Everyone can benefit from a dynamic platform like Social Media, if exploited correctly or turn into a graveyard if not dealt smartly during the times when it matters the most. In the world, physical or virtual, where disasters are waiting to strike, it is best that you are prepared before hand for the situation. A Social Media Disaster Management plan has to be incubated and inducted to everyone in your Community Management and Public Relation Team.
Social media disaster strikes when you are either going all wrong or you aren’t able to meet your customer’s expectation. In either case it is essential that you own up, come out brave and communicate surely but humbly. Social media is eyed by your customers, investors, employees, media, etc, each of which will have a different point of view to look at your social media conduct and you have to live up to it all! Social Media Disaster can strike in many forms, some of which are listed below:-- Online reputation maligned by customer by complaining, creating hate communities or blogs or sites. It becomes a disaster when within matter of hours it gets world talking about it.
- When your product has performed poorly and media is busy taking down your name.
- Your ex employees go bad mouthing about your management, reveal secrets, leave no stone unturned to paint your image black.
- When panic surges amongst your people- natural disasters, fake news or rumors surface, industry is badly hit, etc.
Social Media Disaster Management Stages
- Crisis Identification:- Social media monitoring would help you see through this stage, in fact if you are involved in this regularly then you might even avoid the crisis and deal with it at nascent stage. Follow the talks and understand what exactly is being said and the general sentiments of the public about the situation.
- Insight Identification:- Get to the crux of the matter. Explore from where the crisis arise, who are people talking, which mediums are being used, how it is affecting the company’s image, do you know the authors, what is the volume, etc.
- Goal Setting:- By the end of your crisis management activity what is it that you expect? Control over negative comments, more positive talks trending, the authors becoming positive influencers, your target audience (investor or customer or employee or media) is happy and satisfied by the end of it, etc.
- Plan Communication:- Shape a strategy to counter this disaster by apt and strong communication program. First devise what would you communicate, how are you going put the whole crisis in front of people, what would be the tone, who would be speaking, etc. You need to figure out which are the right platforms or mediums you need to be on, where you have to create base and accordingly customize the message or content strategy to meet the platform’s needs. Remember each platform is a different market.
- Make a Team:- Social Media Disaster Management Team which must include Community Manager, a PR and a Senior Management representative so that the communication can be designed, approved and executed easily and each one is on the same page!
- Execute the plan.
Social Media Disaster Management can be avoided with ongoing social media monitoring activity! Are you ready to handle a social media disaster?
Shameer Notes 