10 steps for building your crisis communications plan

Social media has changed crisis communication.

Victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma used social media to communicate with first responders, discover where gas was available and follow emergency updates. This month, The Wall Street Journal outlined dozens of ways social sites and apps are used during a crisis.

For brand managers, however, this rapid-response, multi-channel communication grid can produce scary challenges: A situation that once took weeks to unfold can now grow into a firestorm in a matter of hours. Getting approved responses and researching a situation takes time and is often delivered too late.

Here are 10 steps for building an effective crisis communications plan:

1. Watch and listen to trends. It is vitally important to use media and social monitoring tools and set up regular alerts so you know immediately when news hits and a crisis bubbles to the surface. Think of your monitoring tools as an early warning system.