The rug has been pulled from under our feet. We’re all taking it day by day – but all have concerns about our businesses and jobs, homeschooling, the economy. It is all so much.
So how do you approach your social media in times of crisis? There is no “one size fits all” but I have put together a social media in crisis checklist which is available through my website –rock-social.com to help with keeping your key marketing channels alive with the right kind of content.
Pause
Take stock of the situation. What is happening and how can it potentially influence your business? Speed wins in a crisis – but hastily made decisions do not. Stop all your pre-scheduled social media posts, e-mail sequences, newsletters and blog posts until you have the chance to go through them.
Pull Out Your Crisis Communication Plan
Don’t have one? You are not alone, 1 in 4 do not have one with startups being the big offenders. Almost 40% only review theirs once a year – which in this fast-moving landscape is the equivalent of letting your plan gather dust and quickly become archaic. Check out this template for putting together a crisis communication plan here.
Continue Running Social Media
Continue running your social media. Now is not the time to go quiet on your main marketing channels. Let your customers know you are here and what you can do for them. The caveat is…. be mindful of strategy, messaging and tone of voice. Before anything, put out a company statement. Be transparent,honest and have empathy but most of all 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Publish the statement on your website, abridged on social media and pin at top on social media accounts. This is a time-saver you can always point customers back to it.
Get into the mind of your customer. The better you know their needs, the better you can serve them – even in a crisis. Social media is a great business intelligence channel – start conversations, engage, ask questions.
Should you even engage in C-word conversations? The answer to this tricky question is: it depends. It depends on your brand, positioning and values. If it goes in line with all of those and it will serve your brand then yes. But the risk is to be seen as “jumping on the Corona bandwagon”.
Should You Advertise?
Right now ad revenue is down for everyone from Facebook to Twitter and the increased use of social media due to lockdown and quarantines means it’s where your potential customers are, so in a sense, this is an excellent time to leverage on that and get a higher reach for a lower cost. The choice is yours. You know your brand best. But pay attention to your advertising strategy and craft the ad copy with care.
Whatever you do be human. No one needs another faceless business right now. Provide value. Solve pain points. Do more Lives and behind the scenes. Have honest and transparent conversations. “People buy from people, not brands” has never been more true. We are all humans after all, with the same worries and concerns and we are in this together.
Social media in times of crisis requires a deft touch.
