Brands are imageries and representations of products and services that people use. Consumers look at brands as a form of help — something they can always relate to or someone who understands them and their needs. Because people look at brands this way, many tend to have a picture that brands are infallible or are not allowed to make mistakes.
However, brands and the businesses behind them are not perfect. Social media blunders do happen and operational mishaps transpire. Some of them can be foreseen, but there are also those that happen unexpectedly.
Regardless of the probability of these disasters, it is important that you, as a brand manager, know how to deal with them. These types of events may make you stressed and anxious, but you have to keep your cool and relax. Stress and anxiety will only cloud your judgment.
The first things that you need to do are to stop, look, and listen. Stop to analyze the situation or problem better. Look for the possible causes of the scenario. Then, listen to the conversations among your consumers and outsiders, as these will give you an idea on how to proceed. Here are the things that you need to consider when handling a social media crisis.
Take ownership and do not make excuses
Among the first few things that you need to do is to pause all your scheduled posts. Otherwise, people will think that you are just ignoring what has happened. Give yourself some time to analyze the situation, so you will have a better idea on how to respond.
Once you have found a way to respond properly, do it as soon as possible. Delaying will just cause further damage. When apologizing to your customers, make sure that the statement actually proves that you are taking ownership. Never, ever make excuses or argue with your customers.
Hire a reputation management team
Working on the issue may make you feel like you are tackling a troll or climbing an insurmountable mountain. Admit that you cannot always do things on your own. With this admission comes your need to work with a reliable contingency partner.
In this case, you will have to work with a reliable reputation management agency. This should not be challenging, as there are many SEO companies in Utah that actually offer reputation management solutions.
Come up with new contingency plans
When you have executed your crisis management plan, have a post-mortem of the issue and spot the reasons for it. Besides spotting the possible causes, you will need to draft a new plan that will make sure that this will never happen again. However, make sure that you still have new plans in case the same issue happens again in the future.
Handling a social media crisis is one skill that you need to master to protect your brand from getting tarnished. This is important, as one mistake may affect the reputation that you have built for years. This is why you need to have a seamless and comprehensive plan on how to protect your brand and the business itself.
