Crisis Communications: Social Media Management
On a regular day, connecting with your audience on social media requires tact, care, and forethought. In the epicentre of a major crisis, the pressure is high. What should your brand say when the facts and the future are uncertain? And how should you say it when new developments are coming in by the hour, or minute?
Social media crisis communication for brands comes down to one reassuringly simple question: how can you help?
More than ever, real-world catastrophes play out on social media in real time. As social media professionals, our job is to help our audiences and communities come through hardship together.
So, here’s our guide to social media crisis communication.
The role of social media in crisis communications
In a crisis, social media’s role is much larger and more complex than simply checking Facebook’s Crisis Response tool. 55% of Americans get their news from social media. Meanwhile, first-person accounts and opinions from regular people break news, shape narratives, and influence opinion (as well as potentially affecting the news journalists even choose to report).
For teams working at the centre of a crisis (say, government social media teams or health care professionals) social platforms are one of the top ways to get authoritative information to the population, fast.
And for those of us operating further from the crisis, social media is how people connect and make sense of tragedy. Brands can’t ignore these conversations, but participation must be approached with care.
So, when the world’s in a tailspin, what role does social media play in a crisis communications plan?
Rapid, direct communication of updates to your audience;
Support for people who need help or information;
Social listening to learn more broadly about what’s happening in the world and your industry, as well as what people need from your brand.
In short, social media isn’t just where you say you’re helping, but it’s also where you find out how you can help, and, in many cases, roll up your sleeves and get to work.
Whatever crisis we face—as both professionals and regular people—we all hope that after it passes, we’ll come out changed for the better. On social media, that means strengthening trust and connections with our audience for the long term.
What does that look like? Here are our tips.
10 tips for communicating on social media during a crisis or emergency
1. Review—and possibly pause—your upcoming social calendar
Context shifts rapidly in a crisis, and brands (especially ones who already worry about brand safety) are right to wonder if, for instance, “finger-lickin good” is an appropriate thing to be saying in the middle of a pandemic. At best, you might seem tone-deaf, at worst, inappropriate messaging could endanger lives.
If you’re using a social media scheduler, you’ll want to unschedule upcoming posts. Have faith that all the hard work that went into your perfect National Donut Day post isn’t wasted, it’s just postponed.
2. Have a social media policy in place
We can’t predict crises, but we can be prepared for them. Especially for bigger teams, your organisation’s official social media policy is your best asset in responding as rapidly and effectively as possible. A good policy will provide a solid, but flexible, response process, as well as compile all the crucial internal information you need to move forward.
It’s also a helpful document to have in the case that some of your team members are affected by the crisis and compelled to share duties with non-team members.
Make sure your social media policy includes the following:
An up-to-date emergency contact list: not just your social media team, but legal advisors and executive decision-makers, too.
Guidance on accessing social account credentials (i.e., where that information is, and how to go about getting it, if need be.)
Guidelines for identifying the scope of the crisis (i.e., is it global or local, does it affect your operations, does it affect your customers, and to what extent?).
An internal communication plan for employees (see #4).
An approval process for your response strategy.
3. Know who’s on your “tiger” team
What’s a tiger team? A pack of ferocious specialists that assemble to work on a specific problem or goal. In this case, in the middle of an emergency or crisis, your existing social team might reconfigure, or call in additional firepower to handle the increased pressure.
Identify the people who are best suited for these roles, and delineate their responsibilities so that everyone can own their mission, and act. Tasks to assign include:
Posting updates
Answering questions and handling customer support
Monitoring the wider conversation, and flagging important developments
Fact-checking information, and/or correcting rumours
It’s also helpful to have people clearly responsible for:
Strategising for the medium-term (not just day-to-day)
Coordinating/communicating with other teams, external stakeholders, and/or the rest of the organisation