Think Before You TweetCrisis Communications in an Era of

Got-to-Have Information

New York, Oct. 26, 2011

How a Social Media Crisis Begins

http://adage.com/article/adages/kenneth-cole-tweets-egypt/148643/

Swift Backlash — What Do You Do?

1. Don’t panic

2. Assess the situation

3. Go to your social media policy

4. Quickly assemble response team

Case Study #1: The Melting Pot

Team Member Chatter

SM Team Member Chatter

@TheMeltingPot. Restaurant’s dead. Thank God Gray’s Anatomy comes on tonight.

Working at The Melting Pot all weekend.. by the end of next week I will more than likely be down to 1 job. #fXXXthefoodserviceindustry

Back to The Melting Pot. because 12.5 hours yesterday wasn’t enough.

Ugh just got a w2 from The Melting Pot and now I owe 65 dollars in taxes instead of 35. Fml

im working at The Melting Pot... Appears to be a slow night

Deadly slow night at The Melting Pot... Queue bird chirping.

SM Guest Recovery

I went to the X Melting Pot on Sunset last night. Service was slower than usual and they charge almost double for the food now, everything is ala carte and there is so much less food than you used to get. I thought restaurants tried to attract people during rough economic times? I have been going every 3 - 6 months for the last 15 years but I am so disappointed I don't think I will ever go back.

@themeltingpot RUINED my Valentine's day! Was my favorite restaurant but now won't go to @themeltingpot again!! Sad and angry.

#themeltingpot is OVERRATED! $170 dinner for 2 w/no drinks n u cook ur own meat. wtf?! #fail #neveragain

Crisis: Burn Situation

Crisis: Food Borne Illness

@wyattXXXX: Resting and getting over this food poisoning... I should have cooked my meat longer last night at the Melting Pot.

Case Study #2: PRSA

Challenge: Managing Crises for PR Industry

http://adage.com/article/adages/kenneth-cole-tweets-egypt/148643/

Facebook Smear Campaign

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2011-05-06-google_n.htm?loc=interstitialskip

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/facebook-seeks-to-downplay-campaign-against-google/?ref=technology

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-who-bungled-attempt-to-plant-an-anti-google-privacy-story-its-facebook/

PRSA Response

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/PRSA_chairCEO_weighs_in_on_BursonMarsteller_ethics_8232.aspx

Case Study #3: JetBlue Airways

Crisis Example #1

Steven Slater

• Flight attendant who grabbed two beers, popped the emergency slide and exited the aircraft (and his career) in spectacular fashion

Crisis Example #2Hard landing in Sacramento

Crisis Example #3Hurricane Irene — preparation for customers

Get Organized … Fast!Organization of monitoring team

• What actions and response should they take?

• Time frame to make responses?

• Convincing business to support rapid social media response

Using Social Media EffectivelyUsing social media as early warning system

Influencing traditional/mainstream media coverage through effective social media

Be Prepared For a Twitter Crisis

1. Have a team in place

2. Designate monitors and responders

3. Proper procedures

4. Taking action

5. Handling the crisis

6. Post-crisis review

Have a Team in Place Designated monitors and responders

• Make fast assessments of tweets and developing conversations

Communications team

• Notify monitoring team of existing blogger, reporter and online influencer relationships

Legal

• Ready to provide responders with quick message approvals

Marketing departments

• Notify monitoring team of marketing initiatives and product launch

Human Resources

• Work with responders when the concerning conversation came from an employee

Designate Monitors and Responders

These people must be familiar with social media AND your organization / industry

Monitors: Listening to brand and industry conversations Identify and follow key influencers

Bloggers Twitters Reporters

Flag and categorize concerning conversations Notify responder Monitor conversation’s viral-ability for 72 hours Record and report

Responders: Crafts or uses company messages Responds to concerning conversations Understands channel / community rules Conducts online and off-line conversations with influencer Works with Monitoring Team to watch conversation pulse

Proper Procedures Develop a watch list of topics to monitor – evolves over time• Brand and product names• Industry terms and competitors• Influencers with high-authority • Policies or issues

Establish a way to report tweets and developing conversations• Standard email address, via Intranet online form• Notices should be tiered, with guidance on necessary response time

Use tools to monitor conversations and track responses:• The power of the tool lies with the person using the tool and making the assessments.

Taking Action Evaluate each tweet

• What is their perceived authority on the topic? Does it matter?

• How many followers – and who are the followers?• Are they utilizing other online channels? If so, what is their audience in those venues?

• Do they have a previous “track record” with your company or brand?

Take nothing for granted• Is the concern viral in nature? Is it shocking, relatable or real?

• Does it encourage sharing? Does it prompt others to act?

Tracking• Determine if the conversation is growing or appears to be contained.

• If it is gaining momentum, what is the quantity and frequency of conversations?

Handling the Crisis Response considerations:

• Is the concern valid?

• Is another influencer or third-party already correctly and factually addressing the concern?

• Is this a concern that can be addressed through a response or does it necessitate a real-world action?

• Is this a concern that the company or brand wants to address publically?

• When is your target audience active online?

• How quickly can you respond?

• Can you respond with an acknowledgement prior to the final answer?

Post-Crisis Review Keep a detailed record of your responses and the resulting conversation

Conduct a sentiment analysis• Determine when sentiment began to level off to pre-crisis levels

• Identify the factors / responses that resulted in the sentiment swing

Determine if you want to maintain an ongoing relationship with the influencer• Do they have significant reach online?• Do they have a perceived level of high authority?• Do they regularly post about a topic related to your company or brand?

• Do they reach your core audience(s)?• Is there someone internally who will commit to owning the relationship and is enabled to respond and provide answers?

Questions?

Thank You!