Alas the three day weekend has come to an end. Still stuffed from that barbecue? If you happened to check your social networks this weekend, you might have noticed some nods to the holiday that allowed you this luxury all mixed in with glossy filtered Instagram photos of your friends’ hamburgers, hot dogs, and guacamole dip.
Memorial Day doesn’t exactly get the justice it deserve. Since it falls at the end of May, it gets mistaken for the start of Summer, pool time, barbecues, social sentiment for our fallen troops and the freedom we have which is often ignored. This isn’t really your fault or mine – maybe it’s just poor timing. Maybe this holiday shouldn’t even be considered a holiday but all that aside, some brands take it upon themselves to capitalize upon this opportunity.
We all want to do the right thing when it comes to a national holiday, a tragedy that has befallen our nation, or anything that moves us but aside from donating money or volunteering time, should brands get involved and say anything? And how exactly do you craft that message? Or maybe it’s best to stay neutral.
There’s nothing “happy” about Memorial Day but yet some brands say it anyway. Or even worse, they ask if you’ll be barbecuing. There’s no better way to offend troops, veterans, and family members of those who have fallen by forgetting what the holiday is all about. When it comes to social media, remember what your Mother always told you and improvise – if you don’t have anything nice to say (or don’t know what to say), just don’t say anything at all. Saying nothing at all won’t hurt your brand. Trust me on that one. During a three day holiday weekend, no one is checking social media to see if you came up with something clever to say. If they are, you’re a true winner and I applaud you but honestly, they’re just checking to see what their friends are up to.
However, if you absolutely must do something, make sure it’s relevant, make sure you understand what you’re doing, and do it in a way that inspires a positive response and makes sense for your brand.
Here are some reasons to consider posting about Memorial Day or any other tragedy:
- Does the holiday or tragedy affect your brand in any way?
- Was the event in your immediate area, your state, your town, etc?
- Is anyone from your company volunteering, are you donating?
- Is your message providing information? Is it helpful?
If it doesn’t meet the criteria above, considering passing and sit this one out. If you’re just fishing for page views, an EdgeRank score, and more likes on your page – really consider sitting this one out. If you do decide to say something, make sure you really mean it, that it helps your brand and audience in some way, and that it’s well thought out and researched. If you follow those basic rules, you’ll still win the social media game, keep good faith, and a healthy brand image – now that’s something to barbecue about.
