The advent of social media has had a huge impact on the way we communicate with each other. This, in turn, has transformed the way communications experts approach crisis management.
Today’s social media platforms can serve as important tools for communicating with the public during crises. Facebook, Twitter and other social media are being increasingly used to send warnings and establish important dialogs between companies and their stakeholders.
Strategic use of social media as a crisis communications tool can significantly improve emergency preparedness and response, improving outcomes for all parties. Crisis managers are often overwhelmed with incoming calls and media inquiries during crises. By effectively utilizing social media as a way to disseminate essential information to the public, companies can reduce the extra stress put on their communications teams, allowing them to focus on what’s really important.
Essential public updates, provided in real time, increase the overall transparency of the company’s crisis response and decision-making. The easy shareability of social media posts also aids in a more effective dissemination of important information pertaining to the crisis.
As more and more people around the world gain access to social media, the ability to take advantage of these new communication channels will become crucial for modern organizations to be successful in their crisis management efforts.