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As part of Pioneer’s commitment to the shared co-op principle of education, training and information, we ask staff to share key takeaways from conferences. Pioneer Social Media Content & Account Lead Katie Norris brought back several ideas from the 2023 Cooperative Communicators Association Institute, but the session that stood out was Molly McPherson’s general session on how to survive a social media crisis. Here are Katie’s key takeaways.
Crisis communications expert Molly McPherson, author of “Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis” and “The Indestructible PR Podcast” host, shared crisis communication tips in her session: Navigating a Crisis: How to Defend a Reputation from Attacks.
She works with cooperatives across the country to help preserve a reputation in a crisis. Molly says most people associate a crisis with something big, like a natural disaster. She doesn’t see it that way.
“A crisis really comes down to an interruption,” Molly says.
For electric and telephone utilities and broadband service providers, a crisis is anything that interrupts your service, impacts your reputation or challenges community trust in your utility.
Instead of waiting for something major to hit before putting your crisis communications plan into action, look out for small but impactful crises every day.
Crises in a Social Media Landscape
Social channels and the ability of individual opinions — true or not — to spread like wildfire online, drastically changed the crisis communications landscape.
“Social media has emerged as the dominant face and force of public opinion,” Molly says. “A crisis will either start on social media or it will end up there.”
Social stories make the news. What starts on social media can quickly escalate into a full-blown crisis.
“Everyone has the same problem: They’ve lost the trust of someone,” she says.
According to Molly, one reason many cooperatives are losing trust from their members because “the cracks from the pandemic are starting to show.” The pandemic created stress among employees and leadership, and that tension, along with other challenges like new workflows and supply-chain disruptions, showed cracks in the ways some cooperatives operate. Toxic corporate cultures can breed situations that boil over on social media.
Molly says she always asks clients, “Who’s the victim?” If someone was hurt, that means someone was triggered.
An audience following a social media crisis taps into our desire for justice and fascination with human conflict.
The truth doesn’t speak for itself on social media. Member-run groups and well-funded special interests will “take a grain of truth and they wrap it in misinformation, and then they throw it,” she says. Cooperatives need to be ready for this.
Molly gives three tips to respond to a crisis on social media:
- Be swift and transparent in your communication.
- Be proactive. That means monitoring social media to know what people are saying.
- Authentically engage your stakeholders and build relationships.
Know the Warning Signs Before It’s Too Late
On episode 249 of the Indestructible PR podcast, Molly cites three signs when a PR crisis is unrecoverable:
- There is escalating public outrage.
- There is a mass exodus of stakeholders. For electric cooperatives, this could mean organization of member groups.
- There is an erosion of legal defenses. When companies or individuals leave a legal team to respond, there is no longer a leg to stand on.
That’s why early prevention is key. Keep an eye on potential issues that could trigger stakeholders and the general public, and know what people are saying on social media. If members and consumers have legitimate issues, address them early. Molly’s Indestructible PR framework is:
- Own it
- Explain it
- Promise it
When responding to an issue, take responsibility, explain the issue with plenty of care and make a promise based on your cooperative’s values.
Disrupt the Algorithm
Early prevention will also help when dealing with social media’s algorithms.
“If your cooperative is dealing with something, it’s not the cooperative against this group,” Molly explains. “It’s your cooperative against the algorithm.”
That’s because algorithms are designed to go against brands. The negative engagement will reach audiences and create an echo chamber. Not only is the algorithm a problem on social, but the news industry mines social media for news content. News organizations are looking for viral stories to cover. Stop the misinformation before it gets ahead of you.
Here are her tips for disrupting the algorithm and using it to your advantage:
- If things are getting out of control, stop the algorithm by turning off comments.
- Disable duet and stitch on TikTok. People can use duets and stitches to take a message out of context and manipulate information.
- Allow your brand’s fans to create user-generated content.
- Find the right keywords, and add them to your profile, alt-text and captions for better social SEO.
- Use shortform video because that’s what algorithms prioritize.
- If one platform is on fire, don’t be afraid to go to a different platform to share your message.
- Put your official statement on the website instead.
Let Pioneer Work for You
“One of the biggest challenges I noticed in the cooperative industry is the communications staffs are not as strong as they should be — not by talent, but by resources,” Molly says. “There are too many one-person shops.”
That’s where Pioneer Utility Resources can help. Pioneer Social works as an extension of your communications team. Not only does the Pioneer Social team create daily content based on your cooperative’s values and programs, but we also keep an eye on what the members are saying and can help you respond in a crisis. Clients who use Pioneer’s TwoFourSeven Program get team members who are responding and monitoring your page overnight so you can get the rest you need.
Don’t wait for a crisis.
Let Pioneer’s team serve so you can shine.