November 14, 2013: As larger slices of our personal lives fall under the microscope of social media, reputation maintenance becomes critical. The Internet, after all, remembers everything, and, to paraphrase Sergeant Friday, anything you write, post, or comment upon can and will be used against you.
But even if you’re discrete, polite, and respectful, you or your firm may be the victim of an online smear. If this happens to you, we advise these 5 steps as part of your recovery plan:
1) Have a plan. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it can be very easy to panic during an online reputation crisis situation and make the problem much worse than it would be if nothing was done. Most organizations have disaster recovery plans in place to ward against fires, hurricanes, and other emergencies. If your organization doesn’t have a plan for an unwanted Social Media storm, you’re unnecessarily exposed, and the time to fix this problem is now – not after the crisis begins.
2) Take time for a time out. If you’re engaged in an online crisis, simply not engaging for a while – say between 48 hours to a week will often give things a chance to calm down. Your online opponents will have a chance to vent and fires denied fuel often die down on their own. As was demonstrated by the Applebee’s fiasco, replying to every post can lead again to unintended consequences and digging one’s self deeper into the hole.
3) Track and log. Constructing a log of information and events both helps you to construct a coherent narrative and establish a paper trail that may be invaluable if and when the matter escalates into a full-blown legal imbroglio.
4) Turn bad into good. As you reengage, note all of the participants and touch points that are part of the crisis. Do not directly engage with the social media participants making false claims – instead, engagement should be with your own social media audience, to whom you will make your case. If your detractors show signs of being rational and safe to engage with, then address their concerns. Often, social media “crises” are often no more than cases of online misunderstanding.
5) Keep it classy. Always, always be polite, reasoned, and humble. No one likes an arrogant, self-righteous jerk, even if they are right – sometimes, especially if they are so. If things get heated, politely disengage. This is absolutely the time to leave sarcasm and hurt feelings at the door.
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