Some time ago, I saw a weird photo on my Facebook feed shared by a few of my friends. I couldn’t help but check it out because there were so many comments.
It turned out to be a screencap of Les Deux Garcons’ Facebook Page (it’s a dessert place in Malaysia apparently). A customer was complaining about the attitude of their store staff and the Les Deux Garcons FB administrator responded in a very rude manner. You can click on the screencap above for a closer look.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Les Deux Garcons FB administrator proceeded to say that they have no time for bitches. Needless to say it became viral, reaching beyond the Malaysian Facebook populace. A lot of people were turned off the brand. After the outbreak, Les Deux Garcons posted an apology… but of course, the damage had been done.
- Do not under any circumstances be rude. Don’t curse, swear, use foul language, or resort to name-calling. I understand that there will always be trolls that may try to disrupt the smooth operations of your FB Fan Page but you are representing a brand and you’re supposed to maintain a neutral and amiable front at all times. Always be polite and courteous when responding to queries or posts.
- Do not use your brand’s Facebook Fan Page to stage a shame campaign (i.e. accusing specific people of cheating in a contest, etc.). With the Philippine Cybercrime Law being debated as I type, you just might find yourself behind bars or paying a hefty penalty for libel. Besides, you’re not even supposed to use FB functions such as liking and sharing as the sole basis for contest entries. That is against the Facebook Pages Terms. If you have problems with certain fans, take them up privately. FB Fan Pages can now use the Private Messaging system so it’s easier to contact specific people.
- Do not steal content from other sources (blogs, other FB pages, etc.) and post them as your own material. Credit your sources and ask for permission if necessary. Someone once took a photo of my Fitflops which I had used in my blog (watermark and all) and then used it to sell FAKE Fitflops on her FB Page. Luckily some of my readers alerted me so I was able to report her. She was promptly removed.
- Do not post in text speak or Jeje speak. Yes, some FB admins do this and it makes me cringe. It just cheapens the brand. It makes me think that the people behind it don’t care enough to get someone qualified to handle their social media. Brands, make sure that whoever is handling your FB Page has a good command of the English and Filipino languages. Wrong grammar also gives off the wrong brand image.
My advice for FS Cosmetics is (aside from carefully selecting their next FB admin) to own up to what has been done and issue a public apology to the aggrieved parties. Learn from the experience and move on.
As always, I hope this post is helpful. 🙂
UPDATE as of April 30, 2013: In case those reading this post miss it, FS Cosmetics has issued a statement in the comments section which I have pasted above. Those who have had problems with the said promo may now contact FS Cosmetics directly.
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