7 Need-to-Know Strategies for Managing a Social Media Crisis

By: Mark Frazee

Over 50% of Americans get their news via social media. In today’s day-and-age, social media accounts break news, often before traditional news outlets. In fact, news coverage is increasingly shaped by news first shared on social.

News — true or false — can also spread at incredible speeds on social. We’ve also talked before about the importance of a robust social media customer service strategy in building trust, which does not go away in times of crises. Therefore, when your organization encounters a crisis situation on social, it is imperative to have a plan in place to respond to the situation.

These 7 steps will leave your organization better prepared to respond to any crisis on social:

1.  Have a plan in place

   If your organization does not already have a crisis communications plan in place, you’re already behind. You cannot wait until a crisis arises to develop a plan. Make sure duties are assigned and everyone knows what they should be doing. Know who is able to approve communication, and have a set of pre-approved messaging ready to go. Think of this as “manning your battle stations.”

2.  Decide what is a crisis

   Know when to — and when to not — pull the trigger. Not every situation is a crisis. People will have unpleasant experiences and post nasty comments on your organization’s social — there’s no way around that. While it’s impossible to be prepared for any specific scenario, you can have a number of policies for scenarios in place. Did someone have a poor experience and post it on social? (Probably) not a crisis. Did your products cause someone physical or mental injury? (Probably) a crisis. Remember, not EVERY situation warrants a crisis-level response.

3. Pause your calendar

   No matter what is going on, it’s probably a good idea to pause your scheduled social posts. Whether it be an internal or external crisis (or a crisis-like situation), the last thing you want to do is appear to be tone deaf and unsympathetic. Also, do NOT be selfish and attempt to capitalize on an external crisis (one not directly involving your organization, such the early days of managing brand social during the pandemic) for your own organization.  We provide an example of this later on.

   Blunders like these can create a crisis for your own organization when you didn’t even have one in the first place! You also don’t want to let all the social content you spent time developing go to waste — reschedule posts and resume your social calendar when the situation has subsided.

4. Get everyone on the same page

   Internal communications are just as important as external communications. Don’t leave your organization’s employees in the dark. Have the appropriate person inform your internal staff about what is going on (of course, some people may not need to know as MUCH as others), and also readdress your company’s media policy. Make it clear who should and should not communicate with the press or general public, and what responses to inquiries should be. Think of how awful it would be to seem to have a social crisis situation under control, just for someone else in your own organization to not be on the same page and share more than they should.

5. Monitor and listen

   Often times, your social media team will be the first ones to hear about a crisis. As noted above, conversation spreads quick on social, so it’s a good idea to have at least one person assigned to simply monitor and listen to what the general public is saying about a situation. Perhaps a non-crisis situation is about to become a crisis; if you have someone monitoring the dialogue on social media, you’ll be better prepared to respond to the situation. Key areas to monitor include your own organization’s pages, the notifications with mentions regarding your organization, and related community group pages, among others.

6. Engage, but remain calm and focused

   When people are looking for answers, don’t disappear. You can engage (without oversharing) with people looking for answers. Answer questions to the best of your ability, and realize that people may be emotional and to not take it personally. Maintain your brand’s normal tone (as appropriate) to give a sense of stability. Remember: control the narrative, or be controlled by the narrative. Don’t prematurely delete/block people, and NEVER argue. 

   Remember that people will often turn to social during times of crisis to find answers. People turn to authority figures in times of crisis in a phenomenon known as judgmental heuristics. However, when people are emotionally involved in a situation, they will be more likely to pay attention to communication content themselves, which can be both a good and bad thing. This all relates to social conformity: if you find someone is a dissident on social, often times others will attempt to publicly shame the dissident (Nahai 145-46). The better you control the situation, the more likely your organization will be to have people that continue to trust it, which is key.

7. Review and learn

   After the crisis has subsided, it’s important to review and evaluate the response. Take note of what you did well and what can be improved. Honesty, openness, and compassion go a long way. Maintain a sense of calm, but make sure the crisis is being properly handled. Knowing what to say — or not to say — and when is, again, incredibly important.

   Here’s an example of something you can learn from: check out this Tweet sent by Sears (remember them?) during Hurricane Sandy:

A Tweet sent by former department store giant Sears during Hurricane Sandy attempting to capitalize on the disaster by selling supplies. The Tweet reads “Did Hurricane Sandy affect your city? Get your generators, air mattresses & more in one place: [LINK].” Courtesy: The Atlantic

Yikes. Hurricane Sandy was a crisis not even directly impacting Sears, but the Sears communications team had to then deal with the consequences of this insensitive message. Be especially mindful of your content lineup in times of both external and internally-originated crises.

A graphic illustrating how vast connections and networks between people across the world can be. It is important to quickly control the narrative of a crisis or let it be controlled for you.

Conclusion

Overall, social media is a powerful tool that allows your organization to monitor and listen to what people are saying about your organization, both in good times and bad. If you are waiting until a crisis arises to develop a crisis communications plan, it’s already too late. It all comes back to online reputation management: having a set plan in place will go a long way to maintaining trust, which is perhaps the most important thing your organization can do when times get tough.

Sources

• How to Use Social Media for Crisis Communications and Emergency Management

• Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared: How to Manage a Social Media Crisis

• 6 Tips for Handling Breaking Crises on Twitter

• 5 Tips for Managing a Social Media Crisis

• Should Brands Communicate During a Crisis?

• How to Manage a Social Media Crisis: A Practical Guide for Brands

• The Worst Social Media Fails of Hurricane Sandy

• Nahai, Natthalie. “Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion”. 2017. Pearson Education. Pages 145-146.