Earlier this month I wrote a blog post about Taco Bell’s social media crisis surrounding its lawsuit on its beef content (which you can find here) and used it as a case study should your company or brand ever face its own social media crisis. What companies and brands must realize is that in the Internet-savvy world of the 21st century, (bad) publicity from traditional outlets such as print can be translated into and amplified in the open architecture of social media; in other words, what a company says or does has social media implications. This lawsuit is still in litigation; although, close to one month later, while scathed, it appears that Taco Bell has done well to manage its brand through this social media crisis. Together with the tips from my previous blog post on managing a social media crisis should your company ever face one, here are two more tips that any company can learn from Taco Bell’s example:
Web Presence
Before the lawsuit broke out, Taco Bell already had formidable social currency within their niche – 5.7 million fans on their Facebook page, 80,000 followers on Twitter, and nearly 3 million views on their YouTube channel. While the number one social media objective of any company is to amass as much social currency as possible to be seen as an authority within their industry or niche, already having this base would serve it well during a time of need such as a social media crisis. Having this large base means having an audience that’s receptive to your company’s message especially in disseminating damage control. And it also has SEO dimensions. In Taco Bell’s case, a search for “Taco Bell” on Google only brought back one lawsuit-related page on its SERP.
Search Engines
If your company is faced with a PR crisis with social media dimensions, launch an SEM campaign that directs web searchers to your side of the story. Imagine what keywords web searchers are using to get more information about your company’s PR crisis and make sure that your company has page that responds to consumer concerns on the first SERP. In Taco Bell’s case, a search for “Taco Bell’s meat quality” brings up “Food Facts” from its website.
While these resources are tremendous help in the event your company is facing a social media crisis, it’s important to remember that each company’s case and scope of their crisis is unique to their company. While Taco Bell is a great example in learning how to protect your brand during a social media crisis, it should not be taken as a cookie-cutter approach to appropriate to the specificities of your unique brand.
Written By: Jaszver Bauzon
