Before the digital age, the previous day’s happenings were often erased by today’s news. Now, the opposite is actually true. With so many people getting their news via the Internet, stories actually gather steam, being passed virally with opinions (both informed and otherwise) being tagged on willy-nilly. A recent article by social media expert Belinda Ang discusses the differences this had made in how crisis response and crisis management plans are formulated.
Like it or not, brands don’t really have a choice to the kind of publicity they want in digital age. The only way to counter the game is to be part of the game. Like they always say, don’t wait for customers to come, be where your customers are. And obviously, where your customers are, will be where the action sparks too.
If you’ve got your finger on the pulse of the customer and your major critics, which social media makes easy to do, you can be a part of these informal news networks rather than a victim.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com