Pontus Staunstrup

13 things you can do to avoid a

Social media crisis

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1. Create a plan

Defining what you want to accomplish helps you avoid doing things that serves no purpose or gets you in trouble

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Like this:

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If you know who you’re talking to and what to talk about, it’s a lot easier to avoid mistakes

2. Define a target audience

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Like posting stuff that’s so bland it doesn’t work on anyone:

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You might want to talk about your cool stuff, but get this straight: To your customers any channel can be used for complaints. Be prepared

3. Understand your role

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British Airways didn’t

Is 9 am to 5 pm in one time zone realistic opening hours for a global airline?

First sponsored tweet by a person ever

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4. Respond to what they say

It’s called social for a reason. Not responding to questions and comments shows that you don’t really care.

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And don’t take too long

53% expect a response on Twitter in less than one hour

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5. Be realistic about who you are

When trying to engage on social media, make a realistic judgment about how your brand is viewed. And loose the rose tinted glasses

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Unless this is what you’re looking for

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6. Take it seriously

Don’t push your social media efforts down the ladder, to an intern or someone junior who has too much already. That’s a recipe for disaster

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Otherwise, you can get this

This came from an intern. For the record, I’m not saying mistakes are only made by interns. Far from it. But they should have a fair chance to learn, not get saddled with all the responsibility

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7. Training your staff is key

In everything from how to use tools to engagement. And teach them the fundamentals

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Like not posting from the wrong account

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8. Think about your responses

Tough questions and criticism doesn’t equal a crisis. But a wrong answer might create one. Take a moment to consider your response

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Don’t do this

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9. Empathy goes a long way

Of course you shouldn’t apologize unless you feel you’ve done something wrong. But make sure you don’t turn defensive or arrogant

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A smart person once said

“Saying that you’re sorry doesn’t always mean that you’re wrong and the other person is right. Just that you value the relationship more than your own ego”

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10. Have a crisis plan ready

A documented, up to date crisis management plan can limit the damage and at times defuse a crisis altogether

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11. Teach your organization about social media

Even if they don’t work with social media, they’re most likely active there. What they do can have a huge impact. Help them help themselves.

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Because they don’t want to be this person

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12. Trust your staff

If you have a talented group of people doing social media for you, don’t begin to second-guess or limit them when things heat up

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Let them do things their way

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13. Listen

Always follow what is being said about your brand or product online. That way you can solve a problem before it turns into a crisis

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A final word A crisis will often arise somewhere else and then play out in social media. Sooner or later you will have a situation that will demand a lot from you. Try to plan as much as possible ahead of time and be very clear about why you have a presence in social media. That, together with a cool head and some common sense, will guide you through a crisis.

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Questions? Comments?

@pstaunstrup

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