Knowing the right steps to take is key to social media crisis management success
Social media crisis management was uncharted territory a few short years ago, but the sheer number of crises popping up in the social sphere meant best practices were ironed out pretty quickly by those in the trenches.
Given that just about every organization can count on running into some type of social media snafu, this infographic from social media coach Janet Fouts would be at home on any office wall:
We do feel it’s important to clarify one thing – “Don’t fight back” doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take a proactive approach. What it means is that you should never engage in back-and-forth argument via social media, just like you shouldn’t in person. Share your point, allow others to share theirs, and acknowledge that they’ve been heard. It’s perfectly normal to feel that you need to battle to defend your good name, but if you take off the gloves and start in on a verbal slugfest you’re more likely to wind up like the infamous Amy’s Bakery than convince others to share your views.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. and editor of Crisis Manager]
Jonathan L. Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations.
Erik Bernstein is vice president of Bernstein Crisis Management. Erik started with BCM in 2009 as a writer and subsequently became social media manager for the consultancy itself as well as for a number of BCM clients before moving to the VP position.
