It has been interesting to see the ever-changing focus on social media practices and strategies. When social media first came on to the scene for PR, most of the professionals and media outlets were discussing what specific brands were doing to market themselves as well as best practices in using some of these social media platforms strategically for positive interactions such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
However, fast forward to 2011 and what we are seeing to be one of the most popular topics of conversation is the involvement of this new technology in crisis communications. Whether it is informing others about what is happening in terms of natural disasters like Hurricane Irene, the Texas Wildfires, or even the traumatic events earlier this year with the tsunami in Japan. Natural disasters have created new features and expectations for social media in terms of making sure to implement resources for people to share information with others in a centralized location (ex. crowd sourcing) and integrating various platforms together (ex. geolocation mapping and Twitter updates) to name a few.
However, there are the other crises we have seen recently over the last several years that were crises that were manufactured and could have even been prevented if these brands were aware of the possible challenges and risks associated with their behaviors on social media. It appears that as each year goes by, there appears to be more social media crises emerging, which is another key component we have to review today to make sure we are aware of what has happened previously and learned from these experiences.
There are of course certain case studies that are being showcased in PR and Strategic Communications classes as being what not to do – and Alterian came up with a great inforgraphic to show these three and what the implications were towards the brand and company with their actions on social media.
The three cases that were reviewed were involving Domino’s (YouTube), Nestle (Facebook), and United Airlines (YouTube). I would have added to this category the case study Kenneth Cole (Twitter), Southwest Airlines and BP (Twitter). It is key to look at crisis case studies involving different social media platforms since each of these platforms have different characteristics in terms of use and format in crisis responses and messages.
So, after looking at these cases – what are some takeaway points to keep in mind? Being on social media takes great responsibility and time – and the speed in which information spreads presently is faster than ever before. The amount of discussion and commentary about a brand – positive or negative – spreads like wildfire and can damage a reputation in a matter of seconds. It is not only about addressing these concerns on one platform, but consistently engaging and responding across all of the platforms in which your brand has a presence from. Investigating emerging technologies and continuing to educate yourself about these platforms is essential.
Plus, while all of these technologies offer fabulous opportunities and great features – you have to ask yourself the question – what are the challenges to this? What are the possible scenarios we can face as a brand (or individual) with this platform? Integrating traditional crisis communication practices into social media while also leaving room to adapt and tweak these principles will be the key to success in handling crises emerging from the digital realm.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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