You've heard the phrase "it's not what you say…it's how you say it." When it comes to PR and crisis communications, however, both are equally important. Legally, there are certain things a hospital can and cannot say in times of crisis – proper content, tonality, on-point delivery of you message is critical. It's the number one way to do damage control, and this starts well before a negative situation ever arises.
- Fight content with content: One of the powers of social media is its capacity to create loyal brand advocates. These are your strongest allies: voices that can balance emerging negative messaging with a reminder of your strengths. Keep conversations alive and thriving all throughout the year. Think interactivity when you post, sparking contributions from followers. This critical mass will be worth gold in a PR crisis and add brand value overall.
- Act authentically: Some institutions struggle with social media adoption for fear of opening the door to criticism. Think of it another way. Where else but online can you instantly and publicly demonstrate your responsiveness to a challenging situation? The naysayers will naysay regardless. By leveraging social media with integrity, you attain the opportunity for your voice to be heard. Apologize if apologies are appropriate. Speaking of which, it is tempting to delete negative comments on your social feeds, but resist. If you delete, they will only come back stronger.
- Engage publicly then try to move the conversation offline: When responding to a negative post, include a way for the poster to engage you offline. Send the poster a private message with direct email and phone contact information. Offering ways for the poster to contact you privately may help you redirect the negativity to a private setting where the poster will feel that their concerns are truly being acknowledged.
- Listen for negativity
- Engage the negativity
- Move the conversation
- Find a solution
- Timing is everything: Decision making during a crisis should be swift and smart. Think in advance about foreseeable problems. Be forthright in your communications, and be brave. It is far better to show that you are proactively handling a challenge and to let your voice be heard. Otherwise, the story is owned exclusively by the community. Also, be ready to act quickly. Messages spread around the clock, socially, which means you cannot always plan around news cycles.
Let's be honest: no one wants a crisis, and they typically emerge unexpected. However, the ball is in your court. It has been proven time and again that organizations with continually updated, proactive crisis management strategies backed by training and continual testing perform better when the time comes.
NOTE – In the article that follows, we could write about policies for employee social media use and opportunities to turn internal employees as positive brand PR agents.
