We’ve all seen the nightmare PR situations where a celebrity, CEO, or employee did or said something stupid and put the entire brand at risk.
We’ve seen it with world leaders too.
Trouble is, when people are careless with their words, it can be damaging. People take sides. Forward progress grinds to a halt.
Here’s the thing…
You and I are professional communicators. We’re marketers. We like forward progress.
So we need to remember: Words make a difference.
A lot.
This isn’t a freedom issue. There’s no law against saying or doing stupid things (as long as it’s not criminal).
But if you want to say and do whatever you want, whenever you want, you’ve got to accept the consequences.
Bottom line, alienating people hurts your brand and kills sales.
Is freedom really worth that?
Whether we sell a product or service, whether we work alone or with a Fortune 500 company, our brand serves an audience.
It’s our job to help people know, like, and trust the brand. And we can only do that if we respect the people we serve.
Social media amplifies every misstep, rude comment, and embarrassing moment. We need to tread carefully.
Viral seems cool — until it’s not.
My advice is to be yourself, but be your best self.
Maybe your brand is edgy. Maybe you’re contrarian and tell-it-like-it-is. That’s okay. Just be careful to avoid saying something that could cause a PR nightmare.
Think before you speak.
Use a script if you think it will help.
Have someone review your messaging before you hit “publish.”
Share your no-nonsense, hard-core ideas. But at all costs, avoid slander, libel, and inciting people to violence.
That’s going to hurt your brand, not help it.
