Social Media in Crisis Management: The sharp click

Millions of dollars in Advertising, Public Relations’ strategies, quality controls and certifications, brand presence, action media coherence, thousands of minds thinking, hundreds of work hours; it can all be eclipsed by a single online action by an anonymous Web user.

Speed is the key to social media understanding. One tweet can be enough to launch a huge gossip and generate negative buzz on the Net. And at the day of today; what happens online, happens on real life.

Traditional media has no longer the information monopoly; that means the brands have less control on their image and if we add the real-time issue of powerful Web 2.0, this is a warning that every company should consider.

Last days, the multinational Swiss giant Nestle got involved in a serious problem due to contaminated cookie dough it recalled from the market. Even if that expensive operation was the right thing to do, it wasn’t enough. Nestle completely ignored the social media impact unleashed by its crisis.

Real crisis in the cyberspace are abrupt, unexpected and hard to control. The only way is to fight fire with fire.

Planning

A Crisis management plan is the way to successfully respond to an eventuality. Companies usually have crisis manuals and what-to-do forms in order to act properly and cause the less possible damage. Those measures are clearly insufficient when they lack a social media component.

Response

Hundreds of Web links easily take the users to blog posts. In addition, tweets, YouTube videos and random forum comments about the Nestle issue are constantly damaging the brand’s image. An eye-to-eye response from the firm is not just likely, but necessary to protect all prestige building efforts Nestle has done over time. Think through what you would prefer users to find if they looked at keywords about your Company and your issues. Do something about it. Take action before it’s too late!

Recovery

The two-way communications aspect of social media works as a mediator in any digital crisis. Monitoring what people say helps to notice how the response strategy is functioning and help the company as a guide for further action decisions until the brand is completely recovered.

The cookie dough crisis is just an example. Lots of all sized companies have been taken by surprise by social media. It can happen to anyone, and never is too early to plan. So, what would you do?

Sources

The Associated Press. (2009, June 20). E. Coli Fears Prompt Cookie Dough Recall.

United Press International (2009, June 20). Recalled Nestle products leave 66 sick.

Fulhaber, P. (2009, June 3). Social Media and Crisis Management.