Techniques for social media crisis management
Social media, a dynamic platform for personal and professional engagement, can build or break a brand's reputation within the blink of an eye. With the prevalence of social media, crisis management has never been more critical. Effective managing of a social media crisis is paramount for social media marketing managers helming the controls for big brands. One strategy that often gets overlooked is Employee Advocacy - harnessing the collective power of your workforce to act as brand ambassadors.
A social media crisis can erupt anytime, anywhere - a negative review, a misinterpreted tweet, or a failed ad campaign are just a few examples. You need preparation and concise protocols to contain and address such crises before they blow out of proportion. Here's how to use Employee Advocacy as a part of your crisis management strategy.
1. Nurture a Proactive Work Culture: Transparency and open communication build the foundation of crisis management. Encourage your employees to actively participate in brand communication and social media activities. Creating a safe space for employees to discuss their observations and concerns can help you spot pitfalls and diffuse situations that could harm your brand’s reputation.
2. Training and Empowering Employees: Incorporate an extensive employee training program designed to include social media usage, brand voice, message crafting, response handling, and crisis management. This will ensure a multitude of brand advocates who accurately represent and defend the brand during a crisis.
3. Develop a Crisis Management Response Team: This cross-functional team should include members from PR, marketing, customer service, and HR. Regularly updated and trained, they can act as the first line of defense when a crisis hit and guide the larger team in managing the crisis while maintaining the brand's reputation.
4. Evaluation and Gradual Responsibility: Start by allowing your employees to engage with positive feedback. As their confidence grows, they can tackle non-intensive negative comments. Eventually, with experience and trust, they'll be prepared to face a full-blown crisis when it arises.
5. Craft an Employee Advocacy Program: A well-structured Employee Advocacy program can guide your employees to be the brand's responsible and conscientious advocates. An aptly prepared crisis management section will help them know when and how to intervene in a crisis.
6. Regular Monitoring and CTAs: Implement regular monitoring of social interactions. Combine this with clear Call-to-Actions on dealing with different types of crises. Simulating potential crisis situations and establishing well-delineated guidelines will gracefully steer your brand during turbulent situations.
7. Measure and Learn: Post-crisis review is integral to refining the crisis management techniques. Assess what went well and what didn't. Learn and adapt - it is the key to handling future social media crises more efficiently.
In the digital age, a crisis is both a risk and an opportunity. It exposes the cracks in your social armor, allowing you to mend them and emerge stronger. Notably, Employee Advocacy presents a larger, potent force to manage and possibly avert the crisis. By empowering your employees, you get staunch advocates and develop a team adept at managing critical situations. Harness the collective vigilance and create a brand that stands tall and steady amid the ever-turbulent sea of social media.