This post was written by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund and was culled from their forthcoming book, “The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter & More Social,” available for pre-order and debuting Feb. 1. Download the first chapter free at Facebook.com/nowrevolution.
Sometimes, all does not go according to plan in social media. Will your company ever see a social media crisis — with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube turning a modern-day mob with torches and pitchforks? Probably not. But maybe you will. And if you do, these are the eight steps to recovering from a social media crisis.
- Acknowledge the crisis. At the onset of a crisis, when the questions far outnumber the answers, about the best you can do is acknowledge that you are aware of the circumstances. This lets concerned customers and social media onlookers know that you are not asleep at the wheel.
- Fight social media fire with social media water. In your quest to communicate about the crisis, it is imperative that you do it in the same venue where the tempest brewed. If a crisis breaks out on Twitter, respond first on Twitter. If it breaks on Facebook, respond on Facebook. If the problem is YouTube, your salvation lies there, as well.
- Be sorry. We may be the most forgiving society ever. For the most part, we’ve forgiven Mike Tyson, Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Tylenol and about 63,157 other transgressors. We’ll forgive Pete Rose. Someday we’ll be okay with Lindsay Lohan. Same thing with Marion Jones and Tiger Woods. But if you make a mistake and want the healing process to happen quickly — if you care about how you’re perceived and want to win back your customers and fans — it all starts with two little words: “I’m sorry.”
- Create a FAQ. Create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions document as quickly as possible that details the most prominent inquiries about the crisis and your responses. Even if you don’t have answers to every question, create the FAQ and update it in real time as more information becomes available. In the real-time era, customers are reassured by watching your crisis management unfold minute by minute.
- Build a pressure-relief valve. An FAQ page without a discussion forum smacks of traditional, dictatorial, unilateral communication that runs contrary to the expectations of today’s customers and reporters. If your FAQ is located on your blog, open that blog post to comments. Other opportunities for discussion venues include your Facebook fan page (possibly the discussions tab), comments on your YouTube channel, or a dedicated discussion forum.
- Know when to take it offline. In circumstances where criticism turns ugly, sometimes you can’t win by engaging thoughtfully on a public venue like Twitter or Facebook or on a blog. For people who are too upset to handle via public replies, attempt to engage them offline. Publicly invite them to contact you via telephone, or ask them to provide their telephone number so that you can call them. This demonstrates your willingness to engage — not just to the thorn in your side, but to all viewers — and can, in some circumstances, reduce toxicity immediately.
- Arm your army. Provide your team with information that’s at least as timely and accurate as the information being provided to the public. That sounds self-evident, but, in practice, crisis scenarios often unfold in such a way that the communication professionals are so busy updating the Facebook page and the FAQ that they overlook keeping all employees in the loop.
- Learn your lessons. Once the crisis has abated, catch your breath and document the situation. Make copies of all posts to Twitter, Facebook, and your blog; all e-mails received; all YouTube video posted; and so forth — anything related to the situation, both from your team and from customers. This will be useful to help you reconstruct and learn from your response and is also a good policy from a legal perspective. Analyze spikes in traffic to your website, blog, Facebook fan page, and other venues. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
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Tags: amber nashlund, Blogging, crisis communications, Facebook, FAQ, Jay Baer, PR, social media, twitter, youtube
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SmartBrief on SocMed, Kathy Meyer, pulsebmouth, TribalCafe, Hot In Marketing and others. Hot In Marketing said: Social media to the rescue: Getting your brand back on track when a crisis breaks http://safe.mn/2iFq [...]
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Excellent pointers on how to save your business when crisis strikes. These all seem like such common sense approaches–why do big companies have such a hard time understanding simplicity? Thanks again!
Would the outcome have been materially different if Clinton, like Carter, had confessed? Good question, Martin. Regardless, in today's media environment it is critical to acknowledge the problem even as you evaluate whether it the situation demands an apology.
Liked your observations on making FAQs work in a social media environment. I have long thought the FAQ was the pipe wrench in the crisis management arsenal – especially ones developed internally in an attempt to head off questions instead of reacting to them.
Thanks for encouraging to say sorry. Why is that so tough? Is it legal that puts up the roadblock? Aggressive disclosure has proven to lower litigation costs in a crisis. It's true–we just want to hear soneone say, "I'm sorry."
Thanks . Very well written.
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[...] Estudo para este artigo (para o devido Kudos e agradecimento pelos guidelines que aproveitei deles) http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2011/01/24/social-media-to-the-rescue-getting-your-brand-back-on-t... http://www.slideshare.net/elishatan/social-media-crisis-management-three-case-studies [...]
Useful to be forearmed — Thanks!
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[...] Monday’s post, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund explained how to use social networks to respond to a full-blown communications crisis. They offered some great advice for handling a PR nightmare on a social channel. But how can you [...]
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[...] Social Media to the Rescue: Getting Your Brand back on Track when a Crisis Breaks (SmartBlogs.com) [...]
Good 101-level list. However, advanced crisis communications strategies may require alternate solutions than what is listed above for # 2-6.
[...] Social media to the rescue: Getting your brand back on track when a crisis breaks by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund – One day, your client or company will likely, and unfortunately, experience a crisis. (Taco Bell, anyone?) This post, an excerpt from the authors’ new book, includes smart tips. You’ll want to bookmark this one. [...]
[...] or news releases. Celebrities on the other hand are still falling behind when it comes to utilizing social media for their benefits. Most don’t address large-scale rumors circulating the media. Why? Why let a tabloid shape [...]
Amber and Jay…great post. I appreciated the methodical, common sense approach to crisis communication via social, or any other, media. I think embarrassment causes companies to bury their heads in the sand, hoping the situation will go away before it even becomes a crisis, then it can be too late.
My recent post HOW TO USE TWITTER TO CREATE BETTER PRESENTATIONS
[...] For even more tips and strategies, check out this recent Smart Blog entry, Social Media to the Rescue. [...]
[...] Posted by eileenb on February 1, 2011 I’ve found another crisis management post which approaches the issues in a slightly different way to the way I’ve approached crisis management for my clients. My post approaches the issue from a corporate perspective, whereas Jay and Amber approach it from a more personal point of view [...]
[...] recently looked at a post called Social media to the rescue: Getting your brand back on track when a crisis breaks and was shocked at how simple the answers could be to solving a PR [...]
[...] read this interesting blog post by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund that provides eight steps to take when dealing with a social media crisis.The internet can be tricky so when a crisis arises, [...]
Excellent crisis management information.
Lukeither Willingham, President
Lukeither Multimedia & Design http://www.lukeithermd.com
[...] momentTweetIn Monday’s post, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund explained how to use social networks to respond to a full-blown communications crisis. They offered some great advice for handling a PR nightmare on a social channel. But how can you [...]