Social media home run or epic strike out?

Poor Hostess. The sweet snack purveyor recently thought they had hit a home run with their Facebook post for the opening day of Major League Baseball, but instead they struck out.

And they aren’t alone. Even the biggest brands aren’t immune to social media blunders on an epic scale. Just ask McDonald’s about its infamous “Pay with Lovin’” campaign, which asked customers to do a dance or give a stranger a hug in lieu of paying for their meal. The fast food Goliath was clearly hoping the campaign would go viral with videos of customers happily dancing, but instead it was forced to shutter the campaign early when customers couldn’t handle the awkwardness.

The marketing folks at Hostess DID manage to go viral, but not in a good way. Their Facebook page was flooded with comments like “Touchdown? This cupcake is supposed to be a baseball. Learn your sports hostess!” and “I’m actually going to unfollow because this is the dumbest thing I ever saw.” A quick terminology search online — or even running the post past the office sports fan — could have saved them a ton of embarrassment.

In the wrong hands, social media can truly be a weapon of mass destruction. That’s why you need to make sure you are handling it carefully and professionally. Need a hand? We’re here to help.