10 Ways to Make Sure a Social Media Crisis Ruins Your Brand’s Reputation

A social media crisis has the power and potential to go viral in mere minutes. It also has the power and potential to bring you closer to your customers and market – or to pull you away, damaging your brand’s reputation beyond repair.

In case the latter is what you desire, follow the following 10 tips to be sure that a social media crisis successfully ruins your brand’s reputation to the fullest of its capabilities!

1. Ignore the social media crisis – it’ll go away on its own.
2. All those people leaving you negative comments, well they’re wrong and they need to be told.
3. Nobody wants to see all those angry comments, may as well delete them and be done with it!
4. Shut your employees out, this crisis is none of their concern.
5. Talk at your customers and fans, not with them – it’s not like their opinion matters.
6. Do the easy thing, reply with “no comment”. They’ll get the message!
7. Who needs a sincere apology? Pffff!
8. Only tell the public what you think they need to hear. The full truth isn’t their business, anyway.
9. Close your computer and turn off all mobile notifications. Who cares what people are saying about you?
10. Say whatever you need to say in order to get you out of the crisis. It doesn’t matter if you really mean it or not.

On the other hand, if you’d rather protect and preserve the business and reputation you’ve worked so hard to achieve, then doing the complete opposite of each one of the above tips will help you guide your company through a social media crisis, while continuing to build (or rebuild) both the relationship you share with your market, and your brand’s reputation.

What other “smart moves” have you seen companies do in the midst of a crisis? Share your sarcasm with me below!