{"id":1392,"date":"2022-12-14T14:46:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T07:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clara.ly-le.info\/blog\/?p=1392"},"modified":"2022-12-14T14:46:45","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T07:46:45","slug":"the-role-importance-of-social-media-in-crisis-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clara.ly-le.info\/blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/14\/the-role-importance-of-social-media-in-crisis-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"The role & importance of social media in crisis communication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although social media is a dominant and fast-growing platform for communications, its use in crisis communication is relatively limited<\/a>. The reason is, we often fear what we don\u2019t know. While the use of social media to mitigate crises is no longer new, many organizations still aren\u2019t prepared for it. With COVID-19 in the backdrop, people become more sensitive to any negative information, making PR practitioners even more careful with their crisis communication effort (if any) on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what makes a crisis communication effort on social media different? Here’s my contribution to Digital First Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of using social media during crises<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving corrective responses at an unbeatable speed <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crisis communication is all about speed and accuracy. During a crisis, what the public and stakeholders expect is a timely response from the organization. Corrective measures and statements must be delivered as fast as possible, and nothing can satisfy the public\u2019s thirst for information more than social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, social media speed can be a double-edged sword. Good news travels fast, but, bad news travels even much faster on this platform. So organizations should make sure that the crisis responses and information are accurate before publishing it to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making <\/em>the message accessible<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A response on social media will gain a wider audience than one on traditional media. Many may argue that publishing an official announcement on the company\u2019s website or online newspapers is also very quick nowadays. So there\u2019s no need to release a response on social media that might be shared and misunderstood, right? Mainstream media would create a formal and credible vibe for the brand\u2019s message; but social media make it friendlier and more relatable to stakeholders, allowing the message to spread faster among the community. At the end of the day, social media is where the discussions take place. In an organizational reputation crisis, social media would be the go-to platform for hate comments as it is one of the few channels that offer two-way communication. The public wants their opinions to be heard and seen by the organization and other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, giving a response on social media could show an organization\u2019s willingness and activeness in addressing current issues. People are more likely to sympathize with a company and accept their crisis response if such a response is sincere and personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the public\u2019s sentiment<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During crises, public sentiment would usually be negative. Many companies fear that social media could escalate this negativity; but on the contrary, social media could give insights into what the public is talking about the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With social media, organizations can monitor public sentiment (which cannot be achieved via print or online articles) and analyze the audience\u2019s concerns to address problems accordingly. From this data, organizations can also map out their crisis response plan to regain the public\u2019s trust more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to use social media for crisis communication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nature of crisis communication is not about control. You cannot control or manipulate what the public says about your organization. Especially when their voices are empowered by social media. In fact, you can only prepare for and respond to crises<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During crises, the communication platforms that work best are all dependent on the organization and its stakeholders. Organizations should focus on the platforms that enable them to connect with the public. And during this time, such a platform is social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be proactive and lead the conversation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t stay quiet and let the audience think for themselves because it could make the crisis worse. Initiate the conversation and state the organization\u2019s viewpoint, apologize if you have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a saying that I\u2019d like to reiterate: \u201cbring yourself to your audience\u201d. You should try to be present. Try to say something, even though you don\u2019t know what to say. You must own your narrative, or someone else will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be present and provide timely information to fill the audience\u2019s knowledge gap<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s natural to be questioned by the public during crises. Try to give an immediate response and clear out the misunderstanding (fake news); provide clear company guidelines in the specific situation to address the public\u2019s concern. The audience can drive the narrative off-track if you don\u2019t give a timely response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be human and sincere, and show empathy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it is an organizational reputation crisis or a social crisis (such as COVID-19), an organization should show that they care for the wellbeing of their target audience. Furthermore, using social media gives off a more personal and intimate vibe than formal corporate announcements and press releases. Social media can deliver the response in a more empathetic way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develop social media pre-draft updates<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While an online crisis can hardly wait for a response to be approved by many levels of management, crisis managers can pre-draft templates for Twitter messages, Facebook posts or blog entries, with blank sections for the case details. The templates can be approved by the legal team beforehand so that the crisis team can disseminate the message on the appropriate platforms as soon as the details are confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that you take a look and re-evaluate to see if they fit the current context! If it is irrelevant and has the potential to upset stakeholders during crises, then it\u2019s best to pause your promotion. That\u2019s how you bring your audience\u2019s attention to your social media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integrate social listening to understand the audience\u2019s insights<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a crisis, brace yourself for a long-run recovery. Society might remember the organization\u2019s misconduct for a long time. Organizations can integrate social media listening during and after the crisis to monitor the public\u2019s sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will leave you with the final thought that a crisis is challenging, but it also comes with opportunities. Opportunities to review your brand health and your communication efforts, to monitor and gather the audience\u2019s insights, to make suitable changes, so you will come out better and stronger than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, social media is only a tool, a quite useful and important tool, but how to use it efficiently depends on you. I hope that my suggestions are helpful to you, and you can adapt some of the ideas to your crisis communication plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although social media is a dominant and fast-growing platform for communications, its use in crisis communication is relatively limited. The reason is, we often fear what we don\u2019t know. 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