- Far less serious than a PR crisis,
misconceptions about a company arise all the time.
Through the strategic use of social media,
a company executive can quickly dispel myths,
change the tone of the conversation,
and correct a misunderstanding before it gets worse.
Often, misconceptions about a company
arise in the media from competitors, or customers.
These sometimes require
that a leader chime in on social media
to reach a wider audience
with a goal of explaining the situation
from their perspective.
For example, Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard,
decided to respond on Twitter
to rumors circulating in the media
about her considering a role at Uber.
Her goal was to end the speculation
about the next steps in her career,
and remove herself from the ongoing conversation,
which she did successfully by publicly addressing it.
Most of the time, misinformation
is discovered on social media,
which is an opportunity for leadership
to respond directly to the false claims at the source.
Like when a former Reddit employee
started a discussion on the social network
about how they claimed
that they were laid off for no reason,
alongside other accusations.
Shortly after, the CEO of Reddit responded to the thread
with the real reasoning behind the employee being let go
to provide transparency, and push back against their claims.
The CEO's response helped to refute the potentially
damaging conversation about the company,
and reduce the situation to an inaccurate account
from a disgruntled former employee.
Sometimes, sentiments shared by others on social media
will accurately reflect the organization's perspective
on a common misperception.
This is a great opportunity
for leaders to promote their message,
and add commentary to bring the Tweet or post
to the attention of a larger audience.
Like how Elon Musk Retweeted a customer's Tweet
about the cost savings of an electric car
versus a gas powered vehicle,
adding his two cents to the conversation for more context.
This was likely very informative for many spectators,
as most people aren't informed of the long-term cost savings
of purchasing an electric car from Tesla.
While it's not necessary
to answer the criticism of everyone,
it is important to use social media
to monitor what's being said,
and respond to common misconceptions about your company.