wendy’s does it.
3/3 Posting something you shouldn’t have
Back in 2014, the social media manager for DiGiorno Pizza jumped on a trending hashtag, #WhyIStayed, posting “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.” The only problem was, the hashtag referred to domestic violence.
Once they realized the issue, they deleted the tweet and then posted: “A million apologies. Did not read what the hashtag was about before posting.” They also replied to everyone who tweeted at the account with an apology (gold star for this! ⭐️).
So, while it seems like this is a case study in what NOT to do, it’s also a case study in what TO DO when you mess up. Because it’s always best to be honest about the fact that you messed up and just apologize. But don’t hide behind it, or try to say you were hacked. Your lack of authenticity and transparency will only make people even madder.
Related Article: DiGiorno Accidentally Tried to Advertise Their Pizza in a Hashtag About Domestic Violence [BuzzFeed News - Sept. 9, 2014]
🍫 SOCIAL SNACK 🍫
Instagram tests collaborative Carousel posts
It feels like there are several feature updates on Instagram each week. But this one sounds kind of interesting…
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri recently posted on Threads to announce collaborative Carousel posts. So, instead of creating a Carousel with just your camera roll content, you can invite friends to add to your Carousel by allowing followers to submit their own photos and videos (it looks like you have to activate this feature BEFORE posting a Carousel). And it looks like the content won’t get added until you approve it, which is a good idea.
In other Instagram news, the platform is also testing the ability to add selfie videos in Notes. Are you using Notes?
ICYMI
Instagram will enable you to create Stickers from entities in your photos [Social Media Today]
TikTok is testing 15-minute uploads with select users [TechCrunch]
X CEO: One year in, the future of X is bright [X Blog]
Threads rolls out polls and GIFs [@Zuck on Threads]
Instagram head says Threads is working on an API for developers [Engadget]
👻 Trending: The Ghost Photo Shoot Trend
If you have a dog, you’ve probably already tried this trend. But it’s one I always look forward to at Halloween. And it’s so simple; you just need to get a white sheet, cut out holes for two eyes and a nose, and voila, your dog is ready for their ghosty photo shoot! Loulou the Pug on TikTok shows us all how it’s done.
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