Being unsurprised by the unexpected is integral to operating a business. Being unprepared, however, is not.
If you find yourself in the middle of a public relations crisis, specifically on social media, I recommend you seek the services of a professional social media management company. If you decide to tackle it yourself, be aware of some necessary steps to preserve your brand. (Please note that this is not legal advice, nor should it be taken as legal counsel and that each situation varies according to the situation and parties involved.)
For clarity's sake, I will go through this action plan as if another company has written a negative expose on your business and is using its social platforms to defame you. Of the information being shared, 70% is false but 30% could be argued as true. This metric is useful, as often times a PR crisis will come out of a small mistake that gets blown into something larger by mismanagement of the situation.
Regardless of whether claims are true or false, know how to react by following these critical steps:
1. Separate logic from emotion.
This is the most important part of any crisis management plan, and it cannot be stressed enough. If you are personally getting upset or offended by the claims brought forward by a stranger, ex-client or third party, step away and hire someone else to handle it. It does not matter whether the claims are factual or not, you must keep a consistent level of calm -- as you can do much more damage with what you say than what you omit. It is not enough to cool off and come back to it later; it's integral that critical moments are handled by a calm voice 100% of the time in order to de-escalate all parties involved.
2. Address the issue directly.
Address the situation clearly and quickly. If there is any part of their claim that could be construed as true or that a third party may construe as true, address it clearly and address it once. There is no room for emotion when handling a PR crisis. Empathy can go a long way in mitigating a crisis before it happens, but once it's become a large enough issue, leave emotion out of it entirely and stick with the facts.
Think back to Cracker Barrel’s PR nightmare with “Brad’s Wife.” Bradley Reid Byrd posted to Cracker Barrel’s Facebook page with a simple inquiry: Why did you fire my wife? Cracker Barrel never issued a statement and the social media community rallied to the cause. A handful of choice hashtags were born, including #JusticeForBradsWife #BradsWifeMatters and #NotMyCountryStore. The lack of direct attention to the subject turned into a viral PR situation, one that is still played upon frequently through several mediums, including a petition directed at Cracker Barrel and an active Facebook page mostly full of trolling activists.
3. Screenshot everything.
I don't just mean screenshots of the article and social media posts, I mean everything. Do a reverse search on the article. Screenshot the profile of every person who shared it. Screenshot their recent activity. Do your homework and find out who the specific person is that is responsible for the offense and document it all. Cover your bases.
In your digging, you may discover that the supposed impartial third party who is targeting the validity of a particular product or service is actually led by someone that is in direct competition with you or your client. This step is crucial but also can only be executed by someone who knows where to look. Try a Google search of the company or person who wrote the article and move from there. Always check all relevant social platforms to see if there's extra information that was overlooked, and make sure to present whatever information you find to your board, lawyers or other relevant personnel.
4. Add negative keyword filters.
Nearly all platforms have a feature that encompasses some version of this or another. Typically these filters are used for profanity, but you can also use them to zero in on keywords that are relevant to the crisis at hand. Instagram's filter feature allows the commenter to still make their remarks (getting their anger out, whether cathartic or not) but no one, including yourself or other users, will be able to see the comment. This contains the negative publicity without removing posts in entirety or removing the ability to comment, which can often be perceived as indicative of shameful behavior. Try adding different variations of the article title or even keywords that appear frequently in the comments of the social media post.
5. Archive images on Instagram.
If there is a particular product or service that is being directly attacked in the article or on social media, archive images that are relevant to that topic. This can help keep negative comments or sentiment off of your other content and allows you to bring that content back once the crisis has subsided.
Following these steps may help you mitigate a social media crisis, but with proper social media management, it will never get to this step. Part of social media management is social listening -- a concept that entails monitoring the sentiment of your brand through social media channels. If there is negative sentiment brewing about your brand or an action made by an employee, your social media manager should catch it before it turns into a full crisis. This can be handled by addressing the issue before it becomes a problem, and addressing the sentiment. Always be proactive.
