It is breaking my cold, black heart that summer is coming to an end, but you know what they say…time marches on.
Stooopid time.
That said, August has been another fantastic month of content here at Spin Sucks, which we themed around online crisis communications and crisis management.
We kicked things off with an excellent webinar on Crisis Management in the 21st Century, from the super smart Melissa Agnes, from Agnes + Day Inc.
And on the blog, we looked at all angles of that question/theme.
How to avoid a crisis?
What to do if you’re embroiled in one?
How to keep customers happy, what to think about before you create your social strategies, and so much more.
We looked at some current (like – right now!) social media cock-ups, and explored some really creative and brave ways companies have turned a negative into a positive when it comes to customer complaints.
We also included a number of case studies—personal, and otherwise.
Because summer is such a hectic time for many of you—kids home from school, vacations to take, that sort of thing—I wanted to take another look at some of the fantastic crisis management posts we published in August.
Be sure and click on the links above because I’m sure, with all the barbecues and beach days, you missed a few!
The Top Crazies—and Their Crisis Management Picks
I also wanted to tap my team for their favorites.
We have quite a crew here at Spin Sucks/Arment Dietrich, and we all see the world quite differently.
Now, to be fair, I did request they choose only one.
That probably wasn’t fair.
And, because these are ‘personal faves,’ in no way, shape, or form do these choices take away from the other excellent articles we ran these past weeks.
- Laura Petrolino: Refer to Your Values in a Crisis. Because Jeremy Miller nailed it. Values, values, values…they need to be at the foundation of your business, and from where you build your communications (crisis and general), culture, and overall operations. He provides a great case study of an organization who built a culture around a strong set of values and backed them up when facing a crisis situation.
- Eleanor Pierce: Crisis Communications 101: What You Can Learn from Union Street Guest House. I think the post is a good one-two punch: A look at a flagrant example of a self-created crisis, plus a solid learning takeaway, Gini’s “Five Things to Always Remember in a Crisis.”
- Clay Morgan: Crisis Communications Advice from Animals. Laura’s animal story was so well illustrated using the animals as examples that it was hard for the information to NOT sink in. A lesson on creative storytelling, how it can definitely improve retention, and why it’s so important to include it in your social media strategy.
- Lindsay Bell: How the Zutano Blogger Outreach Program Hit Huge Audiences. I have to choose “How the Zutano Blogger Outreach Program Hit Huge Audiences,” by Howie Goldfarb. Not only because I adore Howie (who’s a dead ringer for Henry Rollins, BTW), but also because this was a good news story. In the piece, he interviews Betzi Bilodeau, who runs social media for Zutano. Curious about how to nail a blogger outreach program (and NOT fail at social media!), read on.
I didn’t ask Gini Dietrich for her choice because, well, Spin Sucks is her baby.
And we all know, when you have kids (of any kind), you can’t love one more than another (though we ALLLLL do).
Note from Gini: And I would never choose just one. It’s that fairness gene I got from my mom.