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Speed KillsTips for managing crisis in the era of social media

white paperdna13.com driving great brands


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You and social media: are you ready when crisis strikes?

In the emerging era of Web 3.0 communication, when crisis strikes an

organization the speed at which it can damage or kill a hard-earned brandreputation is dizzying.But an organization under siege can minimize or kill a threat in its tracks with the same lightning speed iftheyre ready for it.

The power of people using social media networks and acting as citizen journalists rests in their ability to spreadnews and opinions in mere seconds. For an unsuspecting organization not ready to respond at a momentsnotice, it means they can be enjoying uneventful success one minute and fighting for their life the next.

Often, in the center of the storm and leading the response is an organizations PR team identifying the source

and scope of the problem, mobilizing key internal decision-makers, developing a rapid response strategy,executing tactical recovery efforts, and analyzing the results. Theres no time to waste everything happens inreal time.

Its not an easy place to be, and theres little room for error. When disaster strikes, top insiders from the C-Suite to PR, Marketing, subject matter experts, Government and Investor Relations, and HR have to mobilizefast and respond in lock-step. Messages have to be clear and consistent to douse the flames of crisis, andrestore customer confidence and an organizations most precious asset its brand reputation.

Be prepared crisis can start anywhere, anytimeCrisis can begin from the least expected place. It might be a customer unhappy with a product or service, adisgruntled or bored employee, a competitor angling to get an edge or, a government department dealing with apublic health threat. It could start with a YouTube video posted one afternoon, and within hours it becomes thesubject of thousands of blog entries and tweets. When your customers or stakeholders are talking to each otherabout you, it can mean serious trouble unless you take control quickly.

Weve all seen examples of brand reputations under attack in PR circles theyre legendary. True or false, yourcustomers, employees, stakeholders and competitors have many forums to share and spread their opinions real or otherwise about your product or service.

Whether you get a heads-up on a looming crisis or it takes you by surprise, you have to be focused on whatmatters most. And what matters most is reaching the people who are important to you on the channels wherethey get their information as soon as is humanly possible. Thats the first rule in crisis response, right aftergetting the facts about the issue.

Tips for managing crisis in the era of social media 1
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But thats still only half the equation. The real edge is being ready for it in the first place. Forward-thinkingorganizations include social media channels in their media monitoring and usually get some warning thattrouble might be brewing, although surprises cant ever be ruled out.

Think its impossible to have your ear to the ground in social media settings? Its not. Some simple up-front

investments in planning can save your skin. In your organization, you already plan for other crises this shouldbe one of them.

This white paper provides two examples of how social media channels have been used in crisis settings. In onecase, the organization was ready. In the other, it wasnt. In both, intelligent thinking ensured the best results fortheir stakeholders.

Be prepared for crisis: five tips to know

Do you know what to do if crisis strikes? Make a plan and rehearse it. Makesure it includes the following:

1 A crisis team. Key members from your organization should understand and use social media communicating with their communities of interest. They need to be ready to come together as ateam when trouble is brewing. This is not a job just for PR.

2 Clear messaging. Agree with your team to keep messages simple, clear and straightforward. Buildmessages in advance that communicate your commitment to customers, employees andstakeholders.

3 A strong human network. When crisis strikes, keep your ear to the ground by talking tocustomers, stakeholders, media, and other audiences you can trust.

4 Crisis information tools. Build a crisis web site to replace your existing site, or a section to add toyour current site. Practice uploading it.

5 Bench strength. Managing a crisis on social media channels means having the horsepower toengage. Are your organizations servers robust enough to manage a surge in traffic?



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Anatomy of a crisis

The H1N1 flu virus is the first global flu pandemic to unfold in the Web 3.0 era. Since April when the crisis began,public health agencies around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), have beenbriefing print, TV and radio reporters regularly about the progress of the outbreak.

Traditionally, mass media has been the best way to reach large populations. But in todays fracturedcommunication universe, traditional channels are the last place whole segments of society in the U.S. wouldturn to for information about infection prevention, public health decisions on who should line up first for thevaccine, and guidance on everything from using mass transportation to whether or not to keep children homefrom school.

Web 2.0 and 3.0 applications are increasingly enabling people to find reliable information not through the filtersof mass media, but directly from the source in this case the CDC. Or, they may rely on their network of friendsor trusted subject matter experts via Facebook, blogs, Twitter and other social media channels.

The CDC is fully aware of how and where people gatherand consume information. Its social media group hasbeen at the forefront of social networking for more thanfour years, working with program and communicationgroups within the organization to reach communities withinformation ranging from disease prevention to naturaldisasters from diabetes care to hurricane evacuations,and from food recalls to influenza prevention.

When the H1N1 crisis hit, the CDC was not caught like theproverbial deer in the headlights. The social media groupsimply mobilized to reach and grow its already substantialsocial network-based followers.

At CDC we try to provide credible, accurate healthinformation when, where and how users want it, explainsAnn Aiken, Health Communications, Centers for DiseaseControl/National Center for Health Marketing/Division ofeHealth Marketing. In terms of the 2009 H1N1 response,we quickly developed a social media strategy as part of a coordinated communications plan to send out timelymessages that foster engagement, encourage participation and further open government goals and publicengagement activities.

That strategy included and continues to include a list of channels and tactics designed to reach people whoeither use social media as their primary source of information, or those with no or limited access to traditionalmass media channels.

Why should you care?Managing crisis isnt what it used to be.Newspaper and TV headlines still count, but thegreatest potential for threat to your brandreputation may come from social media. Web3.0 makes connections and conversationshappen much faster. Search engines are able toassemble information thats quantifiably moresophisticated and intelligent, making it easierto find and share intelligent information. Thegood news is Web 3.0 will let you monitorconversations about your brand reputationmuch more strategically and respond to crisismore effectively and productively. Thats whyyou should care.



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CDCs tactics include:

A Twitter profile designed first for Hurricane Ike that was repurposed for the H1N1 outbreak. BeforeH1N1 it had about 2,500 followers. It has ballooned to a following of more than 1.2 million.

The development of ten widgets for people to share with others and place on their social media site andother web sites.

Creating online videos on both CDC.gov and social media sites, like YouTube. One video has over 2million views on YouTube alone.

eCards encouraging people to get the flu vaccines, wash hands, breastfeed safely, and maintain healthwhile traveling.

Launch of an official CDC Facebook page. It currently has more than 50,000 fans.

A MySpace page and presence on Daily Strength, a social networking site for people needing support. Podcasts for people to listen to or download information.

RSS feeds that have had 43 million views.

A blog partnership between CDC and WebMD to deliver trusted information. It is WebMDs second mostpopular blog.

Webinars for bloggers in the business community, pregnant women and children. A text messaging pilot program for use in emergencies. In the H1N1 crisis, it is being used to inform

people about the progress of the disease where to get vaccinated, etc. Up to 3 messages or more perweek can be delivered depending on the nature of the crisis. Also, messages can be targeted to reachpeople by age group, gender, zip code and more.

A mobile web site for people to view H1N1 related material on their cell phone.

Ann Aikin explains the CDCs work on H1N1 complements other traditional programs designed to reachvulnerable and at-risk groups low income individuals and families, the homeless, and displaced people whomay not have a stable home environment but may have access to an email account or telephone to getmessages. Ideal for the current H1N1 crisis, these channels are equally valuable for people looking for jobs orseeking information about natural disasters and other important public health issues or crises.

In short, the CDCs social media response to H1N1 was a natural extension of an infrastructure already in placeand ready to be exercised more fully. Unlike many crises, which catch organizations unaware, the CDCs socialmedia group already validated and working closely with program and communication groups inside theorganization mobilized quickly and responded ably to the pandemic.



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A cautionary tale

The CDCs experience with crisis is

probably a best-case crisis responsescenario. Not every organization has soeasy a time of it.One crisis of now legendary status that erupted on socialmedia is called the The Ranger Station Fire , subtitledHow Ford Motor Company Used Social Media toExtinguish a PR Fire in Less than 24 Hours.

The sub-title says it all. The storys author, Ron Ploof

writing it as a cautionary tale of how a crisis can crop upand become a potential nightmare unless its addressedcarefully encourages every company executive to read itand beware. In fact, he invites readers to copy, paste,send copies to your coworkers, your mom, dentist, etc. ...

In a nutshell, in December 2008 The Ranger Station, a Ford Motor Company fan web site, received a cease anddesist letter from Ford. Further, the Ford Motor Company wanted the web sites owner, Jim Oakes, to give upThe Ranger Station URL and pay Ford $5,000.

Not knowing what to do, Oakes explained his dilemma on the open forum of his site. In less than 24 hours, hereceived more than 900 comments, with word spreading beyond his site to other fan sites.

Luckily, Ford had a few months earlier dipped a big toe into social media, having hired consultant Scott Monty tohelp change attitudes about Ford in a time when The Big Three were being criticized for their allegedmismanagement and requests for bailouts.

This work was beginning to pay off, with attitudes starting to shift. But The Ranger Station issue was a setback.

Within hours of Oakes posting, Ford had received more than 1,000 negative email messages. Scott Monty tookinstant steps to manage the crisis, using Twitter and inviting Tweet recipients to ReTweet with a message thatthe problem was being addressed. This kind of viral response mechanism is unique to social media.

With the fire still spreading but with the ReTweets doing their work (reaching nearly 14,000 Twitter accountsquickly), Monty was able to take the time to consult with Fords legal counsel to unpack the problem and,working with the communications team, to form a response to manage the crisis.

Responding to a crisis

a 6-point checklist Take action immediately. Use the same media your audiences use.

Respond appropriately (it can be one-on-one,or a mass communication approach).

Be open and transparent when you respond.

Stay on the high road. Dont engage in anegative way.

Be flexible. Sometimes crisis responsetactics dont work out the way you want themto. But dont give up ... your reputation is atstake.

http://ronamok.com/ebooks/the_ranger_station_fire_final.pdfhttp://ronamok.com/http://ronamok.com/http://ronamok.com/http://ronamok.com/ebooks/the_ranger_station_fire_final.pdfhttp://ronamok.com/ebooks/the_ranger_station_fire_final.pdf


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Recognizing he was dealing with passionate Ford fans, Monty decided the best thing to do was communicatedirectly with Oakes. Together, they ended the crisis by communicating repeatedly and effectively on The RangerStation web site and on Twitter and elsewhere that the problem had been resolved to everyones satisfaction.

What Ford Learned Everything is public. People can dig up just about any information they want online. Companies dont talk: people do. Scott Monty led the response. Without his skill particularly his

judgment and communication skills the response would have been a corporate one and, ultimately,far less successful.

Without support, new media fails. Scott Monty had the support of the C-suite. The result is the crisisstarted and ended quickly.

Listen up, will ya?

Social media has a number of unique qualities that more conventional mediachannels dont possess.

As Scott Monty understood instinctively when he wasdealing with The Ranger Station crisis, social media is amore intimate channel than others, and people using itengage on an issue when they feel passionately about it.In this setting, a response strategy has to take into

account and respect the opinions of people involved.

Integral to an effective response is listening not justwhen a crisis is breaking, but on a day-to-day basis.Social media channels are here, theyre here to stay, andas Web 3.0 emerges fully, are becoming more powerful.

The Ford Motor Company doesnt need to be convinced toinclude social media monitoring in its broadercommunication investments. Having witnessed how social

media could help them restore brand value, they learnedwith The Ranger Station issue that it can serve as anearly-warning system for crisis while helping to protectbrand reputation.

Listening can be as simple as setting up Google alerts or incorporating more comprehensive listening,monitoring and analytical tools into existing communication investments. In dna13 s experience, listening and

Tips to get the C-suite on board Cultivate relationships. Dont wait for a crisis

to have a solid working relationship with

your organizations senior executives anddecision-makers. Establish good lines ofcommunication and trust early.

Get second opinions. If you see a crisisbrewing, validate your instincts with supportfrom others your organizations legalcounsel, investor relations leader, chiefoperating officer, etc.

Keep the C-suite in the loop. With yourlistening/monitoring tools, you can feedthem information about shifting trends,opinions, etc.

http://www.dna13.com/solutions/key-challenges?loc=mainhttp://www.dna13.com/solutions/key-challenges?loc=mainhttp://www.dna13.com/solutions/key-challenges?loc=main


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