The Twitter World: Why the Text is Mightier than the Sword

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY!  

 YOU are learning valuable lessons to take in to the business world in #SMMUCLA class

• Every business MUST HAVE some form of social media marketing policy.

• Understanding the power of social media is the first step towards crafting content that help improve public opinion rather than destroy it.

 You may have seen this unfortunate Tweet this week - Local Fox Philadelphia Anchor, Joyce Evans tweeted, “"Thought "Breaking Bad" was hot last Sunday? @FOX29philly See who's breakin' bad in SW Philly leavin' 6 people SHOT - Tonite at Ten!"

The tweet started an Internet buzz storm, with more than 2,500 re-tweets in just a few minutes. These re-tweets were not in support of the tweet but rather disbelief. As a 23-year-old- victim died in the gun fight Evans was teasing. While the intentions of Evans were most likely pure, the backlash is a clear indication of the power of Twitter.

Joyce Evans isn’t the first or the last reporter or brand to receive instant backlash caused by a tweet. In October of 2012, Hurricane Sandy was moving up the east coast of the country and Gap saw an opportunity. The brand tweeted, “All Impacted by #Sandy, Stay Safe! We’ll be doing lots of Gap.com shopping today. How about you? The tweet was quickly taken down as Gap was harshly criticized by the masses for seeing a marketing opportunity in the midst of a natural disaster.