{"id":12171,"date":"2019-05-17T12:19:07","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T12:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?page_id=12171"},"modified":"2023-10-16T18:24:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T17:24:59","slug":"crisis-plan-preparing-your-social-media-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/what-we-think\/social-media-white-papers\/crisis-plan-preparing-your-social-media-team","title":{"rendered":"Preparing Your Team For A Social Media Crisis – Whitepaper"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row thb_full_width=”true” thb_row_padding=”true” thb_column_padding=”true” thb_divider_position=”bottom” css=”.vc_custom_1557744096079{background-image: url(https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jacek-dylag-545264-unsplash.jpg?id=11161) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1547224160512{background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.2) !important;*background-color: rgb(0,0,0) !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”30vh”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Practical Guide To Preparing Your Team For A Social Media Crisis” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1687351834709{padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”30vh”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row thb_divider_position=”bottom” height=”50″ background_style=”normal”][vc_column width=”2\/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1442302634112{padding-left: 4% !important;}”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”8\/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1442302713602{padding-left: 4% !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_custom_heading text=”WHITEPAPER” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center|color:%2300b5e2″ use_theme_fonts=”yes” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1645717128828{padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”Preparing your teams for a social media crisis: a practical guide” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center|color:%2300b5e2″ use_theme_fonts=”yes” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1645717138425{padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]\tClick here to download the whitepaper<\/span><\/a>\n\n\t[vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560417874184{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

This whitepaper is designed to help you prepare for a crisis as it breaks and unfolds on social media, and encourages you to give social media a seat at the crisis planning table. <\/span><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10vh”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row thb_divider_position=”bottom” height=”50″ background_style=”normal”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1442302634112{padding-left: 4% !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”11745″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1558091691681{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

The first place you\u2019ll hear about a breaking crisis is on social media. With the right tools and the right people in place you can spot an issue early, and react fast.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Social media is not adequately represented on the crisis team, and it is often an afterthought to the strategic communications plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

On social media, you are talking directly to the people affected by it. Depending on the severity of the crisis, your social media team could be dealing with an angry mob, with grieving relatives or with victims of a crime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your team will have to cope with an overwhelming volume of posts and they\u2019ll need to have the confidence to cope under pressure, and to adapt your crisis plan to fit a social media audience. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]\n

How ready are you for a crisis?<\/b><\/h2>\n

No brand is immune from a crisis. According to Forrester (2018)<\/a>, 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies have suffered from one in the last three years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some brands feel unprepared to face one. The sheer volume and pace of posts on social media can be overwhelming. It can feel more like a battlefield than a communication channel. <\/span><\/p>\n

Crisis maturity modelling<\/h3>\n

We use a proprietary maturity model to plot how prepared you are against industry standards and best practice. This includes analysing your reputation on social media, what purpose you want social media to play in a crisis (and who you\u2019ll be talking to), how social-ready your plan is, and where there are gaps to fill, in order to get you ready. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]\n

Before the crisis breaks: planning and preparation<\/h2>\n

Identify the risk<\/h3>\n

Spend some time identifying the risks associated with social media communications and add them to your plan. <\/span><\/p>\n

Structure the team<\/h3>\n

Your social media team should be at the heart of your planning process and be the ‘spokes’ empowered to capitalise on that goodwill during it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Escalation processes<\/h3>\n

You need clear lines of responsibility from who calls a crisis to who you call at 3am when the it’s breaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socialise your crisis plan<\/h3>\n

Have a clear strategy for which channels you will include in your communications, and what your approach should be for each.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ensure employees know their responsibility<\/h3>\n

Everyone should understand what their role is, so no-one is caught by surprise. <\/span><\/p>\n

Early warning system to spot a crisis<\/h3>\n

A social listening and analytics tool can give you data across all your different channels to tell you what\u2019s going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Know what ‘normal’ looks like<\/h3>\n

For a utility company, a high number of negative posts might be normal. The same number for a fashion brand could indicate the beginnings of a crisis. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”10290″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]\n

During the crisis<\/h2>\n

Hit the right tone<\/h3>\n

Your audiences will see right through any attempt to mask the truth, or to carefully word a statement to avoid taking responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

The importance of empathy and creating genuine human connections<\/h3>\n

Think about how that statement is going to sound when you communicate it directly to someone who\u2019s been affected.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key to success during a crisis<\/h3>\n

Practise, practise, practise. We use simulation to rehearse your teams, so that the best response becomes instinctive.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Prepare to deal with abuse<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s commonplace to deal with threats and abusive language on social media, and your team will need support to cope. Look after them.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Coping with volume<\/h3>\n

You should expect the volume of posts you\u2019re dealing with to increase significantly after it breaks. Plan accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular check-ins with the wider crisis team<\/h3>\n

Regular reporting on insights from your social listening tool will help you spot trends, or emerging issues.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”23341″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]\n

After it’s over<\/b><\/h2>\n
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It can be tempting after it’s over to sit back and let the relief wash over you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Was your strategy clearly executed and communicated on social media? How has your reputation stood up to the crisis? And what were the overriding impressions that your public audiences are left with?<\/span><\/p>\n

Post-crisis analysis can give you insight into what happened and it can help you improve for next time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row thb_full_width=”true” content_placement=”middle” disable_element=”yes” thb_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column width=”3\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”6\/12″][vc_empty_space height=”10vh”]\tDownload<\/span><\/a>\n\n\t[vc_empty_space height=”10vh”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row thb_full_width=”true” thb_row_padding=”true” thb_column_padding=”true” thb_divider_position=”bottom” height=”50″ background_style=”normal” css=”.vc_custom_1611751792234{background-color: #f2f2f2 !important;}”][vc_column width=”4\/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1442302634112{padding-left: 4% !important;}”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”4\/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1442302713602{padding-left: 4% !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10vh”][vc_custom_heading text=”DOWNLOAD THE WHITEPAPER BY FILLING THIS FORM” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1585732815234{padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_id=”crisisform”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]