What can social media do for me in a PR crisis?

When that bad story first hits your computer screen, you can be excused for feeling just a little bit panicked. If you're like most companies, you aren't ready for a PR crisis. You might have some action plan in mothballs, but if it doesn't take in social media readiness, you're not prepared for a full-blown 21st century PR imbroglio. If you haven't thought through how social media transforms your PR crisis planning, it's time to do so now.

Social media can be perfect in crisis management for a few reasons. First, nothing beats the speed with which you can react. You don't have to remain for media to call. You can answer the story right where it starts, possibly quelling an issue before it gains too much negative momentum. On the other hand, social media demands that you react quickly, so one person's opportunity can be perceived as another's curse.

You also have the advantage of being unfiltered-no news media is interpreting or editing what you say. Your words, unfettered, can make the feeling directly on your audience. Your words also influence the mainstream media, so you get your cake and can eat it, too.

And your response can be individual, and therefore more believable, than the corporate-speak press releases we did in the old days. When Ford was criticized for taking legal action against a fan club, Ford's Scott Monty jumped into the discussion to let people know that Ford was listening, and quickly brought forward facts that the fan club was copying Ford trademarks without permission and turned belief around in just one day. Scott's credibility built from years in the community made that happen as much as anything else.

So, if you are not equipped for your next crisis, this is your big chance to get ready. You must build the credibility now, before the crisis, by participating on blogs, message boards, Twitter-wherever your audience hangs out. Then when the crisis hits, you'll have credible voices already in the right places-voices that will be listened to much more than a PR person you parachute in.

As you watch companies pilloried in social media each day for real and imagined transgressions, remember that some day it will be your turn. By preparing for that crisis moment, you'll be able to weather that crisis and emerged relatively unscathed. (I am not sure what it is, but I definitely don't ever want to be scathed.)