Social Media in a Crisis

An excellent article here details the effective way that the start-up company Buffer dealt with a crisis. When hackers interrupted their normal services, Buffer staff used Twitter, Facebook, and their blog to communicate with their users and assure them that appropriate measures were being taken to deal with the problem.

By mitigating outrage with an open, honest line of dialogue, Buffer reputation seems to have suffered minimally in the wake of the hacking.

On the other hand – Despite what this article implies, you can not simply rely on social media during times of crisis. While it is true that this connection with consumers can help promote recovery and give the brand more control over their message. The media needs to be applicable to the company. If the medium is irrelevant or does not contact the right audience – then it is wasted time. There’s nothing wrong with old media. So, don’t be too narrow in approach.

You can do courses in related to using social media in a crisis. Just (before using your new skills) answer these questions:

1. What media is relevant to the organisation?
2. How do you want to build an audience, ?
3. How frequently will you post?
4. What type of content will you be posting?

Then, you’ll be ready to engage with your public and get involved in a dialogue with various people.