Has anyone ever seen that Sarah Jessica Parker movie, I Don’t Know How She Does It? The one where she lays in bed at night and makes lists? Well, that’s me (and probably all the females in this class for that matter). Except instead of remembering my daughter’s dental appointments and play dates like in the movie, it’s wedding planning, a masters degree and a full-time job. Last night when I was going through my list something stopped me in my tracks- I forgot to do my blog post on time! Sigh. My apologies. So with the it’s better late than never attitude, I shall proceed. Hey, points for fessing up?? 🙂
The reading this week predominately focuses on brand reputation management, particularly in terms of social media. The PR News Wire article discusses the term social echo, meaning “the powerful reverberation of conversations around your brand that occur in the numerous social networks where people gather today.” The article discusses the importance of not just entering into these conversations as a brand, but really listening to what your customers are saying and adapting accordingly. You can use the platforms themselves to go about this, like what people are saying on your Facebook and Twitter pages. I personally often like to search for my brand’s name on SM channels even when they are not @ mentioned. I can usually obtain some vital information from people that are not directly dealing with us.
Of course, it is when listening to these conversations that it sometimes leads to the need for a disaster plan, like the AdWeek article mentioned. Customers are not afraid to say how they feel about your company on social media. Sometimes this can be positive, other times not so much. I think what’s going through all of our heads right now is the Chick fil A debacle and how that spiraled out of control. Thankfully, I have never had to deal with such a situation. Have you ever had to deal with a social media disaster? Do you have a plan in place?
emilyjanedavis 
I am a list-maker, too! And my lists for the past two weeks have been ridiculously insane and I’m sure I’ve forgotten a ton of stuff. I’m sort of exhausted from my list, as a matter of fact.
As for your questions, fortunately, teachers rarely have to deal with social media disasters and rarely do they hurt our business. Lol! When I change careers (again), though, I’m sure I’ll get a whole new perspective. I liked the article about social echo, and how it’s a lot like how I teach. I present the information, then sit and listen and guide as my students run with it.
Haha, Shannan, I actually thought of you when I wrote that! I pegged you a list maker. For some reason that movie clip just always sticks in my head, I think it’s so spot on. And yes, it is exhausting just thinking about it!
I don’t have a plan in place for any type of disaster but perhaps the seniors at my office do. However, on this subject I can’t but think of Lance Armstrong and big corporations having to issue press releases this week saying that they no longer support him (Livestrong and Nike, etc.). I’m sure some PR execs had a lot on their hands this week in order to quiet things on social media platforms and decide on a way to tackle the issue.
Good luck with your hectic life, Emily! Sounds crazy!
Thanks, Naseem! It was just a crazy week that called for some blog venting. At least I don’t have to attend classes at 2am, I don’t know how you do it! 🙂
I have been noticing all the Lance Armstrong debacle on the news lately, that is definitely a good example. He really was the face of Livestrong, so I wonder how that will impact the company. And yes, I’m sure their PR people are facing some serious challenges maintaining it all.
I feel you with time constraints, Emily! I forget mostly everything except when it’s time to eat, which makes me a to-do lister as well or I’d be a nut case.
I don’t have a crisis social media plan but I haven had to do deal with rude comments on facebook for certain clients. It usually is something we can immediately attend to or honestly are asked to ignore by the client. In terms of a huge trending topic like the Lance Armstrong case, I think people are just shocked but can easily get over it, it doesn’t truly affect them. I think since twitter has been around a little while now and we’ve seen social media and public disasters come and go the public feels sorry for when people get blasted like crazy (or at least who I follow does). With personal cases like that, I don’t think it’s always smart to immediately react – I think you should listen to some of the attention first… let it die over… if it develops then put out an announcement. Something like the BP spills that actually affected the environment, it’s smart to immediately announce what the plan is… sometimes showing the company is as concerned as they are humanizes them which disseminates blame.