It’s important to have a list of “Do’s” within your social media policy and your social media crisis plan. It’s equally important to have a list of “Do NOTs”. Why? Because often, listing the “Do NOTs” is much more direct and to the point than listing the Do’s – and when we’re talking about the manner in which your employees should be interacting with your market online, whether in a crisis or not, direct and to the point offers some major benefits. Not everybody is capable of reading between the lines and when it comes to your online reputation, certain things should not be left to misinterpretation.
The following is a list of specific “Do NOTs” for your employees in a social media crisis. Feel free to pick and choose the one’s that apply to your company or organization as a starting point:
- Do NOT guess, speculate or lie at any time
- Do NOT make promises that potentially cannot be kept or met
- Do NOT ignore any incoming inquiries, comments or negative discussions
- Do NOT respond to incoming inquiries, tweets, posts, questions or other, unless authorized to do so
- Do NOT argue, get emotional or take on a defensive approach at any time when communicating with the public online
- Do NOT discuss the crisis or its details within personal social media accounts
- Do NOT blame or take responsibility until all facts are available and, only if/when authorized to do so
- Do NOT speak to any media, whether online or traditional, unless directly authorized and trained to do so
- Do NOT be afraid or intimidated to request to be stood down if, at any time, you feel overwhelmed or incompetent
What have I missed?
What other “Do NOTs” do you feel important to include within your social media crisis plan?
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Do NOT not keep your fans/followers updated with key find as you find all of the facts.
It's a definitely a rule, though I would advise against the "Not not", simply because it's not clear enough and risks being overlooked or misinterpreted. This particular "rule" should be a part of the direct crisis comms procedures.
But definitely an important one to include 😉 Thanks Cassandra!
Do NOT necessarily delete comments (e.g. Facebook, blog, etc.) unless authorized to do so. (unless that's considered under do NOT ignore, maybe…)
And…
Do NOT forget to read this blog often. 😉
I definitely love your second "do NOT"! 😉
As for the first, it depends on your own preferences and need for clarification. Though your crisis plan should have a procedures section for responding to both negative and unacceptable comments.
Thanks for the input (and great compliment), Dave!
Have a fabulous week!