Originally posted at the Fleishman-Hillard WOM blog March 2010.

Social media platforms allow for open communication, the formation and fostering of communities, and unprecedented access to ideas, individuals, and companies.

If you’re rolling out a new product line or a useful service, social media can amplify the word of mouth.

However, if your company is prone to crisis or controversy it can amplify these events and agitate those already in dissention.  And if controversy isn’t par for the course when it comes to your organization?  When you’re hit with crisis, you can be totally blindsided.  Especially when social media is used as a weapon.

What’s a company or brand to do if finds itself roiled in controversy, on a runaway train of derogatory tweets, blog posts, and Facebook groups formed to bring it down?  How do you deal with a mob set on doing anything to create a media firestorm?  There are a few Dos and Don’ts  to heed.  While they may or may not be appropriate or possible in every case, they’re a good place to start.

• DO NOT enlist bloggers as your crisis managers.  You can provide them with information and facts related to the issue at hand, but do not ask them to address or debate with those who take issue with your brand.
• DO provide a platform where people can ask questions, air their concerns, and genuinely be heard.  Key words being “genuinely” and “heard”.  I’m not talking about putting up a platform and then leaving it alone.  I’m talking about proactively answering those questions that come in and cataloging those answers so they are accessible moving forward.
• DO gauge who the leaders of the mob are and attempt to reach out to them directly by phone.  When contact is made, listen to what they have to say and give them a plan for getting their concerns addressed.
• DO determine whether or not there is a mutual desire to resolve the problem.  Some people like to stir the pot for the sake of stirring.  Others really want a resolution.  Invest your time and energy on the latter…the folks that want to have productive conversations.  Those who are counter-productive and just like the thrill of creating the mob?  Not so much.  But do your homework and take the time to discern between the two.
• DON’T be afraid to be vulnerable.  Every company and every mob have one very important factor in common: humans.  Show the human side of your company and try to relate at a more personal level – whether that is video recording a candid response from the CEO or it’s inviting those mob leaders who have an authentic desire to have a productive conversation to a round table.

These are just a few steps you can take when facing a mob online.  You can look at the experience as a weapon being wielded online or you can turn it into an opportunity.   How you approach the situation will determine whether you are victim or whether you recognize the benefits of listening and participating.

How can you avoid this in the first place?  By listening BEFORE it happens.  The time to join the conversation online is not when the you know what is hitting the fan.  Some companies feel blindsided when things like this happen, but it’s because they weren’t listening and monitoring. Even if companies decide not to engage, the conversation is still going to happen, regardless.