Social media can either make or mar businesses, individuals and even celebrities. This is why these individuals and institutions have guidelines to strictly follow when sharing engaging contents on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms. But since it’s humans who manage the accounts, they are prone to make mistakes. Making social media mistakes can be forgiven but the way it is handled is what is key here.
So, what do you do if your organisation shares a wrong or divisive social media content? Jumia travel gathers 5 things you can do to overcome a social media crisis.
Don’t hide mistakes
One way to exacerbate a social media mistake is by hiding it and act as if there was no mistake at all. In other words, your social media manager ignores it. Damage control should be the ultimate after such an error. You can do this by apologising or admitting your mistake. Importantly, ensure you correct the mistakes in another post or tweet.
Review automated post
Most brand line up social media contents for it to be posted in the future. Sometimes, the content of these posts may not be relevant to the current situation. And it is already live. To prevent this tragedy from happening again, it is advisable to always or intermittently review automated posts.
Rebuild your image
Social media can damage your image and at the same time rebuild your image. So, don’t neglect your image after a social media disaster. You can float a campaign whereby your followers will win gifts or amazing discounts. This may take time but it actually works.
Establish a social media policy
If you don’t a social media policy and if you just suffered a social media disaster, you should introduce it in your organisation. The policy will ensure that your organisation is flawlessly represented online. In addition, the policy will spell the rules and regulations for posting content.
Avoid thoughtless reaction
A thoughtless reaction will ultimately worsen your social media mistake. It is better to just keep quiet if you have knee-jerk response. But if you are serious about resolving the crisis, ensure that you have a response that is crisp, impeccable and straight to the point!
