The Role of Psychology in a Social Media Crisis
One of the large parts of professional social media management is the role of a crisis.
When something urgent and negative happens, people feel emotionally compelled to share information without necessarily evaluating the truth of that information. This is particularly so when someone is 1) physically or effectively close to the disaster, 2) tending to think about themselves rather than thinking of others, and 3) experiencing negative emotions from reading the information.
It may seem obvious, but it’s still important that it’s been studied and proven, that our tendency to share information during a crisis is based on self-centered emotional release rather than the benefit of others.
Earlier this year, my colleague at Social Media Beast wrote an article for businesses dealing with Social Media crises. These are truly perilous situations if handled incorrectly. Whatever legitimate negative publicity kicked the mess off is bad enough without the additional Social Media wildfire of rumor, speculation and trolling.
Dig This Well Before You’re Thirsty
Though it’s hard for many to see it this way, these times of emotional frenzy can also be opportunities to test and strengthen your brand and place you top-of-mind if handled authentically and deftly.
Here are some key points from my colleague Katie’s article:
1) Have a plan. Obvious, but yet everyone gets caught flat-footed and plan-less.
2) Already have a structure in place that allows for consistent monitoring and rapid response.
3) Move quickly, but without defensiveness or any other attitude that would inflame the situation. Remember that, as we said above, triggering readers’ emotions will only cause more tweeting-sans-thinking.
4) Become a go-to resource for the kind of information and service that defuses tension.
5) Keep learning. Revise your plan so the next one is handled smoother.
After spending over 10 years in marketing, I’ve been personally involved in several situations where an angry customer became a product evangelist when the responsiveness and customer service were truly worthy.