3 ways to extinguish—and survive—a social media firestorm

However, social media platforms can also be quite a dangerous arena for brands. It can get ugly—fast. Today, one negative comment can snowball into a full-blown PR crisis. Your marketing and branding strategy can unravel in just a few hours.

When a PR crisis hits, confusion, chaos and negativity can quickly disrupt your business and harm your image. However, a bit of strategic preparation can help you extinguish the fire before it spreads. It’s often possible to turn a crisis into a PR success—if you act swiftly and smartly.

Here are three tips to survive a social media flare-up:

1. Address the issue clearly and quickly.

The first step is to identify exactly where and how the crisis originated. One easy way to spot a brewing social media firestorm is to set keyword alerts to look for conversations with negative context or intent. Try adding different keywords that frequently appear in negative comments.