Snarky Social Media: How It Can Work for Your Brand

Many of us are familiar with the concept of “social media snark,” which has become more common in the past few years. What is social media snark, exactly? It’s when a brand uses social media to be sassy, or to poke fun at consumers. Snark is mostly found on Twitter, and it is especially common among fast-food restaurants. Sometimes social media snark can be taken the wrong way, and whether it will work for you all depends on your brand image.

Why do people do it?

Social media snark has a way of grabbing the public’s attention. A sassy reply tweet to a customer from a brand’s official Twitter will definitely catch the user’s eye. But to be effective, social media snark must be done correctly. Many brands want to convey the personality through social media, so they use snark to do so. Take Wendy’s, for example, who frequently uses sassy replies to gain the customer’s attention. The snark method has been successful for the brand, along with a balance of customer service and kindness on their social media.

Twitter interaction

The Good

The key to effectively using social media snark is to highlight your brand’s products within the snark. For example, if your brand begins to engage in social media snark with another brand, you can attest to why your brand is better, but with a humorous touch. Snark can also give your brand an extra push of engagement. Social media managers should always be on the lookout for opportunities to interact with clients, especially if they want to participate in social media snark. This will work best if you have an informal brand image, so the messages will align with your brand’s personality.

Person gives 5 star rating

The Harm

Being edgy may have its consequences. While sassy tweets can earn higher engagement, they may also be annoying followers. A survey from Sprout Social shows that only 33% of consumers want brands to be snarky, while 83% prefer brands to be friendly. What began as a novelty among brands online quickly became commonplace and lost its fresh approach. Perhaps if you are going to be snarky at all, it is best to include a balance of snark and friendliness. 88% of consumers are annoyed when brands mock their fans, so you may want to tread lightly in order to avoid losing followers.

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Working with Your Brand Image

Whether or not your brand can effectively use social media snark all comes down to how you want to be perceived. Many restaurants have a laid back brand image that is in line with social media snark. A more serious company, such as a law firm or health organization, may not want to go in that direction. Your brand has its own strengths that can be conveyed through a social media personality. It’s best to analyze those strengths and make sure you are keeping the customer in mind.

Does your customer use slang and enjoy sassy comments? Then social media snark might work for you. Contact us at info@tailoredmarketing.com to get in touch about how we can help.

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