Post by Ben Taylor from Eloqua.
Social media has become one of the most indispensable forms of marketing to date.
Brands are born and developed on it, personalities go from obscurity to superstardom, and great ideas are rampantly shared. There are many examples of social media successes to inspire us.
However, reputations are also damaged and horrifying gaffes are made, so let’s look at some examples of that and learn how we can avoid mistakes made by other brands.
Schadenfreude is fun.
Yet another company that believes they’re operating in 1974.
You can read the full back story here, 
but briefly: A couple days ago, an Applebee’s waitress posted an image of a receipt (see: right) on the social network, Reddit. The receipt had a note from a customer complaining about auto-tip and how she “gives God 10%,” so “why do you [the waitress] get 18%?”
After word hit the streets about the receipt, the customer (who turned out to be a pastor) called Applebee’s and demanded the waitress be fired for violations of guest privacy due to the signature on the receipt. The waitress was promptly fired.
The character of the customer, merits of firing the employee, and logic behind tipping in our culture are all worthwhile topics, but this is a digital marketing blog, so let’s take a look at the backlash Applebee’s is receiving on social media.
Hey! I’m Jonathan Payne, the Founder and Author of My Social Game Plan — your one-stop-shop for all things social media marketing.