The Top 10 Must-Have Elements For A Social Media Crisis Plan
Just like global trading markets, online markets may also see downfalls in times of crisis.
It is therefore extremely important to make a social media crisis plan, in case your business sees an unfortunate crisis situation.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most important steps and precautions that you can take to prevent any undesirable inconveniences if you are working and earning online via social media.
Risk Analysis You should always do a risk analysis of your organization on a quarterly basis.
This can help you guess as to what may happen in the near future, and what are the blind spots and weaknesses of your business.
Effective Communication You should maintain an organizational chart, which should be displayed to your employees.
This chart should identify and highlight the communication channels that an employee can adopt in times of crisis, in order to inform his or her superior of any precautions or backup measure that the organization can take.
Chain-Of-Command As mentioned earlier, effective communication is very important in an organization in times of crisis.
What is more important is probably the chain-of-command that should be followed, so that the effective communication can take place.
Logistics In a physical organization, logistics must be present, both on and off the site, so that work is not halted when the crisis takes place.
Even if work needs to be stopped for some time, it can be quickly resumed if the appropriate logistics are available and present in place.
In the case of an organization which primarily operates online, you should make sure that all data is secure, and that frequent backups of that data are made.
Any transaction history of sales and purchases must also be kept safe, and should be backed-up at another secure location.
Policy A clear-cut policy as to what should be done in times of crisis should be defined beforehand.
It should include the modes of operation for the organization, details of logistics present as well as any third-party policies which may or may not directly affect the organization.
A well-defined set of instructions goes a very long way in securing the organizational structure of the entire company.
Key Stakeholders The key stakeholders, and any other relevant groups, or third-parties should be taken into confidence for the crisis management plan.
They should be segmented, and their consent should be taken in making important decisions within the organization.
If you are dealing with investors, then this becomes particularly important, as their funding is extremely necessary for the proper operation and functionality of the organization.
Just make sure that you have such a well-defined crisis management plan that it is acceptable to all the key stakeholders of the organization.
Responsibilities The communication and functional teams should be well-aware of their own responsibilities.
They should know as to what is expected of them, and what they need to do in the face of an incoming crisis situation.
A responsible set of workers is extremely beneficial for an organization, and this applies to online businesses as well.
Data Logging And Backups A list of all forms, logs, and templates should be kept.
It can be organized in the form of an appendix, at the end of a journal, or a log book.
If you keep your data stored electronically, then make sure that you take frequent backups.
Taking backups at a regular basis is a good habit, and it should be encouraged by peers and colleagues in the organizational setup.
Website Management For online businesses, websites hold primary importance.
If the website goes down for even the shortest span of time, it can potentially cause a large amount of financial loss, as online visitors are unable to make any purchases.
Therefore, a backup system for website management should be setup to handle it in times of crisis.
Guidelines And Inventory An inventory of all items, as well as employees working in the organization should be present, and they should be informed with guidelines on how to manage the data handling tasks in a crisis situation.
This can be particularly useful if the organization is large, and hires a large number of employees.
It is therefore extremely important to make a social media crisis plan, in case your business sees an unfortunate crisis situation.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most important steps and precautions that you can take to prevent any undesirable inconveniences if you are working and earning online via social media.
Risk Analysis You should always do a risk analysis of your organization on a quarterly basis.
This can help you guess as to what may happen in the near future, and what are the blind spots and weaknesses of your business.
Effective Communication You should maintain an organizational chart, which should be displayed to your employees.
This chart should identify and highlight the communication channels that an employee can adopt in times of crisis, in order to inform his or her superior of any precautions or backup measure that the organization can take.
Chain-Of-Command As mentioned earlier, effective communication is very important in an organization in times of crisis.
What is more important is probably the chain-of-command that should be followed, so that the effective communication can take place.
Logistics In a physical organization, logistics must be present, both on and off the site, so that work is not halted when the crisis takes place.
Even if work needs to be stopped for some time, it can be quickly resumed if the appropriate logistics are available and present in place.
In the case of an organization which primarily operates online, you should make sure that all data is secure, and that frequent backups of that data are made.
Any transaction history of sales and purchases must also be kept safe, and should be backed-up at another secure location.
Policy A clear-cut policy as to what should be done in times of crisis should be defined beforehand.
It should include the modes of operation for the organization, details of logistics present as well as any third-party policies which may or may not directly affect the organization.
A well-defined set of instructions goes a very long way in securing the organizational structure of the entire company.
Key Stakeholders The key stakeholders, and any other relevant groups, or third-parties should be taken into confidence for the crisis management plan.
They should be segmented, and their consent should be taken in making important decisions within the organization.
If you are dealing with investors, then this becomes particularly important, as their funding is extremely necessary for the proper operation and functionality of the organization.
Just make sure that you have such a well-defined crisis management plan that it is acceptable to all the key stakeholders of the organization.
Responsibilities The communication and functional teams should be well-aware of their own responsibilities.
They should know as to what is expected of them, and what they need to do in the face of an incoming crisis situation.
A responsible set of workers is extremely beneficial for an organization, and this applies to online businesses as well.
Data Logging And Backups A list of all forms, logs, and templates should be kept.
It can be organized in the form of an appendix, at the end of a journal, or a log book.
If you keep your data stored electronically, then make sure that you take frequent backups.
Taking backups at a regular basis is a good habit, and it should be encouraged by peers and colleagues in the organizational setup.
Website Management For online businesses, websites hold primary importance.
If the website goes down for even the shortest span of time, it can potentially cause a large amount of financial loss, as online visitors are unable to make any purchases.
Therefore, a backup system for website management should be setup to handle it in times of crisis.
Guidelines And Inventory An inventory of all items, as well as employees working in the organization should be present, and they should be informed with guidelines on how to manage the data handling tasks in a crisis situation.
This can be particularly useful if the organization is large, and hires a large number of employees.
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