When is it Time to Hit the Social Media Crisis Panic Button?

Any company doing business now has probably already encountered a hitch or hiccup in social media. It is naive for businesses to think that everything said in social media about their company or their brand is always going to be positive. You have to live be the old adage “you can’t please all the people all the time”. Everyone, including other consumers, accepts and understand this. Because of it, they cut businesses some slack and can recognize someone who just loves to complain vs. a customer who truly has a reason to be disgruntled. Of course, there are other threats to your business’ online reputation in addition to the negative comment or review here and there. When is it time to hit the social media crisis panic button? This article will explore the different levels of social media threats and highlight ways to handle each type of situation. We will also cover some ways to build up your online reputation as a defense to pending problems.

Level 1: Negative Comments of Negative Reviews

Negative comments on your social channels and negative online reviews are unfortunately just part of doing business. Although they might be annoying and they are likely to get your back up and upset you, there is no need for alarm. However, these types of complaints from customers must be handled swiftly and efficiently. You should have a system in place and guidelines set forth to help you answer these customers and make them happy. The only time these should cause alarm is if they suddenly increase dramatically or you see a growing trend of the same problem occurring repeatedly. Other than keeping an eye out for that activity, keep on with “business as usual”.

Level 2: Internal Problems or Posts from Employees

Let’s face it, mistakes happen. However, social media mistakes by your staff can often lead to a trending social media nightmare. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a crisis, if it is handled correctly. A problem like this could be a post from a disgruntled employee, or a mistake post from someone handling your social media accounts. I’m sure you have read of countless tweets or social posts that have become famous for all the wrong reasons. There are ways to prevent these problems from happening with strict guidelines and precautionary measures; but as with everything else with social media and your online reputation management, you must be proactive instead of reactive. Pad your reputation with lots of positive content that will withstand some negative attention and help the good things about your brand stand out. Understand, and even expect, that things will go wrong at some point and be prepared for that, too. The way to be prepared for a problem like this is to have a detailed plan in place. Having a plan to follow will help cut through the stress and onslaught of replies and comments. Keep in mind that something that seems like a minor problem can turn into a really big problem for your company. Never assume that ignoring a problem will make it go away. Take for example, Kryptonite Bike Locks. Back in 2004, someone figured out how to pick the lock with a Bic Pen and posted a video on YouTube. The problem slowly bloomed and grew and still remains a problem for the company today, mostly because they did not react fast enough then, and build their reputation in response to lock security, upgraded products, and customer service.

Level 3: The Social Media Crisis

In some cases, a level two problem outlined above can turn into a social media crisis if you do not respond quickly and things get out of control. Other times when it is appropriate to hit the social media crisis panic button is serious event that occurs. It can be a legal problem, a product recall, employees releasing sensitive information, or a post that triggers a political or racial debate. When one of these things happens, it is definitely time to hit that social media crisis button and bring the team together to react, contain, and manage the damage. Again, a proactive reputation management plan will help pad positive information about your company into search results. It is also vital to have a plan of action outlined ahead of time. Knowing what you are going to do and which team members are going to do it is of the utmost importance.

Summary

Regardless of the level threat to your social media and online reputation, it is crucial to take everything seriously. The first thing to remember before you even encounter a problem is to build up your company’s and brand’s online reputation with lots of great content that is informative and will come up in search results for anyone looking for information about your company or brand. The other important part of your social media threat planning is to have a plan outlined for the different level threats and have the complete details outlined so that you don’t have to start planning on the fly in the height of a stressful time.

Elizabeth Victor is Brand Advisor for Isentia.