![\"Facts](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/social-media-crisis-management-facts.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n(Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Successful marketers know you don\u2019t need to face an actual crisis to develop a crisis management plan. Every company should have a clear, precise, and fully documented plan on what to do in the event of a social media crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What constitutes a crisis? Who are the stakeholders involved? Which communication channels should you use to tone it down? What are the exact actions you need to take?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step is to consider what situation constitutes a crisis and clearly mention it in your action plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether the trigger is negative comments coming in or a serious incident going viral, make sure you clearly define each scenario and evaluate the impact they might have on your overall brand reputation. This will help everyone know when to implement the right strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some scenarios include: misjudged campaigns, controversial executive or employee statements, data breaches, disruptions in your supply chain, judicial adventures, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the case, you need a clear response plan that allows every stakeholder to act fast and effectively. As you work through each crisis scenario, you are one step closer to developing a roadmap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This roadmap should contain a broad checklist of measures, key stakeholders, as well as templates and scripts to use quickly for any type of response message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, once you acknowledge an issue, it\u2019s time for the response team to take control by gathering information and taking measures to prevent escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Handling a social media crisis is a stressful occasion. The last thing you need is team members wondering who\u2019s in charge of dealing with it. Establishing a robust management team with clear responsibilities is essential to tackling the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure to determine who takes care of what, from social media responses to internal communications and public relations. By doing so, you eliminate much of the frustration and uncertainty associated with crisis management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can imagine, you\u2019ll definitely need a crisis team leader to coordinate the responses, oversee the decision-making process, and get the strategy approved by senior leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, specific tasks like social media monitoring and response project management should be assigned to social media managers<\/a> and team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technical experts like IT or security professionals will help you resolve specific issues and manage the technology required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but not least, if you face legal trouble, make sure you have a legal advisor (in case you don\u2019t have a dedicated team within your organization) to provide legal guidance and approve your communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the nature of your business and the complexity of the crisis, you may consider adding other departments and roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever you do, remember to include each member\u2019s contact information, responsibilities, as well as backup employees in case of absence or unavailability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the crisis strikes, it goes without saying that the first line of communication will be your social media channels. But what happens if the situation backfires on your overall online presence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deciding on other communication channels and corresponding actions is key to reaching all your target audience and addressing their concerns. After all, not every customer of yours is active on social media or visits your social media pages regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If things escalate, or you want to engage with social media users who demand more of your attention, the best course of action would be to move the conversation to a more private channel – in our case, the email inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In that case, using a reliable newsletter app<\/a> is what you need, to inform your audience about the incident and the measures you are taking to resolve it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A personalized email tells your customers you are listening and actively addressing their concerns in the most effective way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, you could opt for a private message or even a phone call, depending on the type of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, taking down social media posts or responding to negative comments won\u2019t cut it if things get out of control. You should take a series of corrective actions, including applying website changes or updating online ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, always invest in internal communications so that every stakeholder is aware of the issue, as well as the brand\u2019s responses to it. But more on that last part later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many brands, when faced with a social media crisis, act as if it never happened. As with everything in life, though, ignoring the problem won\u2019t make it disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last thing you should do is sit back and wait for it to escalate and turn into a disaster for your public relations<\/a> and brand reputation. You need to take immediate action to show that you are aware of the issue and working hard to mitigate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Companies that fail to respond quickly come across as insensitive – or, even worse, as if they\u2019re trying to hide something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When responding to a crisis, sooner is always better. Consider having on-brand responses handy, just to acknowledge that there\u2019s an ongoing issue. Invest in creating pre-made templates which you can later tweak to fit the most common scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you don\u2019t have enough data at your disposal, it will give you time to evaluate the situation and work on a proper response at a second stage. A prompt and common response is to immediately take down any controversial or offensive content related to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many cases, a suitable apology is required to calm your audience\u2019s frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the case of Burger King, a Tweet was more than enough to cause a social media crisis. The provocative strategy that the brand used to tease its culinary scholarship effort to support women employees backfired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Burger King seemed to have good intentions, they had to take down their unintentionally offensive Tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their quick response, sincere apology, and clarification of the original idea were the elements that made Burger King a good example of how to deal with an unfortunate situation on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the heart of a crisis, you need to have access to granular information to prevent the damage from spreading and create an effective action plan. That\u2019s why you should invest in a robust social listening<\/a> tool like Mention, as it allows you to handle a crisis by catching it early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With such a tool, you can detect potential issues or a spike in social media activity regarding your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, you should be on the lookout for monitoring sentiment across your social media. In other words, tracking sentiment shows you how users feel about your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set up alerts to spot changes in your audience\u2019s online sentiment and keep track of all keywords and hashtags associated with your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\u2019re actively dealing with the crisis, not keeping an eye on users\u2019 sentiment could result in losing insight into the impact it caused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2018, H&M\u2019s image on its online store showed an African-American child model wearing a sweatshirt with the phrase \u201cCoolest monkey in the jungle\u201d. If the company hadn\u2019t monitored social sentiment, they wouldn\u2019t have picked up on the wide criticism happening online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consumers perceived the image as offensive and even went as far as calling for a boycott. H&M took drastic measures by issuing a statement expressing their regret. Not only that, but they removed both the ad and the hoodie from its product line worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might have scheduled a great product launch announcement for your social media channels. We reassure you that the worst time to post it is during a social media crisis. We know it\u2019s not ideal for your marketing plan, but it\u2019s certainly the right thing to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sticking to a \u201cbusiness-as-usual\u201d strategy on social media can turn a crisis into an absolute disaster. Now is the time to acknowledge the unpleasant situation and think twice before posting anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you do, it will make your audience think that you are burying your head in the sand. Pausing all your scheduled posts during a crisis is the least you can do to show empathy and that you care about your users\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being consistent and appropriate in your communication in difficult situations is a bulletproof social media method<\/a> to earn back your followers\u2019 trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from that, you should consider pausing any scheduled email campaigns. Also, we recommend reviewing your copy on your website\u2019s homepage and blog to ensure there isn\u2019t anything disrespectful in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but not least, after the crisis is over, revisit future posts. If something feels off in terms of tone and messaging, don\u2019t hesitate to delete it from your social media content calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, we\u2019ll present an example of poor crisis management on social media. Boeing had slow reflexes after the tragedy involving two Boeing 737 Max that cost the lives of 346 passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They were late both in issuing an apology and grounding its 737 MAX fleet. Boeing seems to have done everything wrong during the crisis: responding with delay, downplaying the incidents, and shifting blame to the pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The worst part was Boeing’s inappropriate post<\/a> on its Facebook page on the same day they issued a press release on the first crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve established that outbound messages are a crucial factor when dealing with a social media crisis. But failing to do the same with internal communications<\/a> is a rookie mistake. Keeping your own workforce in the loop is critical when handling a social media crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your employees and partners have every right to know what\u2019s happening and how your brand is addressing the emerging issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, you have enough on your plate with ongoing rumors and gossip from the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you have to do everything within your power to keep your workforce from spreading misinformation with each other, their connections, or your customers. Be straightforward regarding your action plan and try to soothe any uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, make sure everyone understands what they should or shouldn\u2019t say, as well as how to do so. That way, all employees will work on keeping things on track while contributing to a unified messaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But especially when it comes to your customer service representatives, you should provide them with the necessary resources to handle the situation properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget that they are probably the most important touchpoints with your customers. So, they need to have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great thing about social media is that you get to be personal and true with your audience. Once you acknowledge the social media crisis, it\u2019s time to give them a detailed and authentic response that shows you take responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media users tend to lose trust when brands assign the blame elsewhere in times of crisis. Share how you feel, stay calm while engaging in challenging discussions, and never take things personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever you do, your apology should say \u201cWe are truly sorry\u201d. An apology accompanied by a \u201cbut\u201d is always a way to shake off responsibility. Just say you were wrong and describe what actions you\u2019ll take to do better in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that you may receive a lot of negative reviews<\/a> or angry comments on your social media accounts. Some users do it just for the sake of argument, so try not to get emotional and stick to the facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you deem it appropriate, you can add a sense of humor – as long as it\u2019s not directed at your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the United Airlines serious incident<\/a> of 2017, four passengers were deplaned from a flight through the use of force. Other passengers recorded the incident and the video went viral on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n United Airlines failed to take the public\u2019s sentiments seriously, which is why this crisis is still an example of mishandled customer service. The airline\u2019s response was delayed and inappropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, the company didn\u2019t issue a sincere apology and went as far as shifting the blame to the passenger for his behavior. This only made things worse, resulting in damaging the brand\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s a silver lining to every social media crisis, whatever its magnitude, it\u2019s that it makes you better. Any lesson learned serves as an opportunity to build better customer relationships, improve your communications, and gain valuable insights on how to prevent a future crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the time to reflect on the strong and weak points of your crisis management and share the takeaways with different stakeholders within your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What most companies seem to forget is that the impact of such a crisis might show up later. For instance, you could notice a drop in sales or loss of loyal customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDevelop a social media crisis management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Establish a social media crisis management team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"crisis](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/crisis-quick-resolution.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDecide on your communication strategy and key actions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Go for a quick yet proper response<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"burger](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/burger-king-crisis.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"burger](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/burger-king-crisis-apology.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDive into social listening to capture potential issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"hm](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/hm-crisis.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPut a pause on upcoming campaigns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Boeing](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/boeing-inappropriate-post.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t neglect internal communications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Always choose the high road<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/customer-loyalty-based-on-brands-crisis-response.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nReview your social media guidelines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n