Please answer the following question in two or threeparagraphs (200+ words). The case study that relates to thequestion is listed below. This is for a public relations class.Thank you!
1.) Why do you think Berger says it is important to havea social media strategy before a crisis hits in order to have anycredibility?
Case Study – General Motors Goes Social with a FinancialCrisis:
General Motors used social media to help handle its bankruptcyfinancial crisis in May 2009. Despite hesitation from the legal andfinancial consultants advising GM, Christopher Berger convinced theCEO to use Twitter and Facebook to let shareholders know of thechapter 11 filing. Berger, director of global social media at GM,said that getting CEO Fritz Henderson on board with the idea wascrucial. GM following a 20/80 policy on its social media posts – 20percent was GM material posted to Facebook or Twitter or otherplaces and 80 percent was responding to questions. “Even if theywere venting and saying, ‘We hate you,’ we tried to respond,”Berger said. “During a crisis, you want to use social media as atool to respond and make sure that consumers realized you arelistening and you care.”
GM employed such social media tactics as posting blogs and livewebcasts, playing a video interview on Facebook with FritzHenderson, and putting the CEO on Twitter for an open conversation.“You cannot overcommunication during a crisis,” Berger said. “Go onevery platform, every possible place somebody might be listening toyou. The audience expects you to be there.”
During the first week of the crisis, GM engaged in directconversations via Twitter, Facebook, and through various blogs withabout 800 individual people. Berger noted that those 800conversations were translated into communication with thousandsmore because followers to those sites would see the conversations.“Again, it’s not ‘Here’s GM’s message; here’s what they want us toknow.’ It is real people interacting,” Berger added. “That was aparticular benefit for us.”
In one particular effective strategy, GM even sought to engageits critics. GM invited a popular blogger and frequent GM critic,David Meerman Scott, to headquarters and gave him access to the CEOand anyone else he wanted to talk to. Within a week of the visit,Scott had posted four blogs about GM to his blog, Web Ink Now.Scott’s post were still critical of GM’s advertising strategy(something he had been critical of the motor company forpreviously), but were positive about the corporation overall. “Youdon’t engage everybody,” Berger noted, adding that critics notinterested in a genuine conversation are not worth the time. “Ifsomebody is giving good thought to their criticism, then you wantto engage that person.”
To have an effective and credible social media presence during acrisis, it is important to establish a social media strategy beforethe crisis hits, Berger maintains. “There is no over. This is not acampaign. It is a commitment. This is a long-term way of doingbusiness.”
