How Long Should Brands Stay Silent on Social Media After A Deadly Crisis?
After a driver allegedly killed six people in a shooting spree in western Michigan on Saturday, Uber shut down proactive social media marketing, except for tweeting a statement offering its condolences. How long should it, or other brands facing deadly crises, stay silent?
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Jeff Eller, founder, Jeff Eller Group
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Each situation and company is different. But this is well known: in a crisis, social media offers a company one of its most powerful, nimble, and effective channels for response. Social media silence in the face of a crisis is a sign of a company that is not in control of its organizational response or communications efforts. During that time, the company should view it as an opportunity to share important information about the event or the response. The leadership and communications teams should know what its customers expect and when the crisis is well enough in control, then the company can focus attention on resuming and maintaining their standard online presence.