You never know when a crisis will strike, so start planning. This is especially true in the case of social media, where things are uncertain. At one moment, your brand could be a popular Internet meme; the next, you could be one of the most successful entrepreneurs.
However, when a social media crisis strikes, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of your brand team's identity. So, you just need to learn to deal with it.
What is a Social Media Crisis?
A social media crisis strikes when your brand or business reputation is negatively affected on social media platforms. The situation goes beyond a negative comment or customer complaint about your brands or services, and you may get a barrage of negative responses that can even lead to the boycotting of your brands. So, a social media crisis occurs when people using your brands or products are dissatisfied with them and can no longer trust them.
A social media crisis can significantly affect your brand if not handled right.
5 Ways Businesses and Brands Can Manage a Social Media Crisis
As business owners, you may or may not have been through a social media crisis. However, for those who haven't, here are a few ways to deal with it.
- Respond Promptly
Most businesses think that the social media crisis is not worth their time and ignore them. Believe it or not, it is the worst thing you can do. Sometimes, people leave negative feedback or comments on brands and products, and it is up to the businesses that have brought them out to deal with it. Nearly 75% of consumers who leave negative comments or feedback about a brand or product expect companies to respond to their queries in less than a day. So, as a business owner, you have a crisis to deal with and limited time. That means you must respond promptly to the post rather than take it down. However, you don't need to be rude or reply negatively. A sincere apology will also do.
2. Review Your Social Media Policies
The best part about dealing with a social media crisis is that there are ways to stop it from happening. Preventing uproars about your brands starts with reviewing your company's social media policies. You should also train your employees on social media etiquette. Create guidelines for using your social media handles appropriately, outline expectations, and explain to employees how they should talk about your brands on their personal social media accounts.
While policies may differ depending on the company and industry, creating them based on copyright, privacy, confidentiality, and brand voice would still be better than reviewing them regularly.
3. Appoint a Social Media Manager
A social media manager can not only help keep tabs on your social media profiles and be effective in handling crises. So, when appointing a social media manager, look for someone with the time to manage all your social media platforms effectively. The person should typically spend around ten minutes per platform checking the comments, reviews, likes, and other parameters and ensuring they conform to the company's policies and guidelines. Social media managers should also ensure there are no negative comments, conversations, or reviews about your products or services that can hurt your business.
4. Create a Crisis FAQ Page
Managing a social media crisis means quickly responding to negative comments and customer queries about your brands. You can do this in many ways, but creating a crisis FAQ page is one of the most effective solutions. That way, instead of contacting you directly with their queries and concerns via social media, customers can go through the FAQ pages and get their answers more quickly.
5. Keep your Accounts Secured
Beefing up security measures for social media accounts is another excellent way to avert and deal with a crisis. So, use strong passwords and other security features, such as two-factor authentication, to keep your accounts safe. The last thing you need is for someone to gain access to your social media handles and post something negative about your brands.
Also, only let a few people know about your passwords, which can lead to security breaches. If many others use your company's social media accounts, keep your passwords private and let only a few critical members you trust know.
Learn from Experience
A social media crisis can be too stressful to handle. However, it also offers valuable lessons for your company. So, once you have been through that storm, be sure to take your time to review all that happened and take necessary actions and preventive measures. Don't go over it alone, though. Seek help from your team members and share with them the insights and experiences you have gained. Your team may have experts who can help you out with the situation.
For instance, you can get essential insights from the customer service department or new guidelines that you can include in your social media plan that may be able to prevent such breaches from Public Relations. So, when a social media crisis strikes, don't just review it alone. Take your teams' help to resolve the situation and prevent it from occurring in the future.
Category:Business
