“Managing Crisis Strategies on Social Media: A Case Study on Some Corporates Working in Egypt”

Abstract

There is no doubt that the emergence of social media networks in our lives has redefined many of concepts that have been settled among us for decades. Traditionally the term crisis management has been defined as: a significant threat to operations that can have negative consequences on an organization, if not handled properly. In crisis management, the threat is the potential damage on an organization, its’ stakeholders, and an industry. A crisis can create three, public safety, financial loss, and reputation loss (Zamoum & Gorpe 2018).( ) Nowadays, with the wide spread of social networks, what could have been defined previously as a limited problem that the corporate faces in one of its branches or locally, can end up causing real damage to the corporate’s reputation and result in loss of clients in a nation-wide sphere. It is impossible to deny the role of the media at the time of crisis, the time when the organization faces may lead to a sudden imbalance in which the events get out of control and threaten the entity and the existence of the organization itself. At such times, information is crucial to the organization in order to help the public assess the situation. Crisis often causes chaos and tension, especially in light of lack of information or widespread rumors or poor communication between organizations and the public. Organizations should take into account that what was defined as a minor problem decades ago, can now be a daily crisis and that they should be always prepared by suitable communication strategies that are capable of limiting or containing such crisis. Selecting the suitable strategy always depends on two main aspect: knowing your target audience and evaluating your strategies and their impact on the public.