BEN NIMMO
Founder and CTO, SocialSignIn
SOCIAL MEDIA
Amplify Messages From Official Bodies
4
Police forces, government sources, and service partners often provide the official line on developing
crisis situations. Sharing and amplifying posts from these bodies ensures the information being circulated is reliable and appropriate for the wider public, and provides meaningful social media content. Andrew Purchase, Senior Communications Manager from West Midlands Combined Authority says this is a key part of their strategy. “Staying in close contact with operators in the
Update Content Regularly 6
Websites are likely to see a rise in visits during crisis scenarios as people
look to official channels for answers. Sheik explains why updating website content regularly is essential: “Ensuring the correct and most up-to-date information is readily available on our website and on social is crucial. We point customers with straight- forward enquiries to this information, freeing up more time to respond to the more complex or urgent enquiries.”
Having a defined, documented and well-rehearsed social media strategy, which supports and enhances a wider communications plan, is key.”
region during incidents allows us to better understand what’s going on at ground level and what the needs of customers are. They also help us to maintain the information available so it is the most up to date. To complement this, we share operator information on social media, as well as publish our own content around the incident, to position us as a reliable, up-to-date, one-stop-shop for public transport information in the West Midlands.”
Engage Proactively With Audiences
5
As enquiries increase during incidents, it’s important to move away from solely reactive action. Kayla Sheik,
Head of Social Customer Services at Virgin Trains, outlines their proactive strategy: “In crisis scenarios, our messaging and social listening switch from a more reactive to proactive approach. We focus on prioritising inbound messages in real-time and processing and actioning information available with accurate social listening.”
Factor In Additional Resources 7
During Storm Doris, Virgin Trains received around 8000 messages in one day, significantly above their
usual average of 1445 per day. Setting aside a plan of action to bring in more resources, including factoring in time for training and providing additional equipment, is crucial to ensuring important messages aren’t missed and the organisation is responding in a timely way.
Little Details, Such As Language, Really Matter
8
When planning your content consider every detail, including the language and tone you’re using, to dictate
how your messages are interpreted by your audiences. David Bailey, Senior Communications Manager at Staffordshire Police, considers this carefully: “The language we choose to describe activity is important. For example, ‘we are responding to reports
of….’ is regularly used. This phrase communicates that we are finding out more, without causing too much alarm. What we need to avoid in crisis situations is losing the position of trust built up over years of successful communications with the public.”
Out Of Hours Is Just As Important As Standard Operating Hours
9
The flurry of activity and messages won’t stop when your standard operating hours end. If a crisis begins
out of hours, there needs to be a backup plan. Organise employees to take shifts, or provide on-the-go resources so employees can continue to work at home. Caveney from comms2point0 explains why this is so important: “Don’t let your out of hours response be the single point of failure – “oh Dave is on call this weekend so he’ll pick it up.” Don’t assume. Pre-prepare for what will happen in the event of a weekend crisis landing – think who, what, where, when, and how so that panic doesn’t kick in. This should all be clearly laid out in your organisation’s emergency or business continuity plan and make sure this plan is reviewed at least once a year, especially as staff come and go.”
Invest In The Right Technology 10
Is your organisation investing in technology that supports effective social media communications? There’s
no point having a clear strategic plan if you are not able to execute it when it matters most. Social media management platforms, like SocialSignIn, are specifically-designed to help you deal with a high volume of inbound messages, effectively. The social listening capabilities built into many management platforms will also give you early visibility on a developing situation, allowing you to be on the front foot with your response.
socialsignin.net
55 issue 31 spring 2018
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