I’ve been asked the following question lately:
“Why do incidents like the recent Burger King and Jeep Twitter hacks end in such an increase in followers for the brands?”
My answer is simple: Because it’s interesting. It’s like asking why people enjoy watching reality TV. It’s amusing, entertaining and dramatic (well, not for me but for the vast majority of north Americans). The same goes for these little hacks.They’re amusing, entertaining and dramatic. They’re like Twitter’s version of reality TV!
That said, the big question shouldn’t be why they result in so many new followers for the victim brands, but rather what should these brands do with all of these new followers? All these new opportunities?
The answer is simple: use the opportunity to the best of their capabilities. However we rarely see this to be properly played out. If you suddenly woke up tomorrow with 30,000 new followers, would you roll over and go back to sleep, or would you jump out of bed excited to brainstorm what to do with them all? How to engage them? How to keep them? I’d hope you’d do the latter… and of course, take the hacking as a warning and tighten up your online security and set some time aside to review and update your online crisis and issues management plan. But hey, that’s just me!
A quick word to the fake hackers of the world
Faking something like a Twitter hack (or worse) does you no good. One of the reasons why Burger King and Jeep gained from their hackings is because they were actually victims. Faking a hack to gain in publicity will get you talked about, but not in a good way. You know that trust and transparency thing I’m always talking about? Well, it counts here. Though many argue that any publicity is good publicity, I tend to always lean towards the positive. But again, that’s just me.
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Interesting post, Melissa.
Call me a cynic, but I suspect that most of the new Followers for the hacked Twitter feeds will fall off over the coming months. The only reason people followed these feeds in the first place was to savour the frisson of corporate marketing being undermined by a rebellious element, and that speaks volumes of the contempt that people *really* hold for slick marketing that offers them nothing in return.
I imagine that organisations such as Burger King will retain some of these new followers if they start offering discounts or free products, but that too can come at an operational cost if not thought through and implemented correctly.
Hi Nick,
Excellent point! The companies who experience this rise in social media engagement/followers have an opportunity in front of them. Whether they take that opportunity to really engage and develop lasting relationships with these new followers really determines who will stay and what will come of the experience.
Thanks for adding your comments, Nick!
Melissa
I agree with you about both hacks bringing more attention to the victims as well as eschewing reality TV. Really, I mean, why?
But I hadn't really given much thought to what I'd do if I woke up one morning to find 30,000 followers added to my account. I think I probably WOULD go back to bed and stuff my head under my pillow.
Lol, you're funny Joelin! Think of all the opportunities that come with such a new following! It's an interesting point that companies should incorporate such thoughts and plans into their social media issues policies. 😉
Interesting, I love to read ur blog Melissa! 🙂 Greetings
Thank you!