​Managing a Crisis on Social Media - Are You Doing it Wrong?

We all know you can achieve great results for your business when social media is done right. But what about when it doesn’t quite go to plan?

To avoid a quick escalation of inaccurate information you need to act fast. Our hard and fast rules:

1. Timing is EVERYTHING. Silence is NOT an option. Prove to your customers that you are present and dedicated to addressing the issue and you will earn their trust. If possible make people aware early that something went wrong or make them aware of possible delays alongside instructions and help. By doing so you will show transparency and gain more respect for your brand.

2. Take control of the conversation. In times of crisis social media will often be the first place customers head to find information and to offer their own opinions and insights. Don’t let that conversation get out of control. Decide on the messages you want to communicate and stay consistent across all social media platforms your brand has a presence on.

3. Stick to one source. It is important that brands limit the number of places that people feel they need to look for information. Choose one platform on which all the information about the crisis and solutions will be featured. This will help you stay in control of the information flow. Then you can use other platforms to direct the flow of user traffic towards your primary source.

4. Call to action. Customers hate being left with no instructions or guidance on what to do next. It’s okay if you don’t have definite answers or explanations just yet but be sure to provide your customers with detailed calls to actions in the updates. E.g. direct people to a source or give advice or tips to minimise impact: update + what is currently being done to fix it + call to action.

5. Don’t be aggressive. During the time of crisis, you will not be able to avoid false and illegitimate updates from other users. While it is very tempting to react with an angry comment towards those updates it is advisable that you don’t - especially as the spotlight will be on you. Doing so could put your brand at further risk of losing reputation and lead users to think that you have something to hide.Airship is an agency that specialises in the effective use of data and technology in marketing.

Our expertise in email and SMS broadcast enables us to improve the deliverability of broadcasts for our clients. We produce engaging email and SMS broadcasts and our design team work with clients to produce engaging visuals that drive customer actions.