Dealing in Crisis Mode

We've all been there before, either as a consumer or as someone running the show. A customer puts out a negative comment about your service, your product or your offensive ad campaign and a series of comments, news clips and negative vibes ensue.

How do you deal with a crisis (be it little or big) in your company? Do you respond to every negative comment you hear about? Do you ignore it all completely?

The big complaint on Twitter today comes from C.C. Chapman, author of "Content Rules," about a little video Ragu put out that, in Chapman's view, sends a negative message about Dads (I thought it was equally offensive to Moms). And besides the fact that you should never try to super-segment your audience (which, in this case, Ragu did), the company has yet to respond to Chapman's complaints.

You can view Chapman's thoughts (and the Ragu video) here.

It doesn't really matter if you think Ragu's particular campaign was funny, offensive or boring. Someone with a very large social media reach has been making waves about it for a good two days now. And yes, I'm sure Ragu has their PR and legal people all over the situation thining about how to respond (maybe?) but my point is this:

You never know when a communications crisis is going to hit, so you best have your plan in place.

Your decisions and responses during a crisis are utimately up to you. Keep these four tips in mind to help ease the process:

Let your customers know where to reach you

You may have a wonderfully active group of Facebook fans or Twitter followers, but if those are not the avenues you use to deal with conflict, let it be known. If someone voices a compalint on your Facebook page, respond appropriately and, if need be, take the conversation offline. Do not assume that just because it is not your "official" means of communications that your customers will understand why you're hiding behind your computer screen. If it's becoming the norm for your customers, you may want to think about how you can utilize your social media channels as a norm in crisis communication as well. If not, make sure you're clear about your objectives on those sites.

Stand up for your business

In our community, it is easy to get to know one another on a personal level and sometimes, that can cause problems when business issues arise. Know what you stand for and do not be afraid to speak your mind. Business decisions do not always reflect personal decisions; do not allow yourself to be bullied or pushed over by those you may have a personal relationship with. At the same time, it is your business and you are the face of your organization. Do not hide behind someone else if things get hard.

Have a plan

We don't want to think that bad things can happen to us, but they can. Develop a plan ahead of time so you can be proactive and, if needed, understand how to handle situations as they come up. Whether your plan is specific to social media, traditional media or both (I recommend both), know who your key messengers are, what they'll say and how responses will be handled.

Listen

 Do not wait until you hear about your own negative news from the rumor mill. Set up online alerts, be active (daily) on your social media channels and talk with your customers. We live in a day of immediate gratification and, if you can help it, you must be aware of what is going on within your community of customers as it's happening. Be transparent and honest. Consumers want honest companies and people who can admit when they have made a mistake.

We're all human. We make mistakes. The question is: How will you handle yours?

Melissa Harrison is principal and strategy director at Allée, a strategic communications consulting and design firm in Albertville. Reach her via email, Facebook or Twitter.