Quite simply, Yes. Are you geared up to handle a crisis unfolding online? We take a methodical approach of listening to online conversations (e.g. blogs, forums, newsgroups, social networks, etc.) to understand what’s being said about brands and products to make an informed response. We are ready to participate in the conversation, amplify the positive, correct misinformation and address issues, are you? We cannot afford to sit back as a crisis unfolds. There’s a digital explosion in the region and unless digital media is embraced and online conversations monitored at best you’ll be left behind, at worst gain a damaged brand/reputation and decreasing sales.
Before the Internet, companies had the relative luxury of managing crises in 24-hour news cycles. Today, crises escalate instantaneously as hundreds of thousands of posts on blogs, within forums, social networks, newsgroups and wikis are created every half second.
We call this phenomenon the “half-second news cycle.” Traditional crisis management approaches, developed prior to digital media, must be adapted to manage crises effectively. The days when stories took hours to print are over. Today, news is published as it occurs. Bad news persists punishing companies slow to react. Living in a “half-second news cycle” offers both tremendous risks and unlimited opportunities for communications professionals. To avoid risks and leverage rewards, we must be prepared to engage a new set of rules.
A number of crisis situations initially escalated online include the well documented Kryptonite Lock crisis. In 2004, Benjamin Running had brand new bike wheels stolen and set out to figure out why. He discovered he could open his “break proof” Kryptonite Lock with a plastic pen and posted his findings in a major bike forum. When Kryptonite’s call center was not responsive, Mr. Running posted video proof online. As a result, the smart mob spread the news rapidly and eventually it ended up in mainstream media. Twenty days later Kryptonite announced a recall and replacement program and a loss of $10 million. Funnily enough now Kryptonite monitors online conversations and has relationships with digital influencers.
Companies must understand online conversations happen around their brand and be able to respond rapidly and transparently via the same digital media channels through which news is spread by smart mobs. Smart mobs are groups of people organized by communications and technology who co-operate in order to achieve a common goal, such as attacking a corporation on an issue important to them. Communications professionals need to develop strategies and tactics to respond early. Business issues and corporate crises can and do escalate instantaneously online and the impact on reputations can last indefinitely. Why? Because we live in a digital world and need to wake up to it or face the consequences. The Internet and digital media have dramatically compressed the time companies have to respond. With the diversity of communications channels, PR teams must confront the increased complexities of protecting their clients.
But how? Here are some new rules to manage crisis situations starting with 24/7 monitoring of digital media—continually monitoring online discussions of their company. You can run, but you can’t hide—ignoring a crisis undermines the company, the smart mob can quickly organize global boycotts and protests. Transparent CEOs—Bloggers and other online communicators tend to post their thoughts based on what they know and believe. They value straight forward, honest information and abhor “corporate speak” and PR double talk. Share the facts as they are gathered—It’s no longer an option to wait and gather all of the facts, the online community won’t wait to interpret the facts and can quickly determine how the story plays out in mainstream media. Break glass and blog— Often the most effective strategy is for a company to share its point of view through its own blog. Embrace the Smart Mob—left to their own devices, bloggers and online influencers will create and prolong conversations you don’t want them to be having. Post, post, post—Once a company decides to enter the online conversation, it must commit to making regular contributions. Nothing draws the ire of fellow bloggers more than a blog that includes outdated and irrelevant information. Clean up search results—The Internet represents a permanent repository for crisis information. We must ensure information includes key messages about the issue.
Your customers are online, be where they are. Your customers are talking about you, listen to them. 84 million blogs and counting. Expressing an opinion is as easy as creating a MySpace account. Customers want candor, transparency and straight talk. Your online reputation impacts sales and media coverage, learn to proactively manage the conversation. News cycles can start from anywhere, a single blog post can have as much power as a print news story. Consumers are now publishers and content providers influencing purchase decisions.
Now ask yourself can you really afford not to engage?
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