Story time!
Once upon a time, there was a small business owner named Jane. She had always been skeptical about the value of following social media, but she decided to give it a try. To make it relevant for her business, she started following some crisis management experts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms.
To her surprise, she found that what these experts shared was extremely helpful and easy to use. They provided valuable information on how to prepare for a crisis before it happens. And shared tips on how to develop a plan, as well as how to communicate with customers during crises. Jane learned about the importance of being transparent and responsive during a crisis, and how to keep her customers informed.
Thanks to information shared by these experts, Jane was able to develop a crisis management plan for her business. She practiced different scenarios and learned how to respond quickly and effectively to different types of crises. She also learned how to use social media to keep her customers informed. This helped her to gain her customer’s trust and protect her business’s reputation.
One day, a crisis happened at Jane’s business. A product recall had to be issued, and customers were concerned. Jane was able to respond quickly and effectively, thanks to the knowledge she had gained. She could keep her customers informed and reassured, and her business’s reputation was protected.
In the end, Jane realized that following experts in social media was extremely valuable for her business. She could prepare for a crisis before it happened, and she could respond effectively when a it occurred. She learned that social media could be a powerful tool for crisis management, and she would always be grateful for the knowledge she had gained from following the experts.
It makes sense to take guidance from experts
In today’s turbulent times, it’s critical to learn crisis management. What the strategies can be and what are the best practices. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how fast disruptive event(s) can occur. And how much damage it can cause to any organization’s reputation and bottom line.
Businesses that are unprepared for a crisis may face many issues, including destruction of shareholder value, loss of revenue, disruption of normal operations, and long-lasting reputational harm.
They may also face difficulty in managing a crisis due to lack of preparation, inadequate decision-making processes, and ineffective communication with stakeholders. Additionally, companies without a crisis management plan in place may be exposed to legal liabilities, resulting in costly litigation and settlements.
Companies unprepared for a crisis can find themselves struggling to respond. That can lead to even greater damage. Companies that take crisis management seriously can limit the damage. Or even turn a crisis into an opportunity.
Finally, businesses that are unprepared for a crisis may not be able to recover from the crisis in a timely manner, resulting in a long-term negative impact on their operations.
There are many ways to stay informed. One of the best, for many reasons, is to follow crisis management experts on LinkedIn and Twitter. These experts share a wealth of experience and knowledge.
In this article, I’ll introduce you to the top 7 experts I follow on LinkedIn and Twitter. I’m a bit biased towards following communications experts, as that’s the field where I have to learn the most. So, clearly this list is very subjective, and I want you to be fully aware of that.
This is a list of my personal favorites, people whose posts I see the most often. They usually provide very actionable information. As in, you can take it and use it right away.
The experts (in alphabetical order)
Shawna Bruce
Shawna is an expert crisis communicator with massive experience. And you can see it in her posts. I really like the empathy that Shawna shows in her approach to crisis comms.
You can find Shawna on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Excellent tip from Shawna
Robert Burton
Robert is my go-to source for all things related to crisis management exercises. Robert is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at PreparedEx. Definitely go and check out their podcast and blog (one of my favorite posts: https://preparedex.com/the-real-cost-of-a-tabletop-exercise-what-goes-into-creating-a-successful-one/).
You can find Robert on LinkedIn.
One of Robert’s posts that I like
Amanda Coleman
Amanda is another crisis communications expert on the list. She wrote two books that are worth their weight in gold (check them out: Everyday Communication Strategies and Crisis Communication Strategies). Almost each page of both books has a great advice you can simply take and use in your communications.
You can find Amanda on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
One of the posts that I like (yes, quote from Amanda’s book)
Jonathan Hemus
Jonathan founded Insignia crisis management consulting (be sure to check out their YouTube channel!). Jonathan often underlines that during a crisis, you should do the right thing and say the right thing. I love his book Crisis Proof: How to prepare for the worst day of your business life.
One of my favorite videos from Jonathan
Bob Jensen
Bob is the Senior Managing Director at Strat3. Bob’s experience could be shared to 5 people, and it would still make their experience impressive (check Bob’s bio on Strat3’s “About” page). He possesses the ability to share remarkable nuggets of knowledge in short tweets.
You can find Bob on Twitter and LinkedIn.
One of Bob’s awesome tweets
Molly McPherson
Molly McPherson is a crisis communications expert. She shares great insight on handing crises related to social media. The third chapter of her book (Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis) is an excellent guide on how to manage issues related to call-out culture and cancel culture. A must-read!
You can follow Molly on Twitter and LinkedIn.
One of my favorite tweets from Molly
Bryan Strawser
Bryan is the Principal & Chief Executive at Bryghtpath. Bryan has massive experience in crisis management, business continuity, emergency management, information security and more. That’s one of the reasons his posts cover a wide array of topics, including workplace violence.
You can find Bryan on Twitter and LinkedIn.
One of Bryan’s posts that I like
Conclusion – you should follow crisis management experts
Staying informed about crisis management strategies and best practices is important. It allows you to prepare for and respond to crises that may hit your business. Being prepared helps to reduce the impact, and can also help to speed up recovery efforts.
Being prepared can also help to reduce the risk of a crisis occurring in the first place. If you understand the threats, and take steps to address them, the likelihood of a crisis will be lowered.
You should also keep in mind that there are some non-obvious benefits of implementing crisis management in a company. This includes a more cohesive team, better preparedness for any endeavor, improved communication between departments, better customer service, increased customer loyalty, and improved public relations.
Additionally, crisis management can help businesses to identify and address potential risks and vulnerabilities before they become serious issues, as well as increase employee morale and motivation. By being prepared for a crisis, businesses can also reduce the amount of time and resources that are needed to respond to an emergency, allowing them to focus on other areas of their operations.
There are so many non-obvious (or indirect, if you will) benefits, that they deserve a separate article. And that will come in the near future.
Last, but not least, you should embrace listening as a critical skill for your crisis management. But that’s a topic for another article.
Summing up, crisis management is a crucial aspect of any business or organization. It can mean the difference between success and failure during a challenging situation. One of the best ways to stay informed and up-to-date is to follow the experts, like the ones mentioned above.
By following these crisis management experts, you gain a more in-depth understanding of the complexities of crisis management. And stay informed about the latest and greatest in the field. The tools and resources they share are often a great help in navigating a crisis.
The list above is definitely not complete. Who would you add?