Crisis Management Plan in Social Networks –

Having a presence in the online world is, without a doubt, a way that our online business gain visibility, being able to reach a larger audience. However, in today’s world, where we are all interconnected, it is very likely that at any moment a online crisis for our brand or company. The efficiency with which we are able to manage it will determine the future consequences, in order to be able to minimize them.

Social networks are an ideal setting where users can comment on their opinions about brands. A crisis out of control can have a very negative impact on your Online Reputationso it has become essential to treat it in time.

Today we share with you a crisis management plan in social networks, that will help you as a crisis forecasting manual, in case this type of situation occurs in the future. Take note and do not miss anything!

Steps to follow in a crisis management in Social Networks

To face a possible crisis in social networks, it is necessary for your brand to have a Online Crisis Management Strategic Plansince from it, you will be able to carry out the guidelines for an optimal resolution of it. Read on and we’ll tell you how to do it!

prevention above all

Whenever possible, it is better to anticipate. The development of a strategic plan will serve as a guide for action in crisis situations. In this way, both you and your team will be prepared for when these types of comments occur on your social networks.

We also recommend that monitor everything that is said about your brand on social networks, since in this way, we will have a greater capacity to react, in the face of possible negative comments that are being produced in them about our company. To do this, you can use tools like hoot-suitewhich will allow you to monitor these mentions.

crisis scenarios

What can be the different situations that your company should face? Consider the possible scenarios, and from there draw up your action plan. You must bear in mind that a negative comment on social networks does not have to imply that a reputational crisis will develop, since the way you manage it will make a difference.

You must take into account what types of crises can occur, either by certain comments about your product or service, publications that have hurt certain sensitivities, dissatisfied customers, negative comments about your employees, etc.

Crisis management team in Social Networks

The crisis management process in social networks must be internally coordinated effectively. The control and detection goes through the social media team, which must monitor the mentions of the brand and inform the marketing team if there are negative comments. The marketing team will carry out the analysis of the problem and, if necessary, will notify the management, so that it can be solved in the future.

For this, it is advisable that certain people in the team are trained to deal with such crisis situations. You can even choose a spokesperson.

Problem focus analysis

It’s an opportunity to really face the problem, since it may happen that we focus too much on responding to criticism and do not take into account the focus of the matter. Ask the person making the comment to tell you more about what happened.

You must rigorously analyze the situation, since a hot response without having collected enough information can make it worse. Detect the reason for the conflict and try to contact the person in charge. This will give you a clearer view of the facts.

Becoming aware of the problem and dealing with it is essential to transmit a good brand image, as it will show that the customer’s opinion has value, as well as becoming a point of humanization of it.

messages to use

You need to know what to say and how to say it. To solve a crisis situation, you need to send the right message to the right people. Try to do it with sincerity and transparencysince the opposite could worsen the situation.

Respond as politely as possible. and avoid falling into the temptation of not responding appropriately. Try to take the positive part and take it as constructive criticism to continue improving.

Do not delete the comment, since it will give an image of censorship to the opinions of your clients. Nor do we advise you to remain silent, if it is positive, thank it, and if it is negative, respond individually.

Quick response

When a crisis is taking place in social networks, it is advisable to act quickly. Nevertheless, we must not neglect knowing in depth the initial focus, since it is not convenient to retract our initial answers. If we cover the problem quickly, it will be out of control for less time, which will increase our credibility.

Being agile with responses will depend on the preparation of the crisis management team. Try to find as much information as possible, to prepare an appropriate response. Your responsiveness will determine your brand reputation.

What should I do after a crisis management in Social Networks?

Once the storm has passed, there are still a few important steps to take. It is convenient to maintain throughout the process, a crisis monitoring, in order to know at all times how it is developing and check that when the point is reached, everything returns to normal. For this, we give you some tips that you should take into account:

• Analyze the situation, if there was something that could be improved during the previous management stages that have been carried out, how your team has worked or if there was any aspect of the crisis management plan that had to be modified. All the information collected can be of great help in the event of similar future situations.
• Make a copy of the different mentions that have been made during the process, as this will allow you to Evaluate if your Strategic Crisis Management Plan has worked correctly. Make any necessary adjustments to it. Think of alternatives, which can avoid the main problem through which the crisis has originated.
• We must measure how affected has been the reputation of our brand. Analyze the main traffic patterns on your website, as well as statistics on social networks. The next step will come hand in hand with daily work to recover your brand reputation, in case it has been affected.

Now that you know the step by step of how to act before a crisis in social networkswe recommend the elaboration of a Strategic Plan. These types of processes will be essential for you to deal satisfactorily with a crisis management in social networks. Adapt your processes and surround yourself with professionals, capable of responding analytically, efficiently and always politely.

Since we work on a , integrated within the philosophy of your company. One of the points to take into account is to offer you the necessary tools to face a crisis in social networks, which affects your brand reputation as little as possible. Do not hesitate to contact us and we will tell you more about everything we can do for your brand on social networks.