Social Media is a great tool to delivery messages and news to audience. When company shares useful contents, people would spread them out. However, if a company faces unexpected crisis and can't handle the issue appropriately, social media will be "dangerous". Without good response and take control the social media crisis, it will have very negative impact on brand reputation.
Some companies could become super "Popular" because of crisis. For example, an airline company won't be too popular until it came out a big news--one plane disappeared. This is the most recently news about Malaysia Airlines--The Missing Plane, which was happened on March, 2014.
Malaysia officials have been handling this accident for more than one month. Many people felt unbelievable and confused about how Malaysia Officials state the issues on media. The officials just made complex speculation instead of stated simple facts. As the result, people didn't believe its message, and they felt Malaysia officials cover-up the truth.
Malaysia Airline Social Media Crisis
At this point, I want to show one example of Malaysia Airline social media crisis--Facebook. Even thought the Airline updated its official statement link on Facebook, those messages were seemed very complex. People don't understand why Malaysia didn't respond the issue accurately at the beginning.
On Malaysia Airline Facebook, people posted many negative words and expressed their confusions. They also felt very sad for the family members. It seems the way Malaysia Airline handles social media crisis is to allow people to share their feelings and opinions on the Facebook page. It didn't delete any negative words. I feel Malaysia Airline showed the respect on audiences and expressed their empathy on the Facebook. And I also feel Malaysia Airline took good responsibility on updating the news.
Lessons from Malaysia Airline Crisis:
In my view, Malaysia Airline communication team could handle this crisis in a better way. The crisis communication team needs to contact the family members and explain the situation immediately before they heard the news from media. Then, the airline needs to house the family members together in a hotel or building where media can easy access to them. This early-contact action will show more empathy and care about grieving family members.
During this crisis, Malaysia officials talked many possible speculation. The spokesman should state right information and provide the facts in the media. People wants to see the facts instead of speculation. Stating uncertain information results very bad images on Malaysia Airline.
How Could Malaysia Airline Handle Social Media Crisis in a different way?
Firstly, Malaysia Airline needs to identify risks and to provide facts. The first 48 hours are the most critical in the crisis because they put the organization's capability of crisis management to the test and reveal how the public opinion unfolds. At the same time, Malaysia Airline should contact family members and house them together in a hotel before the horrible news was spread out publicly. This way can show company high responsibility and build good brand image.
Secondly, Malaysia Airline needs to create truthful and transparent hashtags on social media immediately before the news spread out public. This way allows Malaysia Airline stay on top of things. If they are not sure the facts, it would be better to tell "we are still searching the plane" than "we predict the plane may be fly to the other direction". People will understand the searching process would take longer time, but they can't accept any prediction. Thus, telling the truth and good information helps the company control the situation.
Finally, the company needs to prepare and adapt social media crisis plan. When the crisis happened, people took quick response and shared their opinions on social media. The PR team should take high responsibility on tracking, updating and responding the message. The plan should adapt into the real situation. A adaptable social media crisis plan can help the company handle crisis in a good way.
Overall,
When company handles with crisis, I think Public Relation team should take high responsibility to handle the issue. PR team needs to come up with a good communication strategy to determine the best way to address the conversation. PR also needs to make sure that delivery the right message to the right people.
However, should company only assign PR team to handle with crisis? Not really. I think marketing team should also take responsibility. In normal day, marketers likes to share exciting news on social media. They want to invite more customers to engage with the brand. Thus, nowadays markers are also doing part of PR job. When crisis was happened, marketing team needs to careful read customer insights, find the pain points of customers, and create a strategy to solve the problem(s). Marketing team also need to help company to enhance its brand value.
Thus, both PR team and marketing team should work together to communicate with customers and protect brand reputation by analyzing customer insights and delivery right message.
Some companies could become super "Popular" because of crisis. For example, an airline company won't be too popular until it came out a big news--one plane disappeared. This is the most recently news about Malaysia Airlines--The Missing Plane, which was happened on March, 2014.
Malaysia officials have been handling this accident for more than one month. Many people felt unbelievable and confused about how Malaysia Officials state the issues on media. The officials just made complex speculation instead of stated simple facts. As the result, people didn't believe its message, and they felt Malaysia officials cover-up the truth.
Malaysia Airline Social Media Crisis
At this point, I want to show one example of Malaysia Airline social media crisis--Facebook. Even thought the Airline updated its official statement link on Facebook, those messages were seemed very complex. People don't understand why Malaysia didn't respond the issue accurately at the beginning.
On Malaysia Airline Facebook, people posted many negative words and expressed their confusions. They also felt very sad for the family members. It seems the way Malaysia Airline handles social media crisis is to allow people to share their feelings and opinions on the Facebook page. It didn't delete any negative words. I feel Malaysia Airline showed the respect on audiences and expressed their empathy on the Facebook. And I also feel Malaysia Airline took good responsibility on updating the news.
Lessons from Malaysia Airline Crisis:
In my view, Malaysia Airline communication team could handle this crisis in a better way. The crisis communication team needs to contact the family members and explain the situation immediately before they heard the news from media. Then, the airline needs to house the family members together in a hotel or building where media can easy access to them. This early-contact action will show more empathy and care about grieving family members.
During this crisis, Malaysia officials talked many possible speculation. The spokesman should state right information and provide the facts in the media. People wants to see the facts instead of speculation. Stating uncertain information results very bad images on Malaysia Airline.
How Could Malaysia Airline Handle Social Media Crisis in a different way?
Firstly, Malaysia Airline needs to identify risks and to provide facts. The first 48 hours are the most critical in the crisis because they put the organization's capability of crisis management to the test and reveal how the public opinion unfolds. At the same time, Malaysia Airline should contact family members and house them together in a hotel before the horrible news was spread out publicly. This way can show company high responsibility and build good brand image.
Secondly, Malaysia Airline needs to create truthful and transparent hashtags on social media immediately before the news spread out public. This way allows Malaysia Airline stay on top of things. If they are not sure the facts, it would be better to tell "we are still searching the plane" than "we predict the plane may be fly to the other direction". People will understand the searching process would take longer time, but they can't accept any prediction. Thus, telling the truth and good information helps the company control the situation.
Finally, the company needs to prepare and adapt social media crisis plan. When the crisis happened, people took quick response and shared their opinions on social media. The PR team should take high responsibility on tracking, updating and responding the message. The plan should adapt into the real situation. A adaptable social media crisis plan can help the company handle crisis in a good way.
Overall,
When company handles with crisis, I think Public Relation team should take high responsibility to handle the issue. PR team needs to come up with a good communication strategy to determine the best way to address the conversation. PR also needs to make sure that delivery the right message to the right people.
However, should company only assign PR team to handle with crisis? Not really. I think marketing team should also take responsibility. In normal day, marketers likes to share exciting news on social media. They want to invite more customers to engage with the brand. Thus, nowadays markers are also doing part of PR job. When crisis was happened, marketing team needs to careful read customer insights, find the pain points of customers, and create a strategy to solve the problem(s). Marketing team also need to help company to enhance its brand value.
Thus, both PR team and marketing team should work together to communicate with customers and protect brand reputation by analyzing customer insights and delivery right message.
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