If you’re an avid devotee of social media, chances are you’ve already heard about this infamous gaffe: a Red Cross employee uses HootSuite to send out an otherwise-innocent tweet about her alcohol-induced evening in the company of a specific beer. She thought she was sending it from her personal account. But she was wrong. As we all know, mistakes like that are not easily repealed and once you’ve hit that send button it’s hard to take things back.
But here’s the thing about the Red Cross and their reaction to the incident: no one got fired, nothing hit the proverbial fan and no one went into heavy crisis mode.
In fact, they made light of the situation with an affable response.
“We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys,” said the follow-up tweet. In a statement about the incident, Social Media Director Wendy Harman summed up their response this way: “We are an organization that deals with life-changing disasters and this wasn’t one of them; it was just a little mistake.”
Taking full advantage of the situation, the beer company referred to in the original tweet, Dogfish, promptly sent out their own tweets requesting followers to donate to the Red Cross. Before long, a number of pubs joined in, offering pints of the beer to anyone who donated blood. Ironically, what could have been a disastrous situation ended up win-win. Well, almost.
In control?
That’s not always the case. Sofia Ribeiro of Kiwano Marketing relates another story: in early March, an employee of Chrysler’s social media agency accidentally sent out a message from the Chrysler handle and used the “F” word in one of his tweets. It didn’t take long for Chrysler’s management team (and its 9,000+ followers) to see it and react. The employee was unceremoniously dismissed and Chrysler also dispensed with the agency. Though they deleted the tweet from the company’s twitter thread, the damage was already done, explains Ribeiro, adding, “What’s interesting is that many of Chrysler’s followers were shocked to learn that the agency managing Chrysler’s twitter account dismissed the contractor over this, further damaging the brand.” No win here.
The Red Cross and Chrysler stories offer some important lessons. First, it reminds us of how vulnerable we are in the social media landscape. We are truly never alone out there and best not to forget it. Second, one’s reaction to a non-critical situation can be as defining as one’s response in a crisis scenario. Knowing the difference between the two, and finding humour and flexibility in the former, can have profound impact. Third, the stories underlie the importance of having a social media policy in place, a document that can help guide employees in their behaviour and upper management in their damage control. Ribeiro explains that such a policy would:
- Outline what kind of social media account management tools the organization should use, and whether or not users can link it to their personal account.
- Include a crisis communication plan developed especially for social media, one that takes into consideration social media’s fast-paced nature and ability to immediately react to the organization’s actions.
Knowing how to react to both potential and real crises in the online world is critical to maintaining your reputation and control over your mission. Avoiding a crisis in the first place is equally essential. A policy can offer direction on both.
Forward-thinking
Some organizations saw the writing on the wall early-on and set policies in place to avert any real harm.
Take Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). It all started when aid workers in the field started blogging, which seemed not only harmless, but a fantastic way to keep in touch and provide stories from the frontlines. The problem was, they did so without asking permission or support from the MSF communications department and their actions actually inadvertently posed security risks. As communications director Avril Benoit explains, some workers in highly sensitive and insecure contexts like Darfur were writing whatever was on their mind, which, given MSF operates as a neutral humanitarian organization, had the “potential to jeopardize our presence in their locations.” What’s more, if someone was feeling particularly stressed or frustrated, they might possibly say things they would later regret.
It seemed obvious that, if communication under normal circumstances required forethought and guidelines about what could and could not be said, implementing a social media policy was a no-brainer. MSF decided to provide employees with a structured safety net with clear guidelines and a policy that ensured someone checked content before it got posted. It wasn’t about editing or cleaning up the posts or even giving it the “PR polish that the blogosphere rejects,” says Benoit. “It was just to ensure nothing was said that would jeopardize the confidentiality of patients and the operational space that is essential for us to stay in these places.”
The eight-page policy, a coordinated effort by an international working group that Benoit co-chaired, was put together and approved in October of last year. A straightforward document, it outlines best practices (e.g. postings should always include a disclaimer that the views expressed are of the writer and do not represent the position or values of MSF); rules and obligations (e.g.”Stay neutral and impartial”, “Respect privacy and dignity”); and provides specific blogging guidelines. Employees are also reminded that personal, political or religious views are not to be discussed and taking sides in conflict situations is an absolute no-no.
“There are certain principles of the organization that allows us to work in these sensitive situations that we must respect,” Benoit says.
A safer online space
Creating a safe place for staff was the motivation behind World Wildlife Fund‘s social media policy as well. “It’s not just to protect us,” says Sara Falconer, social media specialist. And, much like MSF, WWF drafted their document before any crisis occurred. “We actually were in a great position,” she explains, “we didn’t have to be reactive.” In fact, the first thing Falconer set out to do upon arriving at the organization two years ago was get to work on a policy. “We already knew it would be a guiding document in terms of best practices and in terms of how we protect our brands.” The document remains fluid and is updated as situations and issues present themselves.
The process has been invaluable, Falconer says. For one thing, there are no surprises. WWF now knows how to deal with situations because they’re all laid out. “Our team has a lot of training and is onboard with how we tell our story.” And for another, they’ve created a supportive environment for potential tweeters and other social media practitioners.
Falconer is quick to point out that the policy is not about control, it’s about providing support. “It’s not about having layers and layers of approval. It’s about giving people guidelines that would make them feel safe enough to get out there.” One can’t be obsessed with control when it comes to social media, she reiterates. “These are relationships and if control was your primary goal in relationship it would be pretty unhealthy.”
Not surprisingly, after the policy training was complete, Falconer witnessed staffers become more active on twitter, blogs and the like. “They knew what we were looking for and we could support them.” Of course the organization hasn’t had its true test yet: a crisis, which will prove their policy’s ultimate effectiveness. “But in the meantime, it’s been great in helping people feel safe enough to get out there,” says Falconer. “It’s showing me that it works.”
To tweet or not to tweet
Interestingly, the policy has been particularly effective in helping the organization deal with criticism. Climate deniers, for example, will often leave their negative comments on WWF’s website. But instead of reacting emotionally, a response Falconer admits she’s naturally prone to, WWF staff are referred to the policy’s guidelines that outline when to respond, when not to, when to delete posts and when erroneous facts should be corrected. “It’s been helpful because sometimes the emotional reaction is that you don’t want people to criticize you. But we know as long as someone is not being abusive, we would rather have dialogue and engage, when appropriate.” Besides, often their own supporters will respond to the comments, which is the best result for everyone.
Getting started
Now that you’re convinced a policy is essential, how do you go about implementing one? It’s best to start by looking in-house. “Personally, I always think if you’re out there representing your own company, no one is better than your own people,” says Evelyn So, social media consultant at Noesium Consulting. When you outsource the work, policies typically end up very generic, which can undermine the unique concerns of your organization. Falconer agrees. “Outsourcing would be difficult because only your team knows really what you need.”
The good news is people in the space are good at sharing. Many big companies such as Kodak and IBM share their policies online. Falconer herself found pieces of what she needed through online research and then looked at the Red Cross and other nonprofits to see what they came up with. For MSF, it was also a collaborative effort. “There was a lot of borrowing and stealing, taking the best ideas but also leaning on our own experience of interacting in that particular space,” says Benoit.
The best advice is to consider at least one other organization’s social media policy and then build your own, says So. And know that “if you’re a small nonprofit, you may need to revise it along the way.”
Additional tips
1. “Don’t forget it will have an impact on internal operations,” says So. For example, your hiring process may be affected. You may now need to re-evaluate who you hire and the type of qualifications they offer.
2. “Make sure your policy is comprehensive, but yet easy to understand,” says Ribeiro. “I’ve read many policies that are so overwhelming that people end up by simply scanning through them.”
3. Work on your policy with your marketing and sales team, suggests Ribeiro. Make sure your policy and your social media presence is aligned with your brand.
4. The policy should cover every possibility, says So. What if you’re fired? People may be attached to a certain voice making it hard for new staff to take over.
5. Keep in mind that your social media policy is always a work in progress, says Ribeiro. Social media is a dynamic, evolving medium and you want to make sure your policy stays relevant at all times.
Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of Elle Communications and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.
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