How do you assess social media risks and crises?

1 Identify your risk factors

The first step is to identify what factors make your social media presence vulnerable to risks and crises. These can include your industry, your target market, your competitors, your content strategy, your tone of voice, your policies, and your platforms. For example, if you operate in a highly regulated or sensitive sector, you may face more scrutiny and compliance issues. Or if you target a young and diverse audience, you may need to be more mindful of cultural sensitivities and inclusivity. Or if you use multiple platforms, you may need to monitor and secure them more closely. By understanding your risk factors, you can prioritize and address them accordingly.

2 Monitor your social media activity

The second step is to monitor your social media activity regularly and proactively. This means tracking and analyzing your performance metrics, such as reach, engagement, sentiment, and conversions. It also means listening and responding to your audience's feedback, questions, and complaints. And it means scanning and detecting any signs of emerging issues, trends, or crises, such as spikes in mentions, negative reviews, viral posts, or media coverage. By monitoring your social media activity, you can measure your impact, improve your customer service, and spot any red flags or opportunities.

4 Evaluate your crisis outcomes

The fourth step is to evaluate your crisis outcomes after the situation is resolved. This means reviewing and documenting what happened, why it happened, how it was handled, and what the results were. It also means measuring and reporting your key performance indicators, such as reach, engagement, sentiment, and conversions, before, during, and after the crisis. And it means learning and improving from your experience, such as identifying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and implementing any changes or recommendations. By evaluating your crisis outcomes, you can assess your effectiveness, demonstrate your accountability, and enhance your resilience.

5 Update your risk management strategy

The fifth step is to update your risk management strategy periodically. This means revising and refining your risk factors, your monitoring methods, your crisis response plan, and your evaluation criteria, based on your current situation, goals, and learnings. It also means aligning and integrating your risk management strategy with your overall social media strategy, as well as your organizational strategy, culture, and values. And it means communicating and collaborating with your internal and external stakeholders, such as your team, your management, your customers, and your partners, to ensure clarity, consistency, and support. By updating your risk management strategy, you can adapt to changing conditions, optimize your performance, and achieve your objectives.

6 Stay alert and agile

The sixth step is to stay alert and agile in managing your social media risks and crises. This means being aware and informed of the latest developments, trends, and best practices in social media and your industry. It also means being flexible and responsive to any changes, challenges, or opportunities that may arise. And it means being innovative and creative in finding new ways to engage, delight, and serve your audience. By staying alert and agile, you can anticipate and prevent potential risks and crises, or handle them with confidence and competence.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?