In this technological age, social media has become an integral part of running a successful business. Brands are eagerly connecting with customers online but may not be prepared to respond to a crisis online. The COVID-19 pandemic that caught everyone by surprise has showcased that some companies were not prepared with a Social Media Crisis Management Strategy.

In these unprecedented times, it is crucial to reevaluate your company’s Strategy for handling your online presence during a crisis.

Your customers will be looking to you for guidance and updates on the ever-evolving situation. A study done by Pentland Analytics has shown that a brand who handles a crisis quickly and professionally has seen an increase of 20% in their average value, whereas a poor response yielded a decrease of 30%.

Outlined below are three important questions you need to ask yourself at this critical time to determine if your response to this crisis on social media is helping you or hindering you.

1. How have you been affected?

The first step in Crisis Communications during this pandemic is taking a moment to realize that business is NOT operating as usual.

Many retail businesses have been forced to shut their doors and other businesses have seen a reduction in hours. Together, this has caused massive layoffs. Even if your business’s hours have been unaffected, your customers’ lives have been.

There is less spending occurring as consumers are concerned over when their next paycheck will come. By operating as ‘business as usual’, you risk losing consumers as they will not find your content relevant.

2. Is your planned content still relevant?

Many companies have carefully pre-planned content that they will post on their social media platforms. It’s important that you take the time to go through all your planned posts and determine if your message is still relevant to your audience.

Remember that you are experiencing the same events as your customers are- they are also worried, hesitant and uncertain. This will help you determine which posts need to be changed.

Eliminate posts that may increase community panic. Be sure to keep your customers updated on how this pandemic is affecting your hours or availability of product but keep the message as positive as possible.

Providing content that speaks to your customers’ current needs will ensure that your online presence remains relevant and valuable during these difficult times.

3. Are you staying informed?

A benefit of social media is that you can monitor the evolving situation right from your own home. This will help you stay informed as to what is going on in the market while you are physically distanced from your customers and competitors.

Keep up to date on your competitors’ actions. They will also be posting updates on social media. Watch for their updates so you can ensure you stay competitive.

Keep up to date on your audience. You can utilize keyword searches and trending hashtags to stay up to date on the issues that are most important to your audience. This will help you tailor your message to stay relevant to their needs.

Also keep up to date on latest pandemic updates. Policies that affect businesses are changing every day, both federally and provincially. By monitoring these updates, you can keep your customers informed and ensure you are not providing false information.

Monitor your content constantly to ensure that your messages are staying relevant and truthful. Businesses who can adapt to the needs of their audience will become more valued while companies who ignore the changing needs of the market will quickly get swept behind the competition.

At Xciting Media, we offer different kind of Social Media assistance, from monitoring the market for current trends to ensuring your brand is staying relevant to your target audience.