No, we can't all be like Wendy's on social media

It has been 10 months since I left my corporate job, which means it has been at least 10 months since I’ve been asked this question: “Why can’t we be more like Wendy’s on social media?” If there was ever a silver lining to leaving the corporate world, that might be it.

Now before you go at-mentioning me all over the place for social media sacrilege, let me say that I have great respect for the Wendy’s social media team – and in fact I know some of them. They are really great at what they do, and they have found great success doing it.

But the truth is that not every company should aspire to be “like Wendy’s” on social media. What works for one company and brand will not necessarily work for another. Leaders who ask “Why can’t we be more like Wendy’s” generally actually mean something like “Why can’t we be really responsive like Wendy’s,” or “Why can’t we do funny things on social like Wendy’s?” But asking “Why can’t we be like Wendy’s” is honestly a little insulting to your social media team. It implies that they haven’t given any thought to what your company should “be like” on social media, or that they should just copy another company because what they are doing clearly sucks.

So here’s a little insight. Your social media team is probably the most witty, foul-mouthed and snarky team at your company. They are perfectly capable of composing snarky tweets. But when considering what your company should “be like” on social media, they think about a lot of factors, including company culture, reputation, the industry you’re in, what exactly you do, your target demographic, etc. More sophisticated teams may even have a persona for who you are on social media. It simply would not be appropriate for some companies and brands to maintain a social media presence where they troll competitors openly and give sassy answers to consumers.

Imagine, for instance…

…if Goldman Sachs trolled JP Morgan by tweeting “We manage our clients’ portfolios with way fewer scandals than you guys – and we deliver great returns!”
…if CVS trolled Walgreens by tweeting, “Go to the pharmacy on the correct corner of the intersection – our competition literally just follows us around and builds across the street.”
…or, if Door Dash trolled an angry consumer by tweeting, “Soggy tacos? Nacho problem, and nach-OUR problem either! YOLO!”

Simply put, for some companies and brands, being snarky on Twitter just doesn’t fit the overall company brand voice. If you are a serious company, or you work in a serious industry, it probably doesn’t make sense for your social media persona to be flippant and unprofessional. And in some cases (like legal, medical and other fields), it may flat-out be inappropriate.

One more example: Think about a brand like Volvo with an entire multi-billion brand built around one word (safety). Touting your safety credentials makes sense. But it would not make sense for Volvo’s Twitter account to be snarky and make fun of other car manufacturers for causing more deaths. It wouldn’t fit the overall brand voice and honestly most likely would backfire in the court of public opinion.

The other big consideration in this equation is your customer base. Remember that Wendy’s audience skews young and snarky – and their social media persona appropriately matches that. But if you were, say, a divorce attorney, you probably would not reach your desired target audience by posting quasi-insulting videos about divorced people on Tik Tok. You have to meet your audience where they live online, and you have to match who they are online in an authentic way.

One final and very important caveat for all brands to remember: Even if you are like Wendy’s and it fits your brand to be snarky online, it’s still possible to misstep every now and then. In 2017, Wendy’s drew some intense criticism after tweeting an image of Pepe the Frog dressed up as the Wendy’s mascot. The brand said the person posting was unaware of the tie between Pepe the Frog and the Anti-Defamation League. They quickly removed the offending tweet and did some damage control. Brands that choose to be “like Wendy’s” have to understand this dynamic, accept the risk and know how to deal with issues quickly when they arise, as Wendy’s did in this case.

So … if you are a leader who has ever asked your social media team “How can we be more like Wendy’s?” I implore you to stop that. Stop it right now. Instead, ask these questions:

Do we have a persona for our brand on social media?
- If so, please share it with me so I can learn about what you do.
- If not, can we work together to create one?
What is our approach to our voice on social media?
Do you have guidelines and thinking about how much or little we use humor, sarcasm, emojis, gifs, etc. on social media?
How can I help?

Asking these questions instead of that other one will lead to a much better, much more productive conversation and hopefully some understanding about what your social media team is trying so hard to achieve.

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Since you’re still here, let’s look at some of Wendy’s greatest hits, because damn, some of these are really funny…