8 Questions to Help You Prepare Your Company For a Social Media Crisis

What obstacles and potential threats does social media present to your company or organization? What are the red flags that mean your company may be under social media or online attack? What is your first response strategy to responding to a potential online threat?

These are all important questions that you should absolutely have defined answers to – before any type of negative situation presents itself online to your brand.

So how do you go about doing this?

The best way to evaluate and prepare for the risk that social media presents to your brand is by means of a vulnerability audit, or a risk assessment. This is a crucial step in your social media crisis plan. How else can you plan for the worst or prevent the preventable if you haven’t assessed all the potential risk that social media and the online world present to your company or organization?

To get you started, the following are 8 questions that your company or organization should have clear and thorough answers to:

• What is a social media crisis, and what does it mean to your company or organization?
• What are the red flags that mean your company is under social media attack?
• How are you currently monitoring, 24/7, for targeted keywords and those “red flags”?
• What risk is involved with your social media and online marketing efforts?
• How should you respond to each particular risk/scenario?
• Who, within your organization, is assigned to respond to negative comments and/or potential crises online?
• What is the current sentiment about your brand online?
• What do your customers and fans expect of you in a crisis and are you prepared to meet those expectations?

A vulnerability audit is essential when it comes to protecting and preparing your company or organization for a social media crisis. Without one, there’s no way that you can completely assess and understand the risk that social media and the web present to your brand, nor will you be able to completely empower your company and your employees to overcome an online attack on your brand.

Consider the above 8 questions and take the time to answer them thoroughly and honestly. These simple 8 questions can go a long way in helping you define what a social media crisis is, and help you prepare and protect your company against future (and possibly current) looming threats.

Remember that these 8 questions are simply the beginning. In order to fully assess all possible risk, vulnerabilities and potential threats, consider hiring a professional to organize and guide your team through a thorough vulnerability audit.