How to handle a social media crisis

There seems to be a social media crisis or PR nightmare almost every other week nowadays, and even your Rotary club isn’t immune to a potential crisis that can blow out of all proportion.

Crisis planning is essential and an effective crisis plan is based first and foremost on truth, transparency, and sincerity. Every Rotary club should have a strategy for how it will deal with a public relations disaster, either online or offline. If your club does not have a plan in place, I recommend your club devise one as a matter of urgency.

As part of your crisis plan, make sure you or the club leadership can confidently answer these following questions:

• Who will handle your social media accounts in case of a crisis?

• What will that person be authorized to write on social media about the crises?

• Will they need approval for every post?

• What will the messaging be across all the different platforms i.e. social media, traditional media, other Rotary clubs etc.?

• Will you have more than one person responding to online posts or offline discussion?

• What social media posts will you proactively put out there to manage it?

Managing the Crisis
There is no one answer to managing a crisis, you need to do what is best for you and your club. Here are some ideas for successfully managing a social media crisis.

1: Identify & Communicate

If a crisis is identified, urgently inform the club leadership, tell them what’s wrong and give them as much information as you are able to. They may need to seek legal advice or act on the information you give.

2. Acknowledge

Some companies first response is “yes, we realize something has happened” etc. If you don’t have all answers though, then it is a good idea to seek direction on a proper acknowledgment of the crisis. A proper well-informed response may stop nonfactual gossip, messages, or comments.

3. Respond quickly

Once you have some relevant information and received some direction, you should respond to the crisis ASAP. A timely response is essential in limiting the reach and potential damage. Be prepared to acknowledge the crisis within a few hours or at least a day. Two weeks after the crisis has started is way too late!

4. Manage the situation

If you have posted a response to the crisis on your club Facebook page, be cautious about removing comments made by members of the public (unless they are offensive comments, or could be libelous, etc.) To be seen to manipulate the responses to the crisis by selective deleting can itself result in a backlash.

You never know where or when a crisis will break. However, if you manage it properly, the fallout can be minimized.

Article by Evan Burrell

3 tips for using social media to create a buzz

I’m sure your club puts a lot of effort into planning events like fundraising dinners, charity golf days, car shows, and changeovers ceremonies. You probably focus right down to the smallest detail. So why not put that much effort into promoting your event on social media?

Social media is a powerful tool for gaining exposure. But just like all the other necessary arrangements, getting good results takes a bit of preparation. Here are three tips for developing a social media strategy for your next event.

1. Create one unified hashtag for use across all social channels

By using an event-specific hashtag, you’ll make it easy for people to find not only what you’re sharing, but what other people are saying, too!

Recently, at the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany, the hashtag #Rotary19 allowed attendees to participate in an engaging conversation with fellow attendees and to see what everyone else was up to just by clicking the hashtag.

1. Share visual content

A lot of work goes into pulling off a fantastic event. Capture that effort with photos and share it, so people can see how you’re pulling everything together. Posting photos and videos is a great way to generate some buzz and boost engagement.

1. Get everyone involved with it

Think about all the people who will be there as part of the event and pull them into the conversation. For example, if you’re running a food and wine festival, include the stallholders and vendors in your posts and get them to post. If it’s a district conference, engage the speakers and sponsors, and even event staff.

Tell attendees to tweet and post about the event using your event-specific hashtag. Every little bit helps when it comes to getting the exposure your event deserves.

The beauty of social media is that it is a conversation, so let’s keep talking about Rotary!

Article by Evan Burrell