Social media risk #3 - Going viral – for the wrong reasons

In this blog post we take a look at 1 of 6 social media risk areas for the public sector and how to handle them. 

RISK #3

Going viral – for the wrong reasons

Crisis will strike

At some point, something is bound to go wrong. It could be anything from an honest misunderstanding to severe product failures. And when crisis strikes – not managing the situation properly or not managing it at all will most likely worsen the situation tremendously. And if you’re unlucky, it might even risk damaging the brand beyond repair.

Be prepared when things do go wrong

Familiarize yourself with PR crisis management measures, and educate your team. Have an escalation and response plan for the eventuality that your organization gets caught in a harsh spotlight.

The 5 things to do in a PR crisis

• Own up to and acknowledge the problem, fast
• Have a clear protocol for who will take the lead
• Provide a holding response until you have full information
• Communicate often, both externally and internally
• Stop all scheduled posts to avoid further missteps