Crisis Communications Plans: Five Online Considerations

If your organization hasn’t dusted off its crisis communications binder for several years, there’s a very good chance you aren’t equipped for the realities of today’s online world.

Typical crisis plans have a media relations component with talking points, contact information and contingency plans. Although these details remain relevant, the days of organizational message control are seriously challenged. The Internet, citizen journalism and social media create new complexities and tests.

Here are several new crisis communications questions to consider:

• Web traffic: Is your server environment ready for sudden spikes in traffic if stakeholders turn to your site for news, statements and information? Do you have the ability to rapidly add capacity and bandwidth? In the days following 9/11, for example, many sites switched to low-bandwidth, no-graphics versions.
• Web design: Will users be able to find the latest information on your home page, or must they dig through multiple navigation levels? If your current design doesn’t support news on the home page, consider a second, news-focused design that could be rapidly implemented during a crisis.
• Content management systems: Can your communications team quickly post updates, or do they depend on the IT team for assistance? Newer blogging tools like Expression Engine and WordPress can also be used to maintain your entire site – including your news content.
• Social media (before the crisis): Do you regularly track blogs, discussion groups, news sites and the broader web to learn what’s being said about your organization and industry? Monitor the conversations – and participate. It’ll help you anticipate hot spots, tell your story and build credibility before the crisis hits.
• Social media (during the crisis): Are you prepared to respond to bloggers in addition to traditional media? Can your organization be candid and say something more meaningful than the typical company line?

For further background, see this Steve Rubel post from 2005. Also, IABC released some interesting stats on crisis communication earlier this year.