11 Brands That Are Killing It on Social Media

Image via Facebook

7. Merriam-Webster

A lot of people didn’t even know that the Merriam-Webster Twitter account existed until a few months ago. Who would imagine that a dictionary would need to use social media marketing? Does anyone even buy dictionaries anymore, other than schools and libraries? Who are they marketing to? Well, apparently grammar nerds with a sense of humor.

Merriam-Webster had a pretty decent Twitter following already, but it was a conversation between M-W and a Slate editor that made them a viral sensation. Merriam-Webster often posts “word of the day” tweets, including one that featured the word ‘angry’ back in September. “It’s fine to use mad to mean ‘angry’,” they posted, “even if doing so makes some people mad.” Gabriel Roth, senior editor for Slate replied to the tweet, stating “I feel like @MerriamWebster is turning into the ‘chill’ parent who lets your friends come over and get high”. He followed this up with a series of overly analytical tweets defending his opinion, calling Merriam-Webster’s tweeting style “narcissistically gratifying” and asking if they are really “enlightened + freethinking or just checked out?”

Brace yourself for Merriam-Webster’s reply:

Ouch!

Suddenly, a whole lot of people became aware of the Merriam-Webster Twitter account and they gained a lot of new followers. Now, it’s not enough to catch everyone’s attention; you have to keep it. And they’ve done that. Since that infamous clapback tweet, they have consistently shared definitions and posts from their blog that are relevant and trending. For example, when Trump committed a major grammar error (and possible Freudian slip) with his use of “unpresidented,” Merriam-Webster mocked him in a tweet that said “Good morning! The #WordOfTheDay is … not ‘unpresidented’. We don’t enter that word. That’s a new one,” and included a link to the definition of the word “huh.”

Obviously, not even the President-elect is off limits for the folks at Merriam-Webster.