Any good business leader knows the first step in a Crisis management strategy is always anticipate. Sure, now that we are in the midst of a crisis like no one has ever seen before, it is not helpful to draw attention to a weakness (like, maybe you never created a plan to manage a crisis in the first place). So I won’t go over all of the steps to take in crisis management that occur in the pre-crisis timeframe.
Assuming you have a crisis management plan or not, it is probably safe to say, by now, you’ve realized the importance of social media during a crisis. Communication is the lifeblood of effective crisis management. People want to be in the loop up to the second, from the moment they’re up brewing coffee. Give the people what they want! Consistent cadence, concise communication.
If you don’t already know who your audience is, or maybe you haven’t thought about it concretely before, think about this first. Who are they, and what tone and information are essential to them? Once you know who your audience is, commit (to yourself and your customers) that you will touch base with them publicly at least once a day during the crisis, plus as needed when any breaking news that affects your business or audience occurs.
When you have laid these parameters out, then you need to have a plan each day for the things that are critical for you to express to your follower base. Even if you’re thinking, “What could I possibly have to say to my customers each day?” believe me, there’s no shortage of appropriate things for you to share with them.
It’s the responsible and thoughtful thing to stay present in the conversation during a crisis. Then, when business does go back to usual in the future, you will have remained top of mind to customers throughout a time when you couldn’t necessarily be selling to them in the traditional sense. To further drive this point, they’ll also likely view you as a company that cares and is diligently serving their customers, no matter the conditions. Perhaps you could even convert casual customers to loyal customers for life based on your actions and communication in a crisis.
If you now understand that being vocal during a crisis is required, let me offer some tips and strategies you can use starting as soon as today! Like I mentioned before, you should commit to touching base with your customers once a day. What channel works best? That all depends on who your customer is. Here is a handy table from the Pew Research Center that breaks down data of the use of different online platforms, as broken down by demographic groups.
