Social media can be a useful tool for corporations focusing on customer engagement and boosting customer service operations - but sometimes, strategies can go so wrong. Here are just five examples of how positive online presence can go instantly wrong.

1. Corporate
Social Media Fails
When social media outreach goes horribly wrong.

2. A reason to limit access to social media accounts and change passwords frequently:
British entertainment retailer HMV lost control of its social media team when rogue members used the account to live-tweet a massive firing at the
company.

3. Tirade in the Twitter-verse:
Accusations of racism can drastically hurt a company’s reputation. Even though it’s impossible to tell if this tweet from Home Depot was indeed racist, the Twitter
universe was enraged, leading corporate to delete the tweet, apologize for two days and fire the social media agency responsible.

4. 52 % of consumers expect a response within 30
minutes of their social media contact, but only 24
% of service providers say they respond within that
timeframe.

5. Viva Ronaldo!
Just in time for the world cup: Pepsi’s Swedish branch released a set of Facebook ads featuring a voodoo doll of competitor Portugal’s megastar Cristiano
Ronaldo tied to train tracks, getting his head crushed in and covered in pins. They were forced to remove the ads and apologize after a Portuguese anti-
Pepsi Facebook group formed and gained more than 100 thousand fans in just one day.

6. Know Your Audience:
JP Morgan aimed to boost engagement with a Q & A Twitter session. Unfortunately – they were sent back to the drawing board after 6-hours of
harassment from the Twitter-verse, including respected journalists.

7. 50 % of consumers prefer using social
media to reach their service provider than
calling a contact center.

8. Manners Cost Nothing
Discretion is always advised. London Luton Airport turned to using fatal pictures in hopes of developing some good PR. It backfired.