If your business utilizes social media platforms and post content on a regular basis there is a chance that somewhere in you social lifespan your will have to deal with a social media crisis. If you are unfamiliar with the term, a social media crisis is a ordeal on a social media platform that threatens your brands reputation. It could be in the form of negative backlash from consumers and/or a controversial posting on your social media platforms. As unfortunate and unforeseen as it may seem it is the company’s best interest to not only address the situation, but address it in the proper manner as a crisis can have a lasting effect on how your brand is seen in the eyes of the consumers.
So everyone in the world is seeing this negative feedback you are getting and you have one more chance to make it right, what do you do?
Step 1: Actually care
This step is the most vital as it will ultimately be the catalyst for what you do next. When you care about something or someone you hurt you will go beyond protocol to see that they forgive you and the same should go for consumers. Consumers are what keep the doors or domain of your business open and if they are not happy then your bottom line won’t be either.
Step 2: Humanize the response.
An apology is music to a disgruntled person’s ears. Address the situation head on as quick as possible, limit excuses, don’t argue back and say sorry. If you are getting an influx of negative mentions make one general apology. Never send the same response to a number of different of people, as this seems robotic and uncaring. Turn off all automated responses. Bank of America made this mistake when they set up an automatic response to anyone who used the key word “bank of America.”
Step 3: Go beyond the sorry. (Extra brownie points)
Go even further in your apology by doing something for those who might have been offended. It could be anything; coupons, discounts, a handwritten letter, or a graphical element that shows you are sympathetic. You want to ignite a thought in consumers that you honestly care. Not because you have to care, but because you actually do. This will further put you brand in good standing again.
Knowing what to do during a social media crisis is imperative as the wrong response can have lasting effects on your brand’s image. It is always better to do things right from the jump; follow the steps.
