When we develop a social media strategy clients often ask us about
1) how to manage the negatives and
2) how to minimise the risks.
It used to be that the most aggressive 
complainants would threaten to take their issue to tabloid TV or newspapers.
What social media does is give these same people, and a whole lot more, a more accessible platform, particularly on those sites that review products.
Crisis PR: Risk vs. Reward
Like it or not, social media has provided a greater risk, but it also provides a greater opportunity for us to engage with our customers. That’s what a good Crisis PR strategy aims to achieve.
The reality is that social media takes greater resourcing. PR departments have to expand. It means we all have to be more conscientious about our customer engagement, and in return the reward is what we all crave, trust.
Now here is the big positive. Research is indicating that customers too are learning how to use social media, and are looking for reliability from a few trusted brands.
So what do we do in a Social Media crisis? First make sure we have already designed a functional Crisis PR plan that fits into our social media engagement strategy.
Here are 6 practical tactical tips.
