How to Use Social for a Crisis Before a Crisis

For all the good that social media provides, it also, during times of crisis, can be the venue for horror stories about brands. We mentioned in our Dec. 5 edition the plight of Delta Air Lines, whose Thanksgiving turkey was ruined when an unruly passenger’s tirade—and the cabin crew’s failure to boot him from the aircraft—was captured on video. The result was a serious denting of the brand’s reputation, at least on social. While a Nasdaq PR Services-PRNews Pro survey indicates only about 50% of brands have a well-developed crisis plan, and even fewer practice crisis scenarios, (PRNP, March 28 and the PR News Pro Essentials page: prnewsonline.com/prnews-pro-essentials/), communicators say there are steps brands can take on social to prepare for a crisis.

Engage When Others Are Quiet

One of the worst times to start reaching out and building relationships on social media is in the midst of your brand’s crisis, says Eric Wohlschlegel, senior director, media & issue management, American Petroleum Institute (API). Adds George Atallah, assistant executive director of external affairs, the National Football League Players Association, “having relationships [in place before a crisis] is critical.”

One of the keys here is timing. The best time to prepare your communications team and brand on social for a crisis is during lulls in social activity, Wohlschlegel says. At his shop this takes the form of his team reaching out and building relationships while listening to the social discourse, supplying information and commenting. “The key is to engage in the valleys,” he says. The API team plots out pivotal events for the year (its own activities as well as key events of other players in its sector) and makes plans to be active on social during the alternate periods. The expectation is that the social conversation will be vibrant during times when key events are occurring and quieter at other times, he says.

Adds Rachel Racoosin, senior digital strategist, LEVICK, “Determine [before a crisis strikes] who your [online] allies and adversaries are.”

To help here, she recommends finding a listening tool that works best for your brand, noting tools such as Crimson Hexagon, Spredfast, Synthesio, Sysomos, Radian6, talkwalker and Brandwatch.

And make sure the tool you choose includes an alert system that will notify you when keywords you’ve loaded into the tool are found online.

Short, Sharp, Shareable

Of course it’s easy to urge brands to engage in the conversation on social and build allies before a crisis hits, but what are the best ways to do that?

For Wohlschlegel the keys include shaping content to best serve your audience and tailoring it to the specific social platform. To do so, make certain you know the audience you’re aiming to reach, he adds. Provide content that tells your audience who your organization is, how it works and why it matters. API has found “short, sharp and shareable” content works best for its audiences, Wohlschlegel says.

Another tip: “Don’t forget about SEO” and running advertising around relevant search terms, he says.

Take A Walk on the Dark Site

Racoosin recommends brands prepare “in peacetime” one or a series of so-called dark sites. These are clearinghouses containing messages, facts and FAQs related to potential crisis topics. Such dedicated sites, which are not connected to a brand’s main site, are intended to be “a public place where [the brand] can own the narrative,” she says.

Adds Atallah of the NFLPA, getting facts in front of the public during a crisis is one of the best ways brands can try to control crises as well as gain a reputation for being a thought leader.

Apologize in Advance

Racoosin also urges brands to have pre-written apologies, whose thrust has been approved in advance. Should a crisis hit, communicators can tailor the apologies, get them approved promptly and post them socially.

To facilitate and coordinate the creation and posting of social messages in a crisis, she recommends brands have a designated “messaging chain of command.” This is a small team consisting of a leader (who’s also the point person), a digital specialist, a lawyer and a C-suite member who can prepare and approve social messages during a crisis.

She also recommends standard best practices for crisis planning, which dovetail with those provided by Ned Barnett in our Nov. 7 edition. Plan in advance for the range of crises that may occur, including those related to weather, operations, regulations, personal scandals etc. Map your strategy and tailor it to each. Create a crisis scoring matrix, which will facilitate triage should crises break simultaneously.

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