rewriting the crisis handbook for social

Rewriting the crisis handbook for social#smwbrandfail

Sept. 25, 2013

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"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.“

–Mayor Rahm Emanuel

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You call this an opportunity?

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Absolutely.

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Why most crises don’t typically feel like an “opportunity”

� Protocols don’t exist or policies haven’t been updated

� Situation often misdiagnosed as a ‘social media’ crisis

� Resources and training haven’t been allocated

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When asked, “how often social media policies are updated?”

52.9% responded “less than annually”

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INCIDENTINCIDENTINCIDENTINCIDENTDo not operate heavy marketing machinery without a preparedness plan

Altimeter’s ‘Guarding the social gates: The imperative for social media risk management,’ August 9 2012, by Alan Webber

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“Which part(s) of the organization have a role in managing social media risk?”

Majority (42.1%) said social media teams( 7.9% said PR, 2.6% said Digital)

Altimeter’s ‘Guarding the social gates: The imperative for social media risk management,’ August 9 2012, by Alan Webber

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Of those surveyed, majority (43%) “dedicated less than one FTE to social media risk management”

Altimeter’s ‘Guarding the social gates: The imperative for social media risk management,’ August 9 2012, by Alan Webber

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What we’ll cover today

� Challenge conventional crisis management rules

� Reinforce why social media matters in a crisis

� Identify questions every brand should ask in a crisis

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� Challenge conventional crisis management

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First rule in a crisis: Communicate, communicate, communicate

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First rule in a crisis: Any content is fair game, and can usurp a formal statement

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Take responsibility, empathize and do so early on

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If you take responsibility include an action, even if it takes a little longer to do so

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Centralize all information

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Optimize all information

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Identify key stakeholders

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If you don’t have allies now, you’re not going to get them

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Communicate with employees

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Over communicate social media policies to employees often, and especially at the start of a crisis

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Establish a crisis team

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Establish thresholds and tolerances

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Respect the role of “media”

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Respect those who deserve it, agree on how to handle those who don’t

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� Reinforce why social media matters in a crisis

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It’s just a tweet, right?

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“If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”

YouGov BrandIndex analysis of fast food brands, October 2012

Wrong

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These are more than engagements, they’re recommendations

Zocalo Group Recommendation Study, August 2013

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But, are there times when a brand shouldn’t engage?

Highly Recommended, Paul Rand, September 2013

Hear Me’s

Reputation Terrorists

Competitive Destroyer

Want to be acknowledged

Want to inspire change

Want to do harm

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� Identify questions every brand should ask in a crisis

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Is this a ‘social media’ crisis?

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Do we have an action to accompany our response?

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Are we aligned internally?

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Where would we like people to go?

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Where is the conversation occurring and when should or shouldn’t we engage it?

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Are we clear on what our voice was before this crisis began, and is it appropriate now?

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Once we engage, what is our protocol moving forward?

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How are we incorporating paid tools to reach the right people?

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How are we tracking search ranking?

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Who else can help us out there?

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How are we benchmarking the chatter, measuring it, and defining success?

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What is our plan once this is over?

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12 questions every brand should ask during (and ideally before) a social media crisis

1. Is this in fact a ‘social media’ crisis?

2. Do we have an action to accompany our response?

3. Are we aligned internally?

4. Where would we like people to go?

5. Where is the conversation occurring, and when should or shouldn’t we engage it?

6. Are we clear on what our voice was before this crisis began, and is it appropriate now?

7. Once we engage, what is our protocol?

8. How are we incorporating paid social tools?

9. How are we tracking search ranking?

10. Who else can help us out there?

11. How are we benchmarking the chatter, measuring it, and defining success?

12. What is our plan once this is over?

Thank youMichael SternSVP/Group Acct Director@michaelsternmstern@zocalogroup.com