Your Social Media Crisis Management and Prevention Checklist for 2013

2012 saw a lot of social media crises and issues take shape. Some were handled extremely well, and others were handled so poorly that the rest of us were left scratching our heads saying “what were they thinking?!!” No matter what, one thing’s for sure: these online issues gave us all some great examples and lessons to learn from.

So what does this mean for you in 2013?

What should you and your company or organization be doing with all of the knowledge gained from the online crises of 2012? You should take them as a lesson and learn from them!

To help you better do that, I’ve compiled a list of must-do’s for each and every company and organization, no matter your industry type or company size, in 2013. One of your main focuses this year, sans faute, should be to understand the risks that social media and the Internet present to your brand’s reputation, in order to prevent the preventable and prepare for the unpreventable.

Consider the following as a checklist to get you started in the right direction. I can’t stress enough just how important this is for you to do. In this day and age of many risks and threats, you’d better believe that you have two choices: be safe or be sorry.

Here’s how you can be safe:

• Focus on building credible and real relationships with your clients, prospective clients and fans, online
• Actively monitor your online reputation 24/7/365
• Dedicate some time to conducting a vulnerability audit (or risk assessment), in order to detect crisis-vulnerable-areas within your organization that need strengthening
• Empower your team with the knowledge, tools and motivation to be your brand’s biggest advocates – this can go a very long way!
• Develop policies and procedures for identifying, responding to and resolving all types of social media issues and crises that may arise over the course of the next year
• Focus on your brand and executives’ online reputation. (Here’s a resource to get you started on that)

* For more information on why your CEO and executives should consider being active on social media, click here

In 2013 you have no excuse not to be aware and protected – or at least well-prepared. 2012 was a huge wake-up call to many companies and organizations across the globe, and if you think the risks will decrease in 2013, well, they won’t. So use the above as a guide to identify areas within your company or organization that may need strengthening, and take proactive control of your brand’s online reputation – today!

If you need any help or guidance with the above mentioned checklist, don’t hesitate to contact Agnes + Day. You can learn more about us and the services we offer, here.