Five Essential Resources For Handling A Social Media Crisis

Crisis management is something that no one likes to do. There’s no enjoyment in them. Most of us simply don’t want to consider them.
Preparing for a disaster before it happens is as important as paying your taxes on time. However, unlike taxes, crises do not occur at a regular interval. If they feel like attacking, they will. Therefore, you should constantly be on the lookout.

Luckily, there are tools that’ll assist. To be prepared for when you really need them, it’s important to start learning how to utilise them now and incorporating them into your procedures.

How to survive a social media crisis with these 5 skills

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Your smartphone, to keep in touch wherever you are.

In the event of an emergency, you should always be available on social media. Maintaining contact is essential. Always and forever.
Your smartphone will be your go-to for joining ongoing discussions, keeping tabs on new information, and updating your colleagues. Keep it fully charged, turned on, and linked to a reliable WiFi network at all times.

Keep an eye on everything that’s being said.

A marketing or public relations issue is best handled before it becomes widely known. Naturally, the odds are against that, especially in the realm of social media.
More than only social media alerts are required for managing social networks, discussion boards, and news websites.
You’ll need a system that tracks where your target keywords and hashtags are being used online, as well as any social media mentions. A comprehensive monitoring tool, such as Mention, is required.
Mention monitors the web for mentions of your business and sends you instant notifications so you never miss a beat. You may sort mentions by how influential they are and give more attention to those with more followers.

Buffer, to control publication

The extent of the harm to your brand may depend on how well you communicate during and after a crisis. A social media scheduling app like Buffer is helpful in these situations.

Slack is a team communication tool.

A situation that unfolds rapidly online calls for a communication method that can keep up. You don’t need any extra stress from trying to track out an email thread in a sea of newsletters and irrelevant correspondence.
Slack, a group chat programme that updates in real time, was designed for this very purpose. One-on-one conversations may easily transition into group chats, and you can make a channel devoted only to crisis management, complete with the ability to quickly and easily attach things like photos and tweets. You will never again miss any remarks or direct messages with push notifications.

Pre-written replies for mass emailing

As soon as the issue is recognised, communication with consumers, employees, the media, and other important parties must begin.
The majority of individuals will annoy you by asking the same questions. In any case, if you plan on responding in large numbers of excellent news.
To avoid repeatedly typing the same information, use a template tool like Gmail’s Canned Responses. Large swaths of text can be saved as a template and then used in subsequent emails. In addition, you can make more than a couple of answers for various constituencies.

Handling a social media crisis: a step-by-step guide

In the event of an emergency, your team will need to have a plan in place and be ready to respond quickly. Here’s how:

First, we need a working definition of “crisis.”

A disaster is very different from a terrible incident. The crisis team shouldn’t be “called in” every time an angry tweet is sent. Specify the situations when this plan will be implemented and those where usual procedures will be followed.

Find early warning signs of catastrophes.

Knowing when a crisis begins is crucial for containing it.
Plan out the steps your group will take to locate them. These must consist of:

How will you keep track of brand crises?
Whose job is it to oversee the instrument?
How you routinely keep tabs on potential crises
Make sure you know these things ahead of time in case the worst should happen.

Establish distinct responsibilities

Avoid panic by making sure everyone understands their role in an emergency. Before anything horrible happens, make sure everyone knows their part.
One person could handle everything, while another could handle each individual job, or something in between. Make sure everyone knows their specific function, whether it’s the decision-maker, the mediator, or the public relations ambassador.

Focus on what’s most important

Damage management is a process that cannot be rushed, therefore a crisis cannot be eliminated in a single day.
If your social media problem is extensive, you won’t be able to respond individually to each dissatisfied consumer.

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It’s possible that you’ll need more than one person to handle inquiries and complaints across all channels. It’s important to maintain coherence in your messaging. Everyone should read the rules before responding in the moment.
You will tailor your messaging to each social media platform’s audience, from critical stakeholders to the general public, and back again. Establish separate rules for various forms of contact.
This is crucial if you intend to enlist the assistance of workers who are not part of the crisis communications team.

Consider and analyse

When the dust settles from the crisis, it’s time to assess how it affected your brand.

These post-crisis debriefings can hasten the road to recovery, stave off subsequent complications, and enhance crisis management in the future.