THE NEGATIVE IMAGE
Crises in the digital world can be an opportunity for brands! One of the great fears of brands when entering the digital world is still easy exposure to negative comments and criticisms. ‘What if the image of my brand is denigrated?’ It is a question that still haunts many entrepreneurs and that must be demystified. The risk they take in the digital world is the same as they take in the real world. Of course, they are more exposed, but networks are not the source of the problem.
Most of the time, the fact that the brand is not present on social networks, for example, does not mean that it will stop criticism or negative comments. On the contrary. It will be more difficult to monitor what is said about it. People will continue to give their opinion on their personal and other pages. They just won’t do it with the brand. And the brand, without knowing what is going on, will not be able to manage the crisis and substantiate its positioning. Is this negative impact not even greater?
WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY?
It is necessary to know how to take advantage of the opportunities that the digital world gives us and gain ground on consumers’ screens. Having a well-defined communication strategy is critical to success. It is necessary to put aside amateurism and seriously and rigorously manage our online presence. Not having a strategy that allows the integration of digital communication in brand communication is much more painful for brands, than any crisis they may experience in the online environment.
An outlined strategy and awareness of presence on social networks, for example, allows them to be managed more effectively. Critical analysis cannot be done with a “hot head”. It has to be thoughtful, but at the same time fast enough to stop the message. It is essential to define rules. Have a crisis management plan prepared to activate quickly if necessary.
ACT? OR REACT?
The importance of defining a Crisis Management Plan.
The definition of a Crisis Management Plan allows us to keep a cool head at the crucial moment and streamline everything without losing consistency and focus.
The transparency of the brand must be a clear bet, as well as the relationship with consumers. Ignoring should never be a way of dealing with the problem.
THE 10 QUESTIONS …
Create a check list with 10 points not to forget. If you answer all of them, then you are ready:
- Do I have a quick and effective response channel (less than 24 hours)?
- Can I identify different ‘crisis levels’? It is essential to define the response process in each one.
- Who, within the company, will respond depending on the level of the crisis?
- How will the answer be given? Public? Private? Referring to telephone contact?
- Do I always answer? Yes. Unless it’s a strategy not to. The faster we respond, the better the page performance.
- Do I have a Disclaimer / Legal Notice that regulates the proper functioning of the page?
- When do we delete a comment? Political war and situations provided for in the disclaimer example.
- In other less pleasant situations, how to act? After responding to its author, we can hide this way, only its author and circle of friends will be able to see it. Minimizing the impact on the page.
- When to ban a profile? Always for strategic reasons, evaluating the benefit / cost for the page.
- Monitoring. Am I prepared to follow events in real time?
HOW TO DO THIS MANAGEMENT?
The management of these criteria must be done cautiously in order to protect the page’s reputation. The management and maintenance of social networks should aim at a array of actions in a coherent and organized way in order to achieve the outlined objectives.
Increase the number of page followers (likes), increase the number of shares among page followers, increase visibility through the organic and paid reach of publications, make pages appealing, increase page dynamics in a coherent and structured way, create interconnection with various agents and managing comments, messages and criticisms are some of the actions that cannot fail in the strategy.
Crises in the digital world can be an opportunity for brands!