The three rules of crisis communications have always been to be quick, be open and be helpful.

Dan Harvey, marketing and client relations director at media training firm HarveyLeach, says these are even more important when putting out fires that start on social networks. He explains: “It can be tempting to spend valuable time refining the message, running it through committees and approval processes. Don’t. The most important thing is that the company puts its head above the parapet and gives a reasonable response. Don’t try to deny responsibility or put a positive spin on the situation, it will just damage your credibility and foster resentment. Be open and genuine.”

Harvey says a company must do everything it can to keep people on its side and ideally, this process will have started before the crisis, through building relationships with journalists, bloggers and customers. As soon as the crisis starts to unfold, you must be helpful and give everyone the information they are asking for. Use social media to let them know what is being done to fix the situation and how long it will take.

Neil Bayley, corporate practice leader at PR firm Porter Novelli, agrees with Harvey that it is important to be prepared, rather than relying on using damage-control measures once it’s too late: “If your client has its own presence on social networks, you should already have a strategy in place for how this will be used to respond to negative comments (and if you don’t, create that strategy asap!). Similarly, tracking how your brand is being discussed online will help you to pick up on the first stirrings around a potential issue before it escalates more widely.”

Once you have your crisis plan in place, Bayley says the next step is to make sure it works: “Test it to see if it withstands scrutiny in the social media age. For instance, include social media, just as you would include news media contacts, and put it to the test. The core principles of crisis management still apply too. While there is room for debate in the social media sphere, it’s unlikely that you’ll win over the die-hard critics, so your goal should be winning over the undecided or silent and observing majority.”

Although handling disaster online follows the same principles as with traditional media, the sheer number of people writing means that sometimes a more measured approach must be taken. Paul Stallard, director of agency Berkeley PR, says it is important to pick and choose your battles: “There can be a lot of noise out there and it is important to understand when to respond and when to hold back. Not every comment warrants a response and in some scenarios joining a discussion can actually be even more damaging. Do your research. Check their influence, tone of previous messages and understand who is likely to see the comments. If necessary, take the conversation offline to resolve the issue.”

Quick steps to take when it gets nasty

Simon Mould, social media executive at PR agency Threepipe, offers tips for managing negative comments on Facebook and Twitter:

On Facebook

If a fan has commented something negative, quickly comment on the post and apologise. Ask for an email address, and if this isn’t forthcoming, give an email address for them to contact you.

Send an email asking for the key details and delete their email address from the page (to protect their privacy). Leave a comment along the lines:  “Thanks for supplying your email address to us, we have sent you a personal email.”

From there you can continue the dialogue using email.

On Twitter

If you spot a negative mention, make sure you follow them right away, and reply asking if they could direct message you their email address (again if they do not wish to, offer your own).

When you have a response, make mention of them on Twitter and thank them, confirming you will be in touch soon.

Written by Daney Parker