How to damage a business with one social media post

One errant post on social media can potentially bring any business crashing to the ground in a matter of hours – as one growing restaurant chain in the Midlands has found out to its cost.

In November 2017, an Italian restaurant hit the headlines for fanfaring a £200,000 investment that paved the way for the opening […]

By |10th January 2018|Crisis PR, Facebook, PR disaster, Social media|Comments Off on How to damage a business with one social media post

Sorting the factual from the fake news

Following my recent piece about fake news, the phenomenon has continued to wreak havoc across the web, including in the recent UK general election. But steps are being taken to help the public to distinguish whether online articles are true or not.

As reported by the BBC, Facebook has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness […]

By |7th July 2017|Brands, Facebook, Social media, Twitter, YouTube|Comments Off on Sorting the factual from the fake news

Bin backlash for Halifax Top Cat campaign

I bet the marketing team at the Halifax bank thought they were on to a winner with their latest campaign, which features legendary cartoon character Top Cat.

With the antics of the animated 1960s wise-guy hustler, who was always getting one over Officer Dibble with friends Benny the Ball, Choo Choo, Brain and Fancy-Fancy, about to […]

By |3rd May 2016|PR, PR stunts, Social media|Comments Off on Bin backlash for Halifax Top Cat campaign

Is Facebook the right marketing channel to promote your business?

A school recently approached me and asked my advice about whether it should be on Facebook, as the governing body was looking at ways to improve its communication with parents and the local community.

I said “no”.

It’s not because Facebook isn’t a fantastic communication platform. It is. And there are plenty of schools who do use […]

By |10th March 2016|Facebook, PR, Social media|Comments Off on Is Facebook the right marketing channel to promote your business?

Why consumer backlashes can be good for business

“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

It seems that sections of the marketing community are taking Oscar Wilde’s famous quote to heart – as there seems to be a rise in the number of campaigns that are deliberately designed to stir the […]

By |14th September 2015|Crisis PR, Facebook, Social media|0 Comments

Is it OK to be unsociable on social media?

I nearly peed myself laughing when I read a tweet by @write_online along the lines of “what do you do if you’re on social media but you’re unsociable?” I’ve known Kevin for years and that question is so typically, acerbically him – which is why it was so hilarious.

When I stopped laughing, I realised he […]

By |7th February 2014|PR, Social media|0 Comments

Seven epic social media fails

Everyone knows that using social media to promote a brand, company or celebrity can have positive effects – increased exposure, brand development and improved fan/customer loyalty, to name a few.

But a mistake on social media can have significantly negative impacts, thanks to how easily content can be spread on these websites. Below are seven of […]

By |30th July 2013|Social media|0 Comments

Nearly all of us need more social media expertise

Do you feel you’re struggling to get a grip on social media while others are somehow racing ahead and reaping all the rewards? If so, then you may be interested to learn that you’re not alone.

It seems that, contrary to common perception, only a relatively small minority of social media users actually consider themselves as […]

By |16th January 2013|PR, SEO, Social media|Comments Off on Nearly all of us need more social media expertise

Don’t destroy your online reputation this Christmas

Now that the Christmas season is upon us, the time has come for many of us to let our hair down and have a good old knees-up at the office Christmas party.

But before you log onto Facebook to upload photos taken while you were stumbling around in a drunken stupor, you may be wise to […]

By |19th December 2012|Facebook, PR, Social media|Comments Off on Don’t destroy your online reputation this Christmas

#IceIceSurrey the hottest PR tweet

A sense of humour is not something you would generally associate with the police. Yet one particular police force has just shown us that putting a jocular spin on things can sometimes help get the message across about a serious matter.

Surrey Police has just raised a big smile amongst its Twitter followers after it sent […]

By |12th December 2012|PR, Social media, Twitter|Comments Off on #IceIceSurrey the hottest PR tweet

Fans furious at O’Hara howler tweets

For those of you who don’t know much about me personally, I am a very proud and fanatical supporter of Wolverhampton Wanderers football club.

But I have to say that I was more embarrassed than proud when I recently heard that one of my beloved team’s players had made a monkey out of the club by […]

By |7th December 2012|PR disaster, Social media, Twitter|2 Comments

Tweet delete no PR saviour

For those of you who think that Twitter’s message deletion facility is the perfect get-out-of-jail card against misguided Tweets that you post in haste then think again.

Once you’ve clicked on the ‘Send’ button and released your message into the public domain it could already be too late to remove it before someone retweets your post […]

By |4th October 2012|PR disaster, Social media, Twitter|Comments Off on Tweet delete no PR saviour

Use Twitter hashtags at your PR peril

If you’ve ever considered making use of the Twitter hashtag as part of a social media campaign then you’d wise to consider the dangers of hashtag hijacking before putting your company reputation at the mercy of a cynical online community.

Sometimes it can almost seem that for every successful hashtag marketing endeavour there is another one […]

By |24th September 2012|PR disaster, Social media, Twitter|Comments Off on Use Twitter hashtags at your PR peril

Time your Tweets for top Twitter results

Ever noticed how some of your Twitter messages generate lots of interest while others almost vanish into the ether with little apparent impact or response?

Well, according to URL redirection and social bookmarking service bitly, the timing of your Tweets may be a far more significant factor than you think.

The company, which provides the default link […]

By |22nd August 2012|Facebook, Social media, Twitter|Comments Off on Time your Tweets for top Twitter results

Twitter worth more than Olympic gold

Following Team GB’s astounding success at London 2012, you’d no doubt expect a long line of sponsors queuing up to sign lucrative contracts with our Olympic medal winners.

And you’d be right.

But if you thought that scale of success at the games was a measure of each Olympic athlete’s earning potential then you’d most definitely be […]

By |16th August 2012|PR, Social media, Twitter|Comments Off on Twitter worth more than Olympic gold