2020 has shown us that effective social media strategy is important. From sharing memes about Tiger King to COVID-19 statistics from the WHO, to updates on peaceful protests in light of the Black Lives Matter moment, the Pew Research Center reports that more than half of all Americans get their news via social media. There are pros and cons to this to be certain as it is often difficult to parse fact from fiction.  And for a business trying to navigate these waters, it can be difficult.

Before even coming up with a strategy by which your company can handle crises that it comes across, it is first important to make sure that your business has all its ducks in a row with effective guidelines and social media policies.

If your employees are using social media, how do they discuss your brand? Are there things they are not allowed to say? While each company has different needs and goals and leadership views on social media, your business should have a plan on how company employees should interact with social media.

A social media policy for your company helps to protect your reputation by providing guidelines and best practices for professional conduct for employees. A policy can range from a list of best practices for conduct to the legal ramifications of social media actions.  A social media policy acts as a type of contract between employees and the company about what types of interactions can and should take place online.

As your company develops social media policies, ask the following questions:

• Are employees aware that while their profiles may be set to “private,” they are not really private?
• Do employees know the associated risks associated with what they post online and how it may be perceived by others?
• Do employees understand that posts and updates serve as a first impression not only to them but to the brand as well?

Social media policies can help safeguard companies against legal and security risks. Having guidelines in place also helps to ensure that your brand can speak with one voice.  Employee engagement in your social media efforts are good.  Each employee interacting with your brand humanizes your efforts and can gain you trust in your target market. People yearn for authentic engagement and your company attitude and policies regarding social media can bolster this authenticity.

Make sure to include the following in your social media policies and guidelines:

• Who is your company spokesperson?
• How will you address company complaints?
• How will you handle media inquiries?

With these social media policies in place, you will be best able to address crises as they arise.

But what exactly is a crisis?

A crisis is defined as events that either cause harm or have the potential to cause harm to an individual or organization. These crises can occur online or offline, but HubSpot tells us that 80% of customers will use social media to engage with a brand. Rest assured, having an action plan in place for Social Media Crisis Management will serve you well.

The tricky thing about social media crises is that can spread like wildfire on various social media platforms and then evolve into a more traditional news story.  How your company engages with its clients on its social media platforms can truly make or break a company’s reputation.

Varying types of social media crises happen on a daily basis. The following is a list of some examples of social media crises that you may come across:

• The hacking of social media accounts.
• The call for boycotts on advertisers
• Live video—who knows what will happen?
• Fake news and rumors.
• Employees going rogue.
• Trend jacking during a sensitive situation.
• Widespread public outrage to a post.

  

So, what should you do in the event of a social media crisis?

First off, DO NOT PANIC.  Ask yourself, “Is this a real crisis?”  Did you or a member of your company make a gaff?  If so, OWN IT and take responsibility for your actions.  Be authentic.  Be humble.  Be human.

Many crises can be mitigated with adequate preparation.  Before a crisis even occurs. As with many things, having strategies and plans in place will always help you be proactive when a crisis occurs. In fact, there are three stages to a crisis: preparation, response, and recovery.

Preparation for a social media crisis can look like:

• Investing in a proactive monitoring system.
• Training team members in crisis communication.
• Creating a list of possible crises and coming up with response plans.
• Actively building healthy and positive relationships through social media with your target market.

During the response stage of a crisis, your social media manager should:

• Respond quickly with compassion and authority.
• Speak clearly and provide examples of follow up actions that are being taken.
• Understand the emotions that are being shared on social media.
• Pay attention and address comments, feedback, and false information that could be spreading.
• Integrate messages on the appropriate social media channels for the appropriate audiences.
• Integrate responses into crisis plan strategy.
• Embrace the opportunity to grow as an organization.

Once the crisis has been resolved, the recovery phase looks like:

• Evaluating the overall sentiment of the messages.
• Analyze data to see what lessons can be learned.
• Evaluate team members’ responses and strategies that came into play.
• Determine best practices with which to move forward.

A well thought out crisis plan will garner input from many stakeholders such as the executive team, PR professionals, HR professionals, and have legal input. It should also consider the risks associated with various risks, scenarios, and stakeholders.

Here are more tips to utilize amid a social media crisis:

• Pause all scheduled social media posts.
• Pause paid ads on social media channels.
• Pause marketing emails.
• Assess the planned email and blogging campaigns for appropriateness.
• Create a blog post to address the situation as needed.
• Provide talking points for executives as needed.
• Check all content for relevant references that could be perceived as offensive or rude in light of the event.
• Create a plan for employee communications as needed.
• Do not reply, “No comment.” If you need further time to gather information and formulate an appropriate response, say just that.
• Do not take the bait of trolls. Often, if you have built up a good rapport with your audience, they will take care of the trolls for you.

Even though social media is an ever-changing entity, preparation and planning is still your best bet for effective social media management. You should be prepared for events and situations that could have a negative impact on your business. Listening and monitoring your social media channels for these events and situations should be part of the daily job of a social media management professional.

Eventually, your small business will encounter a social media crisis if it has not already.  Get ahead of the crisis by preparing today.  Don’t fear; more times than not, a business can and will bounce back from a social media crisis, especially when managed well.