get the word out! tips for using social media and your website for crisis communications
DESCRIPTION
Oregon campaign finance database - offline. Central Business Registry - nichts. Online voter registration - nada. Learn how Oregon Secretary of State staff used social media and the agency website to provide answers and customer service during a several week-long outage of its online applications.TRANSCRIPT
Get the word out fast!Tips for using social media
and your website for crisis communication
A case study:Oregon Secretary of State
Jacqueline Sowell | Social Media and Web Strategist | 4/3/2014
Event: SoS IT staff take applications off-line for emergency maintenance.• Only the agency website is up and running.• Online Central Business Registry, UCC look up,
business name search, voter registration and campaign finance database, to name a few, are unavailable until situation is resolved.
Challenge: How do you keep customers informed?• Customers still need to get things done: – Register a business.– Document campaign finances.– Conduct a business name search.
Emergency Response Protocols
Formulate communications response plan in advance.
Be Bold: Get the Word Out Fast
Proactively Meet Customer Needs
Corporation Division SubsiteElections Division Subsite
Evolve Message As Conditions Change
Early February
Mid February Late February
Use Social Media
• Announcements.• Updates.• Pointers to more information.• Answer questions.
What’s Hot on Social Media?
Monitor discussion on social media.• Set up keyword
searches.• Report on trending
topics to leadership.• Determine customer
questions/concerns.
Engage on Twitter and Facebook
• Offer options for customerservice: phone, fax, email.
• Provide self-service options using data.gov.– Business name search.– UCC look up.
• Monitor and address trending topics.– Respond to concerns.– Add answers to FAQ.
Be Responsive
• People want to be heard, get answers and receive customer service.
• Jump into both positive and negative threads.
• Remain polite and helpful.• Don’t argue. Stop
responding to contentious comments after offering information.
Be Approachable
• Acknowledge the inconvenience.
• Apologize.• Leave others to defend the
agency.
Post Answers to Common Questions
• Publish FAQ to website and update it regularly.• Provide FAQ URL on social media, website and blog.
Frame the Narrative
Be Transparent: Blog it
Give Customers a Way to Receive Updates
• Identify key end-user groups.
• Provide email list subscription options.
• Promise to inform them when the application is back online.
1235 people signed up for ORESTAR updates
Reach out to affected customers
• Consider hiring a company of trusted security experts to contact customers whose data may have been compromised.
• Give input into the initial outreach letter.
• Review the script for their call center.
Elevate Crucial Information
Example: Temporary Rule for Voters’ Pamphlet Submissions• Posted to Elections landing
page.• Added to Elections page
listing elections rules.• Rule text posted as PDF
because rule wasn’t published in Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR).
Monitor Analytics and Publish Reports
Keep communications team and leadership apprised.
Questions?
Jacqueline SowellSocial Media and Web StrategistOregon Secretary of State
[email protected] | [email protected] | @gotsowell