If you manage social media and have never experienced posting and maintaining your account during a crisis, you’ve now got plenty of time to practice. With the whole world struggling to stay sane while staying home because of you-know-what, it’s become so much more important for brands to keep a level head and not do something foolish.
What comprises of being foolish during a crisis? Ignoring reality, pretending it’s all ok, and completely disregarding other people’s struggles.
So how do you be sensible on Twitter during a crisis? We asked digital and branding strategist Kim Scaravelli to shed some light on how to navigate these strange times.
Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Kim Scaravelli
Topic: How to be Professional on Twitter During a Crisis
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
Certainly. Nothing about our world is constant. Situations change by the second, and whether or not you like it, as Dr. Alexandria pointed out, there’s always something somewhere that’s affecting your audience. You need to be prepared to face strange and uncomfortable situations.
A1: Unfortunately, there is always a possibility of some crisis that affects your followers on Twitter, so you should have ways of handling it, like @Buffer’s Pause feature to stop scheduled tweets #TwitterSmarter
— Dr Alexandria Szeman: Writing from Home ? (@Alexandria_SZ) April 2, 2020
When planning for a crisis you have no idea about, think of some of the basics, as our guest said. Know who’s going to take charge from your social media perspective, have a plan for what steps you’ll take, and most importantly, devise a set of brand guidelines everyone should follow during the crisis.
Q1/1 You should have a plan for handling social media in a crisis, including:
?WHO will be in charge
✅What STEPS to take
?Brand GUIDELINES to follow#TwitterSmarter— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
One way to think about why you need a crisis management plan is, like Ed said, is to consider it like a ripple effect. Your customers have employees, across the world, who’re dealing with various global issues every day. By serving your customers considerately, you’re in turn showing your support to their employees.
#twittersmarter A1: Crisis mgt is basic. Think: we support several global brands whose employees are continually tuning in to world events, including crises, and wondering about the well being of their colleagues. We help facilitate it with multi lingual, hashtagged threads.
— Ed Alexander (@fanfoundry) April 2, 2020
Don’t panic. That’s not going to help anyone feel better. Look at the toilet paper matter, for instance.
The first thing you should do when you realize that the crisis is taking over, is to pause every post you’ve scheduled already.
Q2 In a crisis, your first action should be to press pause on EVERYTHING automated. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/Q3tywqAdlE
— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
But remember, pausing is only the start. Once you’ve done that, look back at your crisis management plan and see how you can execute it.
As Marianne suggested, check in on your customers and audience. Use that time to reconnect with your community, engage with them, and identify ways you can help them—without being salesy.
A2. Check your customers are ok #twittersmarter
— Marianne Avery (@socially_maz) April 2, 2020
It’s critical that you temporarily forget all sales targets. This is not a time to sensationalize tragedies, like Jaycee explained.
A2. Pause all scheduled posts and promotions. Before you comment, ask if you're adding to the conversation. Don't use a crisis to sell your products or services. #TwitterSmarter
— Jaycee (@adubiousmuse) April 2, 2020
That doesn’t mean you’ll lose business, but instead, it means that you’re prioritizing your customers. It means you’re showing humility.
Most of our community members talked about the importance of being calm during a crisis. There’s plenty of people out there making things worse for everyone, spreading fear and hatred. That’s when you should remain level-headed.
Think like you’re personally affected by the crisis, and behave the way you’d want others to behave. In other words, be sensible, reasonable, and considerate.
Don’t automate any of your content. Instead, be present and respond to customers in real-time. Show them that you’re in it as much as they are. People won’t engage with brands they don’t resonate with. That’s why it’s important to be realistic and true to yourself.
Q3 Tweeting through a crisis:
?Be real (don’t automate)
?Fact check EVERYTHING
?Be calm and reassuring
?Use humour with caution
❤️Focus on ENGAGEMENTAnd if you have even a TINY concern that something may be misinterpreted, don’t tweet it! #TwitterSmarter
— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
Always double check any stats you’re sharing—especially if you’re talking about an unfolding crisis. You don’t want to spread misinformation or cause unnecessary panic.
It can also be highly tempting to turn the tables on a crisis and make it funny. Memes and jokes flood the internet every time something bad happens. However, as our guest cautioned, if there’s even a small possibility that your humor could be misinterpreted, back off right away.
It can be confusing to decide what else you can do when the world seems to have suddenly slowed down, like now, for example. But as Christine said, just because a lot of businesses are temporarily closing, it doesn’t mean you should stop doing business altogether.
Think about it. If you’re a service or a product-based business, you still have customers who’re regularly using your services. Instead of running aggressively after new customers, help existing ones. Offer assistance, guidance, and reassurance—that’ll also help non-customers appreciate you for what you do.
A3. Controversial take: don't stop business.
However, come from a place of HELP FIRST.
People will tune out your messages (always, but ESPECIALLY right now) if it isn't relevant to their current mindset.
What are they thinking/talking about – and how can you HELP?#TwitterSmarter— christine gritmon ✨@?✨ (@cgritmon) April 2, 2020
Jeremy had some advice for nonprofits. During tough times, it’s challenging for community-based organizations to stay afloat. Make sure you’re constantly communicating with your investors and well wishers. Keep them up-to-date so that they know you’re doing ok. The last thing you want is for involved investors to back out because they were worried. Engage with your community, check in on them, and see that everyone’s coping well.
A3: For nonprofits my top tip would be to make sure that you are connecting with your donors regularly.
You don't want them to freak out and panic.
For your community make sure that they know you are reacting in a positive manner that helps the community! #TwitterSmarter
— Jeremy Linaburg (@jeremy_linaburg) April 2, 2020
Ok, so if you can’t be salesy and self-promotional, what else can you do? Your content will vary according to the crisis you’re dabbling in, but mostly you should be reassuring your community.
As Kayla said, you can talk about how you and your business is responding to the situation—about the changes you’ve had to make to ensure you can still remain in business. Share what you’re offering to your audience and how your community has taken initiatives to help each other. Positive experiences and stories uplift everyone.
A4 You can post about your experience through the crisis, what’s different now vs before, share how your business is pivoting during the crisis, and in general add value to your audience (share cool things to do at home, fun games with your kids, etc.) #twittersmarter
— Kayla Lightfoot (@letsbeliftedup) April 2, 2020
Like our guest, you can also share quotes, motivational music and multimedia, and resources about dealing with the crisis. For example, with most of us just starting to work from home, you can interview people who’ve been doing it for a long time and share their advice. Found gardening tips? Share it—everyone has a lot more time on their hands nowadays. Perhaps you found an article that compares the various video meeting apps available. Share that too! Come up with ways to keep your audience engaged and informed.
Q4/1 Right now, I’m sharing:
– Quotes
– Links to upbeat, amusing videos
– Commentary about my own experiences
– Info on topics like working from home, handling video meetings, etc.
And I’m in a few great conversation strings with other tweeters. #twittersmarter— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
If you’re not sure, though, just ask. Like Avery reminded us, it’s completely ok to ask your audience what they need from you. Listen to find the kind of content that drives conversations, and share more of that.
A4.
–Help, educate, inform. If this is how you approach social, keep doing that.
–Some of what you post will be about the crisis, some won't.
–Listen to your audience and use that to drive your posting.
–Don't be afraid to ask them what they'd like to see.#TwitterSmarter— Avery Horzewski (@averyh) April 2, 2020
Ignoring the crisis. It’s almost a crime to pretend like nothing’s happened and that everything will be back to normal in a couple of days.
Acknowledge the situation—treat it with respect and offer the sympathy that those who’re affected deserve.
This is not a time to point fingers at each other either. Whether it’s an internal crisis in your business that’s impacted your customers, or a more global one like the current pandemic, it’s important not to run away from the responsibility.
And whatever you do, don’t continue your automated posts. That certainly has to stop.
Q5 Biggest Twitter mistakes in a crisis:
?Continuing to automate
?Trying to sell and self-promote
?Posting but not ENGAGING with people
?Getting into politics
?Disappearing (not posting)#TwitterSmarter— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
Erin made a great point about dealing with a business-related crisis. If something’s gone wrong, own up and tell your partners and stakeholders what’s going on. Masking the truth does more harm than good to everyone involved.
A5: Some of the biggest mistakes are not being responsive to the crisis and avoiding truths. Stakeholders want to know what is happening and it is best if the information comes straight from the source! #twittersmarter
— Erin (@e_step20) April 2, 2020
On the flip side, when you’re in the middle of a more global crisis, constant advice and updates can become daunting as well. While your community will appreciate you for being realistic, it can quickly get annoying if you’re ignoring your regular matters.
You shouldn’t pretend like business is as usual, but like Kelli said, don’t go the other extreme either. Try and find the right balance.
A5: I think it's a mistake to drop all normalcy and go all in on the crisis only. You're followers/customers follow you for a reason. A complete diversion from that isn't necessarily good either. IMO#TwitterSmarter
— Kelli Koladish – The Growth Catalyst™ (@kellikoladish) April 2, 2020
Kim shared a big list of people across various industries who’ve risen brilliantly in these crazy times. Check out their content for some inspiration and even motivation for yourself. Most of them are business owners who’re making the best of the worst.
Q6 SO MANY folks are keeping it REAL and sharing great stuff. To name a few:
❤️@MelissaOnline
❤️@melcoach
❤️@KASocialMedia
❤️@brandingbybritt
❤️@PRisUs
❤️@KristinaAuthor
❤️@southbaysome
❤️@lorisica
❤️@Lisapatb
❤️@anitakirkbride#TwitterSmarter— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
Like Joana and Anita told us, most government offices and news organizations are covering the Covid-19 crisis excellently. Not only are they constantly sharing updates through traditional media outlets, but they’re also taking to social media with live videos and tweets.
a6 let me share something about PT context: we're now seeing our @govpt working hard on helping people getting real time information, in many digital channels, like twitter.
i must say: great job! #twittersmarter pic.twitter.com/Gc1gmw6JjQ— Joana Rita Sousa ? ?? (@JoanaRSSousa) April 2, 2020
A6 #TwitterSmarter
Locally our government is doing pretty good at keeping us updated on Twitter.Also seeing great stuff from our local BBB and business associations trying to keep their members in business! https://t.co/oxPpLkM1m2
— Anita Kirkbride ■ #SMDH20 (@anitakirkbride) April 2, 2020
The most important metric to track any day is your engagement. That’s the primary indicator of how much conversation you generate and how many people you reach.
Also keep an eye out for your retweets and likes.
Q7/1 In a crisis, the Twitter metrics to focus on are:
Engagement
Likes
Retweets
Replies#TwitterSmarter— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
Smita pointed out some other metrics you should follow up on, like phone and website enquiries coming from social media, brand mentions on Twitter, and comments on your posts.
A7 #TwitterSmarter
– Website Enquiries
– Top performing content
– Phone enquiries
– Comments on social posts and blogs
– Brand Mentions— SP (@Smita_DigiMarke) April 2, 2020
But like our guest said, during a crisis, you shouldn’t be worrying too much about click through rates or follower counts. Your priority isn’t getting more sales or prominence, but being there for your audience during tough times.
Q7/2 Don't obsess about follow count or link clicks. In a crisis, selling isn't the priority. It's all about maintaining positive connections. #twittersmarter
— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
Jeremy put it well. At a time like this, all that matters is making sure everyone’s doing ok.
How all the humans are doing. Maybe not much else for a while. #TwitterSmarter A7
— Jeremy Bond (@JeremyDBond) April 2, 2020
Are people still looking up to you for helpful content and assuring communication? Then you’re doing well. Crisis management isn’t about coming up with something groundbreaking. It’s about staying grounded even when it’s difficult.
If you're maintaining engagement right now, you are ROCKIN'! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/9I1naQ61SO
— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) April 2, 2020
But how exactly do you know if people are still looking for your content? Simple. Like Chris mentioned, just listen to your audience before you go trumpeting.
A8: You can tell if your crisis strategy is successful by exercising an appropriate level of social listening to gauge sentiment levels.
A lot can be achieved by listening before posting! #justsaying #TwitterSmarter
— Chris Dack (@chrisgdack) April 2, 2020
Well, that’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading, and for more insights from our chat, check out this Twitter Moment that Joana put together. If you’ve got some time next Thursday, join us for the #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET.
These are strange and testing times. If you’re struggling and need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out anytime. Happy to listen.
Stay safe and vigilant, folks. ?
About me, Narmadhaa:
I write all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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