INSIDE:

Crisis Management
As unpleasant as it is to think about, crises can and do happen. From organizational conflicts to technological breakdowns to natural disasters, these unfortunate situations often take us by surprise and may leave us unbelieving, but hopefully not unprepared.

Ideally, when catastrophe strikes, you’ll already have some sort of contingency plan in place: who will speak publicly, how information will be disseminated, and what actions will be taken to ensure business disruption is minimal. Having an established and rehearsed crisis management team in place will help facilitate a swift and smooth response.

Perhaps the most important aspect of crisis management is communication with the public. Public scrutiny is inevitable during a crisis; how you respond to the situation can be a major determining factor in how consumers respond to you. Though it may be tempting to try to allay fears and put a positive “spin” on communicated information, conveying accurate, honest facts is the best policy to avoid negative financial, legal, and/or political ramifications. And be prepared to address two different perspectives: the reality of the event and the perception of the event.

Actions will need to be taken to minimize adverse effects on the company and, if applicable, stop the progression of the crisis. These may be actions previously decided upon in a contingency plan, or you may want to seek outside help with a crisis management consultant, which is a good way to bring in an objective viewpoint.

Responding quickly, both in communications and taking necessary actions, is imperative to maintaining consumer faith and successfully enduring a crisis situation. Once the initial onset of the crisis passes and the dust settles a bit, thought can be given to recovering your company’s image.

Today's Forecast
If you live in any of the Gulf Coast states, you certainly know about the oil spill we continue to deal with each day. Whether you live on the water or not, you are likely to be affected if any of this spill reaches your state’s coastline. We wanted you to know about a creative project being managed by Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Tourism and produced by Coast360.

This daily, two-minute broadcast shows potential visitors exactly what the conditions are here on our beaches—every single day. We’re proud to help share this message through our work with our coastal clients, and we commend the smart, strategic thinking behind it. Take a look—and get today’s forecast.

Vigilantly Social
As innovative and cost-effective as social media has been regarding marketing, like anything else it’s not without its risks. Anything online is subject to the possible perusal and even hijacking by hackers; according to a recent New York Times article, stolen Facebook accounts are now being sold on the black market.

According to the article, hackers generally obtain account information via “phishing” scams or malware, then use the stolen accounts to send spam or steal personal information for identity fraud purposes. Because people trust their Facebook friends, they may be more vulnerable to believing any message supposedly posted by a friend—even when that message was actually posted by a hacker posing as the friend—and may be willing to comply with any requests made in the message.

The upside to this is that many of the accounts being sold are fake accounts, and as reported in the article, Facebook has systems in place for detecting and shutting down fake accounts, and monitors for suspicious account activity.

The likelihood that a social marketing account will be stolen is slim, as most of us are able to recognize and avoid scams phishing for login information. However, a little vigilance never hurts. Logging onto the account frequently and reporting any odd activity, whether on your own account or that of a friend, can go a long way in preventing fraudulent activity. Your fans will appreciate it, too.

Global Marketing Solutions is proud to be a sponsor of the 2010 Polo at the Point, October 15-17.
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April W. Boone             April@GMStheBest.biz
John Boone                  John@GMStheBest.biz
Laura McGill                Laura@GMStheBest.biz