The election is fast approaching, and so of course our politicians are under closer scrutiny than ever. Obviously, this is the prime moment to bring up all their past mistakes and have a right good laugh.

So, without further ado, here are my favourite social media blunders from our esteemed politicians– and what your business can learn from their embarrassing mistakes.

 

      1.     Staged ‘selfies’

David Cameron and George Osborne were both heartily mocked on Twitter following the release of staged ‘selfies’. Cameron’s, commenting that he and Barack Obama were ‘united in condemnation of Russia’s actions’ in the Ukraine, showed him gazing sternly into the distance with a phone receiver to his ear. Twitter exploded with parodies of the staged shot, as well as comments that Cameron must have ‘practised his condemnation face all day.’ As for Osborne, his ‘candid’ snap showed him eating a burger at his desk while working on a speech, a true ‘man of the people’. Twitter users were unimpressed to discover that the burger in question came from a gourmet restaurant much further from his office than other, cheaper chains, and Osborne was criticised as a poser.

The lesson?

Content you’re posting on social media must be authentic! People are quick to cotton on when images don’t represent you accurately, and they’re not very forgiving.  

 

    1.     Not knowing how the platforms work

The 28th of April now forever marks Ed Balls day, the date when, in 2011, the Labour politician accidentally sent a tweet of nothing but his own name. Twitter users retweeted it in seconds and the message went viral, and is now revived annually to remind poor Ed Balls of his mistake.

The lesson?

Make absolutely sure you know all the ins and outs of the platforms you’re using. There’s nothing worse on social media than posting something by accident and being unable to take it back– even if you delete it from your profile, if someone has seen and shared it, it’s out of your hands.

 

 

      1.     Grammar blunders

Yes, Dave again– blame his position as PM for the fact that his mistakes are getting more attention than anyone else’s. In April last year, Cameron posted the above message on Twitter. His tweet made the rounds amongst users, garnering thousands of comments saying he was being somewhat harsh on children.

The lesson?

Your social media is the online voice of your brand. The internet is full of people (such as myself) who love to point out grammar mistakes, and if your grammar isn’t perfect, you’ll give a bad impression– or worse, people will laugh at you. Grammar aside, statuses need to be phrased clearly and concisely to get your message across as effectively as possible.  

    1. Timing

On the 12th of November last year, the BNP tweeted a Remembrance Day message asking followers to observe the two-minute silence and stating that ‘others may forget but we remember.’ After a raft of responses pointing out that they were, in fact, a day late, they responded with a tweet that blamed a smartphone for the mistake– no one bought it.

The lesson?

If you’re commenting on current events or dates with your social media, make double sure that you’ve got them right before you post. If you’re scheduling your posts in advance, it can be very easy to slip up with dates, so make sure you’re double-checking there, too.

 

  1.     Tone

In the last year or so, there have been a few scandals on social media regarding politicians and their sometimes–questionable choice of words.

Emily Thornberry, a Labour MP, handed in her resignation after she tweeted an image of a house which was decorated with three St George’s flags and had a white Transit van parked outside: the image was captioned simply, ‘Image from #Rochester’. People were outraged by what they interpreted as Thornberry’s class snobbery, and though she tried to explain the image, she eventually resigned.

Meanwhile, Conservative Party Chairperson Grant Schapps was criticised when he tweeted about proposed budget cuts to bingo and beer taxes, ‘to help hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy.’ There was enormous backlash against what was described as his ‘them and us’ phrasing and classism– some calling it ‘dreadful’ and ‘patronising’, while others were horrified to discover that it wasn’t a spoof.

The lesson?

Tone is key to building your brand’s persona online– you want to have a voice that’s uniquely ‘you’. That can mean a bit of experimentation, finding what’s the most comfortable style for you to write, as well as what resonates best with your audience.

It’s completely fine– and very necessary– for brands to tailor their social media content and tone to a particular target audience. Keeping in mind how your content might be construed by other groups, though, makes sure nobody is offended and that your reputation is the best it can be.

 

 

The bottom line

Politicians are, as a group, an excellent example of how not to use social media. By looking at these examples and doing the exact opposite, you’ll be more mindful of how your brand is coming across on your social media channels– and will be able to avoid the eye-watering embarrassment suffered by our noble leaders.

By Moya Vaughan Evans

Moya is a digital marketing expert, blogging specialist and Social Media Manager at Shake Social. Struggling to maintain your own blog? We can help!

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Kate Tyler is the founder of Shake Social and our long time social media expert. A regular speaker at events, Kate offers consultancy and training on a range of digital marketing topics, in particular safeguarding and using social media in an educational setting.