Social Media & #Disasters 2.0 —How To Create & Implement

An Effective Social Media PlanContinuity Insights New York (#CINY2014)

October 8, 2014Presented by:

Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP, MBCI

SB Crisis Consulting, Toronto ON

@sbcrisis

Presentation Outline

•Social media and emergency management

•#SMEM Key Considerations

•Developing a Social Media Strategy

•Key components of a social media strategy

•Before, during and after an emergency

•Summary

•Established in 2011 by Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP, MBCI

•Former news reporter/anchor, with over 17 years of experience in emergency management and business continuity

•Consulting, teaching/training, and speaking services providedto companies, communities and governments

•“Voluntourist”, completing first book

“The reputation of a thousand years may be deterred by the conduct of one hour.”

Japanese Proverb

WHY DO WE NEED TO INCORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA WITHIN OUR CRISIS

COMMUNICATIONS PLANS?

Some Social Media Statistics

•Studies have shown that during a crisis, 1 in 5 Americans have used an emergency app

•24% of survivors contact loved ones through social media to let them know they’re safe

•80% of Americans expect emergency response agencies to monitor and respond to social media

Social Media Facts and Figures

•Haiti Earthquake – 2010•Between January 12-14, 2010, there were 2.3 million tweets containing the words “Haiti” or “Red Cross”•By texting the number 90999, a $10 donation was made to the Red Cross - $3 million was raised in the first 48 hours

• Japan Tsunami – 2011•1,188 tweets related to the tsunami were sent each minute during the tsunami•On March 11, 2011 Facebook recorded 4.5 million status updates from around the world containing the words “Japan”, “Tsunami” and “Earthquake”

Social Media Facts and Figures•Hurricane Sandy – 2012

•At its peak, Instagram users upload Sandy-related photos at a rate of ten per second.•FEMA tweeted “Phone lines may be congested during/after #Sandy. Let loved ones know you’re OK by sending a text or updating your social networks”•23 Red Cross staffers monitored 2.5 million Sandy-related social media postings

•Boston Bombings – 2013•Press relied on the Boston Police Dept’s official tweets for facts regarding the incident.•The BPD’s tweet declaring the bomber captured was retweeted 141,784 times•At the time, Google created a Person Finder that helped loved ones locate those who were missing after the incident

Social Media Facts and Figures• Hurricane Sandy – 2012

– At its peak, Instagram users upload Sandy-related photos at a rate of ten per second.

– FEMA tweeted “Phone lines may be congested during/after #Sandy. Let loved ones know you’re OK by sending a text or updating your social networks”

– 23 Red Cross staffers monitored 2.5 million Sandy-related social media postings

• Boston Bombings – 2013– Press relied on the Boston Police Dept’s official tweets for facts

regarding the incident.– The BPD’s tweet declaring the bomber captured was retweeted

141,784 times– At the time, Google created a Person Finder that helped loved ones

locate those who were missing after the incident

@sbcrisis

Social Media Facts and Figures• Hurricane Sandy – 2012

– At its peak, Instagram users upload Sandy-related photos at a rate of ten per second.

– FEMA tweeted “Phone lines may be congested during/after #Sandy. Let loved ones know you’re OK by sending a text or updating your social networks”

– 23 Red Cross staffers monitored 2.5 million Sandy-related social media postings

• Boston Bombings – 2013– Press relied on the Boston Police Dept’s official tweets for facts

regarding the incident.– The BPD’s tweet declaring the bomber captured was retweeted

141,784 times– At the time, Google created a Person Finder that helped loved ones

locate those who were missing after the incident

@sbcrisis

What about those who aren’t “connected”?

•Additional way of getting EM messaging out, not only way

•May not be connected to social media, but listen to traditional news (who get much of their info from SM)

•Most have family or loved ones who are connected and would promptly share emergency information directly

A Lesson from the Red Cross

Emergency Managers are NOT Social Media Gurus, and Vice-Versa!

#SMEM Before An Emergency

American Red Cross SM Handbook

www.slideshare.net/wharman/social-media-handbook-for-red-cross-field-units

What to Include in Your Social Media Strategy?

• What your organization will try to achieve through its use of social media

• To what level your organization will engage in social media and in what context this level may change during different phases of an emergency (eg. Level 1 – monitor only, Level 2 – monitor and respond to select posts, Level 3…)

• Consider levels of activation and de-activation

• Decide in advance what your organization will/won’t respond to

What to Include in Your Social Media Strategy?

• What your organization will try to achieve through its use of social media

• To what level your organization will engage in social media and in what context this level may change during different phases of an emergency (eg. Level 1 – monitor only, Level 2 –monitor and respond to select posts, Level 3…)

• Consider levels of activation and de-activation

• Decide in advance what your organization will/won’t respond to

• How to measure success against your objectives (including clear guidance on record-keeping and protocol for how success will be measured)

What to include in your SMEM Strategy?

• A content strategy outlining what types of information will be shared and how often (if applicable)

• Any formal links your organization will make with other related organizations (including guidance on how information will be shared between organizations and who has authority to do what

Include Your Employees in the Plan

• Seek out those staff who are more familiar with social media platforms on a personal level

• Train them in social media communications roles they will undertake during an emergency

• Encourage employees to familiarize themselves with your organization’s Twitter account, Facebook pages, etc…

Include Your Employees in the Plan

• During an emergency, your employees can help push your messaging out to the public

• Let employees know ahead of time what is expected of them during an emergency

Staffing for Social Media

• Who will engage in social media?• Consider staffing requirements before an emergency

and train where necessary• On-the-job training and experience before an

emergency is key • Include a social media component in any EM training

provided• Run pre-event tests of youruse of social media

(incorporate within existing simulation exercises)

Staffing for Social Media

• Encourage staff to engage in social media in their personal time

• Develop policy for all staff working inside the EOC and response (personal vs official use of SM)

• Maintain a network of SM personnel within your organization and among other related organizations

Managing Resourcing Levels

• To actively engage, resourcing levels will be high (24/7)

• Ensure your level of engagement doesn’t exceed your available resources

• Scale your use of SM to the size of your team

• Consider shift changes

• Ensure back-up personnel are trained and ready to stand in

Managing Resourcing Issues

• Train as many staff as your resources permit

• Where feasible, partner up with other related organizations

• Take advantage of local or international volunteers (if appropriate), particularly for monitoring and gathering info during response phase –

• The Virtual Operations Support Group lists active teams of volunteers across the world: http://vosg.us/active-vosts/

• Use social media management tools (HootSuite, Tweetdeck)

Managing Resourcing Issues

• Train as many staff as your resources permit

• Where feasible, partner up with other related organizations

• Take advantage of local or international volunteers (if appropriate), particularly for monitoring and gathering info during response phase – VOST

• The Virtual Operations Support Group lists active teams of volunteers across the world: http://vosg.us/active-vosts/

• Use social media management tools (HootSuite, Tweetdeck)

Streamlining Information Release

• If your organization is slow at releasing information, you could easily lose credibility and control

• Develop policies that allow information release processes to be streamlined during an emergency

• Templates should be developed in advance

Key Considerations for Gathering Information During an Emergency

• What social media types and channels will you monitor and respond to during different phases of an emergency

• What other resources and

expertise may be required to

deal with the volume of info

• What analytic tools will you use – get familiar with what’s available and any training during peace time

Mobile – is a must!

• Monitoring

• Responding

• Posting

#SMEM During An Emergency

Traditional Communication vs Social Media

•One way•Talking to, talking at•Sharing information•Broadcast

•Conversation•2 (or more) way•LISTENING•Responding•“we’re in this together”

SMEM During the Response Phase

• Queries and pleas for help must be responded to asap

• Misinformation and myths must be managed and responded to quickly

• Spam must be removed in a timely manner

• Conversations must be appropriately monitored

• The community must feel informed

• Information must be gathered in a

timely manner

Analytics

Most platforms have

their own analytics

sources

like Facebook Insights

Paid monitoring/analytics tools

• PAID:

• Radian6

• Sysomos

• SM2

• Nielsen Buzz Metrics

• ViralHeat

FREE:

HootSuite

Social Mention

Google Alerts

Topsy

Monitoring Social Media

• Identify community/platforms of interest

• Listen to the conversation within the community

• Identify influencers, ambassadors and advocates

• Identify adversaries and critics

• Look for cycles, patters, keywords

In general…Emergencies and disasters move TOO FAST for monitoring programs to be

effective.

Monitoring is more useful to gain an understanding of your industry and audience BEFORE disaster strikes.Can help you come up with a plan.

Building Trust During an Event

• Show that you are a credible, authoritative and honest source of information

• Acknowledge something has happened and start releasing information asap after an event occurs

• For initial messaging, use key actions to take and point to existing sources of official information

“What happens if my Twitter account gets hacked?”

• Change your password

• If you can’t get in...https://support.twitter.com/forms/hacked

• Revoke connections to third party applications like Instagram

• If hacker has changed password

• a support request to Twitter

• may have another channel to tweet from temporarily -

another account, brand, CEO, post on Facebook

page, etc

• As soon as you get control back, apologize, thank for support of

fans

• Addressing quickly, with humour (if appropriate), shows that you

are human - and will likely gain you fans in the end

Prevention

• Don’t use simple passwords (Sarah Palin’s Yahoo account was hacked

because she used her birthdate as her password - one of the most common

passwords)

• Change your password regularly

• Limit number of third party apps that link to your account

• Beware of phishing scams (this is how AP got hacked)- easy for hackers to

figure out who is using the Twitter account, and the associated email address

• Lock on phone - if lost, can access Twitter app

Burger King - Hacked!

•Burger King - responded quickly, used humour and gained 60,000 new followers

•The social media team managed to gain control fairly quickly, and the following day revelled in the attention they got:

“Interesting day here at BURGER KING, but we’re back! Welcome to our new followers. Hope you all stick around!”

•The AP's communications team quickly tweeted from its own account that the main

AP Twitter was compromised

•AP said the attack on its Twitter account was preceded by a phishing expedition--an

attempt to extract usernames and passwords--that was launched against its

corporate network

Maintaining Trust During an Event

• Don’t go quiet

• Re-release key information at regular intervals

• Recognize community information and contributions

• Consider posting videos of spokespeople on YouTube or other media-sharing sites

• If you make a mistake, acknowledge it publicly and take steps to resolve the situation

Labelling the Reliability of Information

• Where information is unverified, label it #UNCONFIRMED

• Where possible, state the source

of information

• State what action you are taking

(info is currently under investigation)

• Consider the importance of the information

• Do not post details or link to information sources that are not credible at any stage

Labelling the Reliability of Information

• Once information is confirmed, retweet or re-post

• Use #mythbuster hashtag to correct any inaccuracies(used to state FACTS, not state the myth)

Managing Misinformation and Rumors

• Establish yourself as an authoritative source early on -start releasing information early and regularly update

• The community wants to help – if you send out the corrected information, people will want to pass it along

• Online information is self-correcting – for insignificant details, no need to address

• Use the #mythbuster hashtag when using Twitter• Address the misinformation at the source where it was

first reported• If possible, contact the source and

get them to retract and correct

How to Use Twitter #Hashtags in a Crisis

Establish One Main Hashtag

• At the onset of an incident, establish your main hashtag

• 15 characters or less (preferably 10)

• Should be included in every tweet posted during the incident

• You can strategically add other hashtags for specific information

• Gives the public and media a term to follow

The Easier to Read, the Better

• If you string words together, capitalize the first letter of each word (#CrisisCommsInfo)

• Make your hashtag easy to remember and easy to spell

• Keep your hashtags

incident-related

• What term would people search if they wanted to get information on the incident?

More Twips (Twitter Tips)

• Run a Twitter search of your hashtag to be sure it isn’t a general term already in use

• Monitor the hashtag throughout the incident

• Using a hashtag on every tweet produces a stream of information you can monitor

• Your hashtag can also provide

valuable material during your

post-crisis evaluation

Monitor and Respond Accordingly

• Respond to legitimate questions and needs of those using the hashtag

• During a crisis, a hashtag will become a “customer service channel” of sorts

• Have dedicated staff monitoring all your social media channels

• Respond to legitimate requests for information

Twitter Hashtags in EM

• #preparedness - General term for all topics under the preparedness umbrella

• #incidentmanagement - Topics relating to managing an incident from activation to recovery

• #SMEM - Social Media and Emergency Management• #VOST - Virtual Operations Support Teams• #EM - Emergency Management• #Incident - An occurring event. More specific information

may be gathered by utilizing a more detailed hashtag• #Crisis - Crisis management• #HSEM = Homeland Security Emergency Management

Twitter Hashtags in EM

• #businesscontinuity - Information relating to business continuity • #SM - Social Media • #Hazmat - Topics involved with hazardous material • #WX - Weather-Specific Tweets (for state-specific, these will be

preceded by state initials such as #NYWX, #TXWX). #2BeeRdy -Grassroots non-profit movement of Social Media volunteers who've come together to spread the emergency preparedness message.

• #Regulations - Topics associated with local, state, or federal regulations

• #disasterrecovery - General term for all topics related to disaster recovery

• #emergencyplanning - Topics related to emergency planning

#SMEM After An Emergency

SM During the Recovery Phase

• Continue to monitor and maintain sites

• Don’t forget to thank everyone involved, including your SMEM community members

• Evaluate the success of your SM initiatives by:– Reach (number of retweets, shares, queries)

– Information timeliness or query response speed

– Number of myths dispelled/misinformation corrected

– Proportions of positive/negative feedback

– Number of people provided with timely information on medical, food, water and shelter resources

Measuring your SMEM Success

• How well your SM messaging encouraged or discouraged behaviours (eg. Avoidance of dangerous areas, evacuations)

• How well you stuck to original plans

• Number of followers

• Number of other organizations

using your messages

• Number of people citing your messages or channels

Summary

• Social media is here to stay

• If you don’t already have one, start working on a social media component to add to your current Crisis Communications/Emergency Response Plans

• Harness the power of social media to hear and be heard

• If you learn the rules and understand the tools, you can use social media to your great benefit

Questions?

Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP, MBCIPrincipal, SB Crisis Consulting

Toll-free: 1-866-577-7373, ext. 101Cell: 647-825-8744

www.sbcrisisconsulting.com@sbcrisis