Beware Controversy on Social Media
FLOURISH PR
Using Social Media in PR can be a great way of reaching your target audience, by connecting with platforms they use frequently and providing a medium of interaction that can enable you to not only spread a positive message, but also help directly communicate with them.
However, social media does have another side. While it can be a great place for building communities, sharing information and enjoying common interests, it can sometimes be a difficult arena, with online arguments, trolling, abuse and controversy never far away.
In recent years some might say this has got a lot worse, with everything from Donald Trump to the pandemic spurring a lot of polarised opinions, conspiracy theories and growing hostility.
All this means that any firm seeking to use social media PR effectively needs to tread carefully. There are several areas you can steer clear of , and some approaches to communication you should avoid.
Some of the areas of controversy are obvious ones to dodge. Hot potatoes like social issues that might come under the umbrella ‘culture war’, big political debates and religion are obvious areas in which taking sides may get a lot of people singing your praises, but it could also alienate a lot of others.
In such cases, you have to consider whether that is worth it. There may be some instances where it is; for instance if your products, services and brand have an eco-friendly focus, there’s no point in taking a neutral position to pacify climate change sceptics.
On the other, your products or services may have a broad appeal that means there really is no reason why people of different social, political, religious or other differences would not be your customers. There is nothing to be gained by making enemies.
If you are taking a stand on any issue, it is important to reflect on your core values and understand what that means in practice. It is also essential to be clear about what you stand for and use this to target a particular ‘buyer persona‘ - an archetype of the kind of customer you are looking to attract, as well as understanding whose custom you might lose.
Most importantly, you do need to be consistent and follow through on your principles. If you pop your head up above the parapet, there will be someone trying to shoot it off, and any hint of hypocrisy or failing to live up to your stated ideals may be used against you.
A common example of this is when companies proclaim themselves to be eco-friendly but are not, with advertising that makes excessive or unjustified claims.
Known as ‘greenwashing’, this issue has attracted the attention of the Advertising Standards Agency, which has announced a crackdown on it. But it won’t need official sanctions for someone to spot that a company is failing in this regard - and it will be all over social media.
Finally, it is important to use the right tone. Be positive about the reasons for your brand taking the positions it does, or be careful to use very neutral language where you are not taking sides. That way, you can avoid being dragged into shrill arguments that do nothing except make both sides look extreme.
By being careful and cool-headed, you still make a success of social media. But it requires expertise and a carefully crafted strategy, so don’t be afraid to ask the experts for help.
