Social Media Has Changed Crisis Response
Crisis today looks very different from that of just a few years ago. The presence of social media is growing exponentially, and with it, the time an organization has to respond to a crisis is shrinking. The organization no longer holds the power to push a narrative, and bad sentiment spreads as fast as a tweet or a 30-second TikTok.
Every step of crisis response must be altered to truly account for the power of social media, so here are some things to consider:
1. A team member should always be assigned to consistently monitor social media. Often, a crisis can be caught before it catches fire by monitoring a rise in comments mentioning your brand or in discussions related to your industry. Additionally, when a crisis does occur, it spreads rapidly, regardless of whether the content is true or false. Catching the initial spark is essential to getting your narrative out above others.
2. Prepared crisis plans have long been suggested and implemented by PR professionals; however, with the growing presence of social media, it’s no longer enough to have a statement prepared for traditional media. Social media posts need to be drafted, and there needs to be a plan in place for who can post them and who needs to approve them during a time of crisis.
3. Internal and external messaging needs to be consistent and coordinated. The timeliness of social media posting makes your internal audiences more important than ever. The organization is no longer the one with power in the digital world we live in. If an employee or other stakeholder learns about a crisis from a news outlet or a post and then takes to social media, their sentiment can dominate the headlines. This results in your organization’s messaging being overshadowed and creates additional paths of resistance.
While social media might seem like an added burden in crisis management, it is just as much a tool for maintaining brand reputation. Organizations now have a way for their CEO and other leaders to speak directly to the audience, and there is no longer a need to rely on traditional media to get their narrative across. The trick is understanding the tool and the power it holds for both good and bad.
Haley Riggins is a Communications Assistant at Haj Media and a senior at the University of Miami, majoring in Public Relations.
