A crisis can appear at any moment without warning. For this reason, many companies develop a Crisis Management Manual to deal with any event that could negatively affect their image. These manuals, which initially only focused on offline crises, now need to include a crucial aspect: social media crises.
According to iRedes, an annual international conference on the world of social media, by early 2013 the number of social media users worldwide reached 3 billion, with Facebook being the most popular with more than one billion users, followed by YouTube (800 million) and Twitter (500 million).
The importance of social media in corporate communication has become especially relevant and has established itself as an invaluable tool for positioning a brand or seriously damaging its reputation.
To reduce the impact of an online attack, we share six basic tips for handling this situation simply and effectively.
- Constant monitoring. Continuously review the comments your brand's followers post on social media. This will let you carry out a quick situational analysis and start defining actions.
- Understand the problem and address it. Investigate why and where the situation originated. Determine whether it's an actual fact and rule out rumors. Once the fact is confirmed, accept the mistake or the situation. Many times, a dissatisfied customer who receives timely attention can become an ally. Plan your strategy.
- Define your spokespeople. Every company has managers or leaders who are experts in their areas or departments. It's essential that these executives are trained to be part of a crisis committee, where the roles and responsibilities of the spokespeople are defined — the ones who will be in contact with the public to give answers and resolve doubts.
- Ongoing communication. The company website, Facebook and Twitter are the best channels for sharing statements or press releases. It's crucial to give a clear and timely position as the situation evolves. Don't overload people with too much information. Remember that communication must be based on true and transparent facts.
- Solve the problem. Offer coherent, tangible solutions that repair the damage quickly. Follow through on the commitments you've made — remember you're being constantly watched by your followers.
- Learn from it. A crisis situation is also an opportunity to learn. Once the issue is resolved, write a report on the actions taken, what worked, what wasn't so useful, and set your best practices for the future.
In a crisis, remember these simple tips: act quickly, make sure the problem is real, face the situation with solutions, and always evaluate the facts and the actions taken.