The Internet, Social Media and Crisis Communications

Prepare for Social Media Crises and Manage Them When They Occur

Presented by

David KalsonKalson Communications, LLC

Beacon Advisors

April 5, 2017

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Social Media Crises — Fast, Global and Powerful

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WHAT IT DID WRONG WHICH LET TO…

Slow to respond humanelyEnraged customers, thought leaders and celebrities - all

w/o facts

Delayed giving full explanation Frustrated people more

WHAT IT DID RIGHT WHICH LED TO…Issued statement; then

kept quiet Crisis now in past

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Crisis Communications Then

CrisisOrganization’s Crisis Team

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People may know about the crisis before the organization. Or they can create the crisis.

Organization’s Crisis Team

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Social Media - a Double-Edged Sword

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Social Media - a Double-Edged Sword

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All Crises Have a Social Media Component

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The Rise of Shared (Social) Media

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SocialMedia

source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

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Brands and Reputations Hijacked on Social Media

Taco Bell employee posted photo of an employee licking the tacos.

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Domino’s Crisis Timeline Shows the SPEED of an Internet Crisis

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~ Saturday: Errant employees post videos on YouTube supposedly showing how they purposely contaminate food

Monday: Domino’s Alerted

Tuesday: Employees fired. No official response.

Wednesday: Domino’s launches social media program

Media firestorm quickly follows

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Sometimes Companies Create Their Own Social Media Crises

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40,000+ Negative Posts in 48 hours

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Deleted negative posts More enraged people

Used same statement repeatedly

Frustrated people; company appeared callous

ArgumentativeEncouraging more

opponents, including lawyers, to join fray

Didn’t know when to be quiet Prolonged crisis

What It Did Wrong Which led to…

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What We Learn from United Airlines and Applebee’s

• Social Media users don’t know all the facts; see what they want to see

• SM users are reactive

• Individual reactions could quickly grow into organized opposition

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Social Media Strategies Before It Hits the Fan

A Crisis Plan is a Shield

that must have a Social Media Component

BUT, a Strong Brand with Proactive Social Media is a much superior shield.

Ordinary brand vs. STRONG BRAND

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Strong Brands’ Advantages in a Crisis

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2. Project humanity

3. Employees support

4. CSR

5. Leadership

Social Media reinforces these attributes

1. Have customer loyalty

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Transparency vs. Need to control info

Engagement vs. Risks of increased scrutiny

But It’s a Balancing Act

Strong Brands Develop Social Media Guidelines for Employees

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You’ll need:Experienced communicator w/ • good judgment and humanity • who coordinates social media strategy w/ other communications channels

• who moves messy exchanges off line

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Develop Your Social Media Presence

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Brainstorm Specific Social Media Crisis Scenarios

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• A flash flood makes your tailings pond overflow; toxins may have leached into ground water.

for example:

• Employee’s video alleging sexual harassment by management goes viral.

• A fire temporarily stops production in your B2B company causing competitors to aggressively court your customers.

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Before a Crisis: Listen and Selectively Engage

At which point do social media discussions indicate a problem?

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• # of Negative Posts, Views, Tweets, blogs, etc. within 24 hours

• Is the number growing?

– Problem level: • Minor – 1-3 negative comments • Moderate – 3-10 negative comments • Major – 10+ comments

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Determine the point at which online discussions indicate a problem

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When it hits here

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During a Social Media Crisis

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• Respond selectively, but quickly

• Thoughtful, calm, personal replies

• Empathize

• Move negative conversations offline when possible

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During a Social Media Crisis

• Apologize when warranted; avoid passive voice

• Speak WITH not TO

• Take advantage of multi-media

• Follow-through with promises

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Coordinate Crisis Messaging On Social Media and Traditional Media Platforms

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SHAREDMEDIA

OWNEDMEDIA

EARNED MEDIA

PAIDMEDIA

Case Study: Chipotle

NEGATIVES• Hit by series of E.

coli and norovirus cases.

• >100 customers in 9 States were sickened.

• Stock fell 41 percent in the first 12 months.

POSITIVES• A strong brand• Took strong actions • Engaged

strategically in social media

Case Study: Chipotle

“… The fact that anyone has become ill eating at Chipotle is completely unacceptable to me and I am deeply sorry.”

Empathy

Case Study: Chipotle

“As a result, we are committed to becoming known as the leader in food safety…

I want to share with our customers specifics about some of the significant steps we are taking to be sure all of the food we serve is as safe as it can be. …”

-- Steve Ells, Chipotle Co-CEO, Chairman and Founder in a letter to customers

Engages directly with customers

A leader taking actions

Terri Wolf“Thank you for the wonderful food and gifts you provided for Nurses Week. The food was wonderful and the support that Chipotle … showed us will not be forgotten! Choose Chipotle!”

Chipotle Mexican Grill“Teachers, enjoy a burrito on us. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day on May 3rd, we’re inviting all educators with faculty IDs.…”

Continues to project humanity on social media during its crisis

11/3/2015:

“…The company announced it has taken a number of steps in the aftermath of the crisis, including….”

News coverage includes company’s crisis messages

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AFTER THE CRISIS

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Back to being a fan

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After the Crisis

• Use social media to help rebuild lost reputation

• Develop social media metrics to assess overall crisis response

• Amend and test plans, including your online crisis communications

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•Understand Social Media as a double-edged sword

• Develop a Strong Shield against crises w/ a Strong Brand

• Be on Social Media; listen and selectively respond.

• Project authentic humanity and leadership

Recap …

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“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

— T. Roosevelt

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“Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer.”

— Muhammad Ali

THE END

© David KalsonBeacon Advisors

&Kalson Communications, LLC

david@KalsonCommunications.com(917) 239-7393

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A recent survey released by small business insurer Nationwide Property & Casualty revealed…

•Almost eight out of ten small businesses do not have a cyber-attack response plan in place.

• This is despite 63% of them being victims of cyber attacks.

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Crisis Communications Now

Crisis

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