Maryland Social Media

Social Media Monday (Vol. 5, No. 3)

February 9, 2015

Crisis Communications in Social

Have you been following the continuing saga of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and his mis-remembering of riding in a helicopter that was either a) hit by fire, b) behind the one hit by fire c) on vacation in Bali dreaming of being hit by gunfire while flying in a helicopter? We may not find ourselves managing a crisis like the one facing NBC News but issues arise in state government that need to be managed in crisis mode. Do you have a plan?

Here are some steps that you may want to consider BEFORE a crisis happens:

What possible scenarios may arise and how can they be managed?
How can we demonstrate the seriousness of the issue?
If an apology is warranted, be sure to post it immediately and accept responsibility. Craft a release and post it on your website and direct your social posts to the release.
Allow people to express their feelings.
Follow the conversation closely and respond only when necessary.

Be honest with your audience. Mistakes happen, especially in large organizations and you will be able to retain your credibility by simply being forthright with your followers.

HootSuite Enterprise

Many of our press offices have seen changes in the past month. If you know of a seat holder within our Enterprise platform that is no longer working in your communications shop, please let me know. In addition, if there is a new face managing your social media efforts, send me their name and email address so that we can include them on our state HootSuite Enterprise team.

Extend Your Reach By Sharing Your Campaign Information Here

Remember that Social Media Monday is the place where you are able to share important agency campaigns with your fellow state social media managers. Many of our communication teams are unable to carve off funds for social ad campaigns so our combined reach becomes a powerful tool to gain organic reach.

Send me the details of the campaign along with links and suggested posts as early as possible so that we can disperse the information early and often.