Social Media Mishaps in the event of a disaster
So, your grid is worthy of being hung on the wall and you’ve prescheduled your posts weeks, maybe months in advance and then a natural disaster hits or something unforeseen happens in the world. Take our recent bushfires for example. You’ve scheduled a post of a beautiful couple roasting marshmallows by the fire. Normally, a perfect snap, right now, a PR nightmare.
The minute you see a problem unfolding, do not hesitate, jump online and check your prescheduled posts immediately to ensure you are not providing insensitive content in regard to the situation at hand.
The last thing your organisation needs is to be projected onto a university screen as a “What NOT to do?”, in their Issues Management class. You can do yourself irreparable damage and it will cost you thousands if not millions of dollars dependent on your reaction. The good news is it can be easily avoided or managed in the right hands.
Our recommendation is that if one accidentally slips through the net, take it down immediately and decide whether it is worth making a public comment.
This will really depend on the size of your audience and if you have a loyal following or one that can be quite turbulent. It is also dependent on how long the post has been up and how much coverage the disaster is getting. We are totally across this kind of public relations and have an in-house issues management specialist that can help you navigate this rough terrain and gain the support of your followers once again on social media and help you repair your reputation if required.
You need to remember that social media management is a 24 hour a day job and you need to be completely abreast of what’s happening in the world and in your industry at all times and when you need to clock off, which of course we all do, put someone else in charge of it. It’s not worth the risk.
These things happen, disaster occurs and it's only natural that all of us will face this predicament at some time or another, that’s not the problem, it's how you handle it that counts.
Need help managing your reputation or ensuring your issues management plan can handle any situation, contact us today.
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