eModeration and Carrot Communications launch social media crisis management service

eModeration and PR agency Carrot Communications today launched a new social media crisis management service. The service covers three main areas: 

1.    Social media crisis process audit, gap analysis and action plan
2.    Crisis preparation package, including issues identification, response processes and infrastructure planning, scenario planning and crisis workshops
3.    Full social media crisis simulation (run ‘as live’ using simulated social media software) and rehearsals

In the same way that social media is now part of the vast majority of marketing campaigns, it is also an important part of crisis and reputation management plans. The new service from eModeration and Carrot is designed to ensure that social media is built firmly into crisis plans, and not added as an afterthought. The service tests existing systems and processes, and works with brands to develop crisis plans, infrastructure and processes that include social media at their core. Crisis simulation exercises are run on closed systems ‘as live’, fielded by a team of eModeration’s expert community managers, to demonstrate how an issue unfolds over platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and forums.

eModeration’s CEO Tamara Littleton says: “When a crisis hits, the community managers are at the frontline of it. They have to respond quickly and effectively from within the communities. Community managers must be prepared and trained to act on the brand’s behalf, and not caught unawares.”

Carrot’s MD Kate Hartley says:  “You can’t control how a crisis unfolds. Often the online communities will hear about an issue before the brand. The brand has to respond quickly, and be able to put its social media plans into place at the push of a button.”

For information on social media crisis planning, see eModeration and Carrot’s jointly-written paper on the subject. For more details of the social media crisis planning service, please see our website here. For insights, information and commentary on current social media crisis issues, visit the eModeration and Carrot crisis management blog: www.bunkerbriefing.com.