2013 was another great year for the rich and famous. A year chock-full of killer movies, stellar TV shows, hit songs, and serious scandal. From Bieber’s misadventures in Rio to Paula Deen’s racial slurring, 2013 was tabloid heaven. In this blog post we use these unfortunate incidents to highlight what NOT to do on social media.

High-dollar divorces. Sexy secrets. Big time blunders. Scandal. It can be fascinating to watch real-life drama. Kind of like how it’s rather difficult to turn away from a car wreck. But sometimes it gets to be a bit too much. Will the scandals ever end? I can’t answer that, but I can provide a bit of comfort in the form of a few social media lessons. How could Bieber’s fall from grace possibly relate to your social media campaign? Read on to find out.

Simon Cowell’s Baby Mama

Andrew Silverman and X-factor mogul Simon Cowell were once good friends. It’s pretty safe to say that they aren’t so close now, since Mr. Silverman’s wife is currently pregnant with Simon’s child. Oops. No surprise that criticism was fairly fierce; scandals do that. But how does this apply to social media?

It’s never a good idea to steal someone else’s social media strategy. I mean, it’s ok to go out to lunch with their content, repost a funny tweet or share an informative status.  But don’t outright copy their strategy. What’s right for them might not be right for you. Find your own content, and make your own impression.

Julianne Hough’s Fashion Disaster

Last Halloween, Julianne Hough thought it would be a good idea to dress up as her favorite character, Crazy Eyes, from Orange is the New Black. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. But she also thought it would be a grand idea to wear blackface. Unsurprisingly, this caused a bit of public outcry.  Miss Hough may have had no idea that what she was doing would be seen as offensive. She did apologize after a photo of her costume went viral, after all. Or perhaps she thought that it didn’t matter, as the public would never become aware of it. But we live in an internet age. Anything a celebrity does is documented, and it’s only a matter of time before even the tiniest mistake becomes a huge scandal. And this mistake wasn’t so tiny.

In the social media world, an insensitive tweet or overly opinionated Facebook status can ruin years of hard work, as Miss Hough’s fashion choice did for her public image. The fiasco surrounding The Onion’s controversial and profane tweet about young Quvenzhane Wallis during the 2012 Oscars comes to mind. In order to avoid mistakes like these, you need to carefully plan out what you’re going to say. It’s also a good idea to be a bit picky about who is in charge of your social media. They do represent the public face of your company, after all.

Paula Deen Gets Mean

In a highly publicized court case last year, a former manager at one of Paula Deen’s restaurants in Savannah, Georgia, sued Miss Deen and her brother “for sexual and racial harassment.” During the court proceedings, it came to light that Miss Deen had used the “n-word”. Although the context in which she used the word is up to debate, the media seized the opportunity. She was labeled a racist and worse. Her empire crumbled, with her television show and numerous appearances canceled.

In the realm of social media, you need to focus on your own core values. Be the company that your fans want to see. In the same way that Ms. Deen embodies her company, your social media presence embodies yours. You need to provide content that is both relevant to your core values and pertinent to your fans’ interests. If you take any action that isn’t in line with these two parameters, as Paula did with her language choices, bad things are going to happen. For example, funny memes aren’t for everybody. A nerdy meme about Harry Potter might not be best choice for a purveyor of sports equipment.

Bieber Takes On to Latin America

This last year was another big one for the Biebs. During his Latin American tour, the young lad got into quite a bit of trouble. Among other things, he was allegedly sighted leaving a popular brothel in Rio de Janeiro. Most definitely not the healthiest of decisions. If the reports are to be believed, he knew nothing about these women.

Which reminds us: be wary of outsourcing your social media campaign to strangers. You need to be careful – don’t jump into bed with just any company. Although outsourcing can work with the right people, sometimes it’s simply the case that nobody knows you as well as you do. They probably won’t end up filming you in your sleep like one of Bieber’s mysterious lady friends did, but there can be dire consequences. You never know how healthy your social media strategy is going to be once they’ve left it. There’s no going back. Beliebe it.

So there you have it. Nuggets of social media wisdom mined from the cavern of celebrity scandals. But this is by no means an exhaustive list. There were plenty of other high-stakes blunders last year in Hollywood, from Lamar Odom’s drug and alcohol abuse to Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham’s foray into adult entertainment. And there are sure to be plenty more going forward into 2014. But every time you despair over another celebrity meltdown or high-profile breakup, just think about how it could apply to social media. The insights might surprise you. 

Any favorite scandals we failed to mention? Tell us in the comments!

When Malaysia Airlines flight 370’s disappearance first became public, discussion was fierce. In times past, such discussion might have taken place in town halls or behind closed doors. But this is the age of social media, the circumstances surrounding MH370’s disappearance have provoked discussion across a variety of social platforms. Everyone has their own personal soapbox. In this blog post we focus on a few notable exchanges from the social media discussion of this tragic event.

By this point, it’s hard not to have heard of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Departing from Kuala Lumpur International airport on March 8th at 12:41 a.m., the aircraft went missing later that day. The event sparked a huge response on social media, from hopes to hoaxes.

Hoaxes and Conspiracy Theories
Although social media can be an effective way to get the word out about various disasters and social injustices, it also has a darker side. In the case of MH370, this dark side has taken shape in the form of numerous hoaxes. It initially began with reports of the craft having landed safely, reportedly in Nanning, China. As NBC notes, one Twitter poster commented that he had “some inside news from a pilot uncle that #MH370 has emergency landed somewhere in China! Hope everyone is safe.” Regardless of the intent of posts like these, the effects were nonetheless damaging to those who had family members or friends aboard the aircraft. The rumors escalated, with Malaysian media outlets publishing similar stories. It did nothing to help matters that there were also reports of phones ringing when called without going to voice-mail, as well as passengers showing up as online on QQ, a popular Chinese messenger. However, it turns out that phones don’t necessarily have to go to voice-mail when disabled. Similarly, a functioning phone isn’t required to show up as online on a messenger app.

The missing aircraft also gave rise to a few rather far-fetched conspiracy theories. Alexandra Bruce at ForbiddenKnowledgeTV claimed that aliens were involved, while others claimed the Bermuda Triangle now had a twin sister in the Gulf of Thailand. One British tabloid even reported that the MH370 had somehow ended up on the moon. Claims of teleportation were made.

Volvo China’s Slip Up
There are many lessons for social media marketers to learn from this tragedy. Although it may seem like common sense, it is never a good idea to try and profit from any sort of disaster, especially when the connection between said disaster and your company is tenuous at best. Volvo Car Corporation learned this the hard way when an employee posted an insensitive message on Sina Weibo (a Chinese equivalent to Twitter). The following is that post translated into English:

“The rescue operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane is in full swing. Passenger safety is also a top priority at Volvo Cars, let’s pray together for the 239 lives that were on board of the plane. Bless them, and may a miracle occur.”

Even the quickest read-through can tell us what is wrong here. Although the post was taken down within the hour, the damage was done. Weibo users attacked the car manufacturer in droves, calling the post insensitive and greedy. Essentially, if you can’t think of a tactful way to comment on a disaster (such as mobilizing your own forces in some sort of relief effort), just don’t.

Malaysia Airlines’ Controversial Text
Another lesson comes from Malaysia Airlines itself. It’s a given that the media is going to have a field day with situations like these. Both because of the incredible nature of the story (how is it that, in today’s age of technology, we are still somehow unable to find MH370?) and the desire to get as many views as possible. This meant that, no matter what they did, Malaysia Airlines was in for a PR nightmare. Concerned citizens took to social media to air their grievances, while others took to their local branch of the Malaysian Embassy. Then, for one reason or another, at the height of emotional tension, Malaysia Airlines sent the following text message to families of passengers on MH370:

“Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived.  As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia’s Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean.”

Sources vary as to why the decision to text these families were made. Some say it was simply a callous, inhumane mistake. There was no evidence to back the claim up. Nothing to assuage the pain. Others claim it was an opt-in service, something families could choose to become a part of in order to get up-to-date information about the accident. This makes sense, but when families opted to receive such updates, did they expect to get the text found above? Most likely not. Or perhaps, Malaysia Airlines simply thought this was the only way to reach all of the families as quickly as possible, before the Prime Minister’s report. Regardless, the fact remains that it DID happen. And criticism was fierce.

Social Media Lessons
So, what can we learn from this? To begin with, a text such as this should never be sent. A text is an informal method of communication. Yes, Malaysia Airlines may have had good intentions. They may have only wanted to make sure the families of passengers on MH370 found out before the rest of the world. But a short two sentence message like this could be worse than nothing at all. It effectively eliminates hope without giving any evidence.

Company scandals. Safety recalls. Layoffs. Disasters both natural and otherwise. None of these are good for an organization’s public image. In order to weather the storm of criticism that follows these events, a company has to watch what they say. The situation is different for each company, and for each situation. Although a public statement must be issued, we, as social media marketers, must choose our words carefully. If we are at fault, we should own up to it.

Conclusions

The situation surrounding and viable response to any one problem is going to differ depending on the company .So what would I do if I was in charge of managing Malaysia Airlines’ social media response to MH370’s disappearance? I don’t know. I don’t work at Malaysia Airlines. I don’t know the particulars of the incident. I don’t know anything about the company’s history or policies. The one thing I do know is that I would not send that text. Beyond that… not much.

To sum things up, social media can be a wonderful thing for building brand loyalty. Thousands, maybe even millions of fans right there, commenting and sharing your content in droves. But when things go badly, you could have thousands, or even millions of former fans and concerned citizens in the discussion. It’s important to watch what you say and act with empathy.

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Many organizations claim that blogging is dead and buried, never to rise again. A thing of the past, displaced by social media. Others say that blogging is for individuals, not companies. But it turns out that blogging is still pretty darn cool. In this blog post we set out to show a few reasons why blogging can greatly benefit any organization.

So, I was talking to my cousin the other day and mentioned that I’m a blog contributor for Tailwind. This comment was met with a quizzical stare.  “Dude, don’t you know blogging is dead? Tl;dr man.” According to his omnipotent reasoning powers (he’s a wise-beyond-his-years high-school senior after all) there could only be very few people that would be willing to scroll through the paragraphs of text inherent to blogging.  My ego bruised, I decided to brainstorm a few reasons why blogging is in fact wondrous and useful, and publish them on a BLOG. I also spiced things up by zoning in on why companies in particular should take up blogging. Take that cousin Robby.

So, why should your company start a blog? Read on to find out.

1. Gain a reputation of being an expert in your field. Organizations can use blogs to show that they do actually know what they’re talking about. For instance, here at Tailwind, we use blogs to show our own expertise in the social media field. We blog about Pinterest and social media in general, as well as startups and our own product. It’s important to note here that, as is the case with most social media, people don’t want to see a ton of advertising. So make sure that self-promotion takes up the minority of your posts.  If you write your blogs well, and make sure you aren’t just making things up, you’ll build up an easily accessible database of interesting information. Hopefully intrigued readers will flock to this database in droves.

2. Build rapport with your readers. Social media is all well and great, but blogs can encourage further debate. Despite the fact that the previous statement reads like something out of a Doctor Seuss marketing handbook, its nonetheless true. What I’m saying here is that blogs can further humanize your company. Although social media is incredibly useful, there really isn’t all that much space. A blog gives readers bigger chunks of knowledge that are still relevant to their interests. They actually benefit from blogs, making them more likely to be brand-loyal. Additionally, as is the case with social media, there are plenty of opportunities for reader engagement on the platform. Blogs invoke discussion, both on and off the website.

3. Increase employee engagement. This is often overlooked, but blogging can make your own employees more engaged with the company. It allows them to take their own interests, and connect them with the company’s values. It also allows them to become more educated through the research they do in preparing their blogs. Essentially, if you spin it right, you can take that cyber-loafing problem and channel it into something productive.

4. Drive traffic to the website. This is a fairly obvious one, especially if people don’t know you exist. Good use of SEO can make your blog show up in searches. And then good things can happen. As we said before, if you put out great content that shows you know what you’re talking about, readers are more likely to look at your main website to figure out who you are and what you do.

5. Solidify your brand voice. Social media is all about creating relationships with fans. As such, you develop a particular brand voice. A consistency in who you are across all platforms. Unfortunately, that voice never really gets to say all that much. Blogs give the brand an outlet for self-expression. In the same way that a personal blog allows Marcus to inform readers of how horrible his co-worker Cindy is for stealing his strawberry donut, corporate blogs allow businesses to give their thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. Although they can’t be quite so opinionated as Marcus, they can give readers a chance to not only see what they think, but also how they think.

6. Create a locus for social media. Blogs can make a great tie-in with social media. Although many have said that social media is the evolution of the blog (and it pretty much is), the two can actually coexist quite peacefully. For instance, say you have an event coming up. A marathon, concert, hostile takeover, whatever. You use social media for the leadup to the event, building hype. Once the event is happening, you post live. Once it ends, you make a blog post about what the event meant to you and what it can mean for all of mankind, the world, etc. This is only one of many ways that you can combine the two. Think of it this way. Witty social media posts drive traffic back to an incredibly interesting blog, which in turn drives traffic back to your website.

7. Build a community. Chances are, you aren’t the only one blogging about your chosen subject. You probably have tons of witty and intelligent fellow bloggers out there. Why not reach out to these experts and build a community. Feature them as guest bloggers, and offer them a few blogs of your own. Collaboration is the better part of valor after all. Use blogging as a sort of shared hobby with experts in your field, and do great things together.

How do you use blogging? Let us know in the comments!

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Here at Tailwind we recognize the importance of color in social media marketing, especially on Pinterest. As such, an interesting trend recently caught our eye. Why is it that almost all of the top social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, to name a few) have blue logos and, for the most part, blue color schemes? And why does Pinterest break from the trend? In this blog we outline the possible reasons for this choice.

Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. The titans of the social media world. Although they differ in many respects, they share one commonly overlooked quality: a penchant for blue logos. This is no mere coincidence. According to various studies, blue is the most popular color in the world.  But this can’t be the only reason blue is such a popular social media color, can it?

According to the study “Exciting Red and Competent Blue: the Importance of Color in Marketing,” there are actually quite a few reasons for the color’s popularity. The study goes into detail in regards to the ‘personalities’ we associate with various colors. Most of these associations are taught to us by society, rather than being inherent in the colors themselves. For a marketer, it is incredibly important that the color personality of your logo is in line with your own brand personality. Blue tested as the color of intelligence, communication, and trust. Essentially, if blue were a person, he would be a mediator of sorts. The level-headed best friend that you can trust with even the juiciest secrets, a paragon of justice that is able to diffuse even the most tense of situations.

If you want further proof on the nature of blue’s personality, just take a look at your smart phone. As you swipe through your apps, you’re bound to notice that quite a few of them use blue logos. Of the ones that use blue logos, many will most likely have something to do with communication. On my own device, I count seventeen apps with predominantly blue color schemes. The majority of these have something to do with communication.

Blue also works very well as a complementary color.  This is why many of the aforementioned social media sites also have blue user interfaces. The same goes for popular programs like Skype and even the Microsoft Office Suite. Hyperlinks are universally blue, whether in Microsoft Word or Google.  Different shades of blue work better for different companies. Mark Zuckerberg chose his shade of blue because he’s colorblind.  Twitter most likely chose their blue as a natural choice for their avian logo. We chose a similarly toned blue to associate ourselves with the sky, full of endless possibilities.

But if blue reigns supreme in the realm of social media logos, why did Pinterest opt for a fiery red? I believe the choice has something to do with the inherent visual nature of the platform.  In the study mentioned previously, red tested as the color of strength, fearlessness, and excitement. If blue is the logic-minded head of the debate team, red is the heroic quarterback of the football team. He inspires others to take action through his own charismatic outlook on life. Unlike blue, red is not a complementary color. It stands out, draws the eye. It is not the color of serene skies and rolling waves, but the shade of active volcanoes and awe-inspiring sunsets. This is what Pinterest is all about- stopping to look. Eye-catching content.

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