Does Inaccurate Information Require Crisis Management?
If information is not accurate does a company still need to address it? The answer is a resounding “yes”. The days of ignoring something and hoping it goes away are long gone. Today, if an issue is ignored it is considered true until proven otherwise. This means that regardless of the validity of gossip or rumours floating around the web or elsewhere, corporate reputation management must be handled quickly and professionally.
This quote, from a Portal-Info article by Jonathan Hemus, highlights a crisis management issue that has come up with increasing frequency as the popularity of social media rises. When your organization is involved in a crisis, it will be talked about, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You want to have conversation flowing so that you can monitor your stakeholder’s response, and attempt to pin down their wants, needs, and feelings about the incident.
What you can’t leave circulating is exactly what Jonathan mentioned in the above quote – inaccurate information. When you see damaging rumor and innuendo picking up steam, it’s time to step in and respond where the discussions are taking place. One of the most effective ways is to publish your story somewhere like a blog or YouTube channel. After that, you man your social media monitoring stations and make sure anyone repeating misinformation is publicly directed to the story that you’ve published. It’s even possible to automate responses to certain inquiries or keywords, but, unless you’re REALLY overwhelmed, we highly recommend keeping the human touch in the equation.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/