In February of this year, pop-star and global celebrity Beyoncé surprised the pop music world by sneakily releasing her new single, “Formation.” While the song flew up the charts, people began to notice a lag from a company that the songstress mentioned in her lyrics.

Surrounded by a pool of racy lyrics, Red Lobster found itself mentioned in this new single. But what surprised many social media goers was this: the restaurant franchise took a long time to respond to their unexpected shout out. Hours after the birth of “Formation,” Red Lobster took to Twitter and shared:

“’Cheddar Bey Biscuits’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? #Formation” (complete with a photo of their famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits)

An unimpressed Twitter world did not hesitate sharing their feelings with Red Lobster, tweeting lines such as: “you’ve been gone for hours and this is the best marketing your people can do? somebody is getting FIRED. (@surfbortx)” and “We were hoping @redlobster wouldn’t disappoint us but… (@xonecole)”

We can learn a few things from this Red Lobster/Beyoncé incident:

  • Free publicity is great, but you have to handle it correctly.
  • When your business is given a shout out in a big way, you must respond quickly (no matter if you had no idea it was coming).
  • Creativity is key when taking to social media.

As we know, social media is a prime platform to market your dealership, but only if used correctly. Learn from the example of Red Lobster and respond promptly and creatively. Let Client ConneXion help you get social. Start a Chat below or give us a call at 877-888-5948!