WTF? Friday: Seriously Screwing up on Twitter

There probably isn’t anyone alive who hasn’t heard about Anthony Weiner’s stupid Twitter move.  I won’t rehash that here, but I will tell you that this isn’t, by any stretch, the last time someone is going to do something dumb using a social platform.

This week, bakery giant Entenmann’s f’ed up on Twitter by tweeting a hashtag they didn’t thoroughly research.

The hashtag, #notguilty was trending because of the Casey Anthony verdict.

Not-so-savvy Entenmann’s thought they’d take advantage of the trend, jump on the bandwagon and add #notguilty to a tweet about tasty treats.

Uh, no.

TechCrunch said this:

Depending on what you believe, the voice of @Entenmann’s either decided it would be funny to hashtag surf on the trending #notguilty hashtag or sincerely didn’t look and just stuck a random #notguilty in a tweet about eating tasty tweets, presumably to get pickup.

In any case, misuse of a hashtag by a business or a brand is a serious mistake, whether intentional or merely misguided. Understanding hashtags, what they mean, why the trend, when to use them, is imp0rtant if you’re using Twitter for business.

Don’t be a Weiner or an Entenmann’s, in this case.

Sign up for the Don’t Be a Weiner Workshop: Learn How to Use Twitter Like a Professional.

Five Lessons on How Not to Use Twitter