The world of social media is in constant evolution and there are no 
hard fast rules on how to interact with users. Whilst most companies learn by trial and error, a few have learned the hard way that responding to a social media PR crisis can prove very difficult in a world which holds freedom of expression as its underlying concept.
Information published on fan pages or via Twitter can be replicated instantly and there is no end to the amount of users who can be reached using the ever expanding social networking platforms available. So what do you do when something goes wrong? How do you react when a crisis snowballs? First of all it’s useful to look at a recent crisis affecting a pet charity which illustrates how it can all go wrong very quickly.
After a story broke in the media on the treatment of some animals in the charity’s care, their Facebook fan page was literally high jacked by outraged fans criticising the charity’s actions. Moderators responded by deleting many of the negative comments and banning their authors from the page, whilst limiting the charity’s response to a cold, official statement issued from its press office. The situation quickly escalated, with users protesting about censorship and a petition being created online, as well as many users withdrawing their financial support.
So how could this situation have been avoided? First off - respond quickly. After leaving the site without a moderator during the bank holiday weekend, comments multiplied, with no staff on hand to react to the blast. Having a presence on social media requires considerable time to be invested - social networking sites can’t be left unsupervised. Constant monitoring will ensure no situation escalates to such a level.
Secondly, deleting comments makes users feel censored and the damage to your organisation could be measurable. So should negative posts be removed? As a rule, no. A polite answer, a subtle apology for any distress caused and a link to your organisation’s complaint department will usually diffuse the situation and ensure fans have the option to take things further should they wish to. However, in exceptional situations where the language used or comments made are unacceptable, posts can be removed.
Thirdly, don’t just delete comments. If this proves necessary due to the nature of the post, you should issue a short statement explaining why it has been removed. Contacting the user personally also ensures they are aware of your guidelines and are given the chance to express themselves should they still wish to, without inappropriate language.
Finally, personalisation is also a major part of a successful response. A web link to an official statement issued by company is insufficient. Distressed or disillusioned users should be acknowledged on a personal level and a customised answer provided. In any case, a sincere apology for the inconvenience cause will usually warm users. Whilst having a presence on any social media platform might be daunting, the clear advantage is the self-policing aspect of the community.
Social media allows users to express their personal affiliations to a particular brand, company, product or person. Fans, followers and digital users opt-in to follow your world. It is a way for them to interact with their favourite brands and find a community which shares their taste. As long as your response has been transparent and well-handled, negative comments will soon be drowned with responses from your loyal fans. So ride the storm, monitor your online world and respond as you would like to be responded to.
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