Influencer Crisis Management: 9-Step Guide for Brands

Dealing with influencer crises on LinkedIn? Here's your 9-step playbook:

1. Form a crisis team

2. Make a communication plan

3. Assess potential risks

4. Set up monitoring tools

5. Create response templates

6. Train spokespersons

7. Take immediate action

8. Carry out communication plan

9. Review and recover

Why this matters:

• Protects your professional reputation

• Prevents loss of trust and customers

• Avoids legal trouble and financial losses

Quick Comparison:

| Step | Key Action | Why It's Important |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1\. Form crisis team | Assign roles (PR, legal, leadership) | Ensures coordinated response |
| 2\. Make comms plan | Set response times, choose channels | Enables quick, consistent messaging |
| 3\. Assess risks | List potential issues and impacts | Helps prepare for various scenarios |
| 4\. Set up monitoring | Use social listening tools | Catches problems early |
| 5\. Create templates | Prepare statements and FAQs | Saves time during crisis |
| 6\. Train speakers | Practice interviews, create Q&As | Ensures clear, on-brand messaging |
| 7\. Take action | Pause posts, address issue quickly | Shows you're handling the situation |
| 8\. Execute plan | Use multiple channels, be transparent | Keeps all stakeholders informed |
| 9\. Review and recover | Analyze response, update plans | Improves future crisis management

Remember: Act fast, be honest, and keep it human. With this guide, you can turn a crisis into an opportunity to show what your brand is made of.

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1. Form a crisis team

Your first move in influencer crisis management? Build a solid crisis team. This group will be your frontline defense when things go wrong.

Pick team members

Your crisis team should include:

• PR experts

• Social media managers

• Legal advisors

• Executive leadership

Each member brings something unique. PR experts craft messages, legal advisors keep you out of trouble.

Alyson Buck, Senior Director of PR at Samsung Electronics America, says:

"To me, the four influencer crisis playbook essentials are: an internal communications tree—who needs to be alerted and who has the final say; a log of previous company crisis responses to reference for consistency; scenario plans for common influencer-induced issues, like rogue social posts or inappropriate content; and finally, a measurement plan, with the team and tools in place to monitor should a situation arise."

Assign tasks

Next, divide responsibilities. Here's a basic breakdown:

| Team Member | Primary Responsibilities |
| --- | --- |
| PR Expert | Craft public statements, manage media relations |
| Social Media Manager | Monitor online chatter, respond to comments |
| Legal Advisor | Review statements, assess legal risks |
| Executive Leadership | Make final decisions, serve as spokesperson if needed

Create a crisis flowchart. It'll help your team know who to contact in different scenarios. Make sure front-line staff have current contact info for all executives.

Don't just wait for a crisis. Run drills to keep your team sharp. In the unpredictable world of influencer marketing, practice is key.

2. Make a communication plan

A good communication plan helps you handle influencer problems fast. Here's how to make one:

Set response guidelines

Create a plan for different crisis types:

| Crisis Type | Response Time | Initial Action | Follow-up |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Offensive content | Within 1 hour | Remove content, issue statement | Influencer meeting |
| Legal issues | Within 2 hours | Consult legal team, pause campaign | Public statement |
| Misinformation | Within 3 hours | Fact-check, correct publicly | Educate influencer

These guidelines give your team a roadmap. Fun fact: 37% of people want a response in under 30 minutes on social media during a crisis.

Choose communication channels

Pick the right ways to talk to your audience:

• Social media

• Company website

• Email newsletters

• Press releases

• Direct stakeholder communication

KFC nailed this during their 2018 UK chicken shortage:

They used newspaper ads with a clever "FCK" apology, updated their website and social media, and gave vouchers to affected customers.

This smart approach turned a bad situation into a good one.

Pro tip: Stop all scheduled posts during a crisis. Amazon Prime learned this the hard way in March 2020 with an ill-timed tweet about "apocalypse buddies" during the Ukrainian invasion.

3. Assess potential risks

To handle influencer crises effectively, you need to know what could go wrong. Let's look at common problems and their impact on your brand.

List possible crises

Here are some issues that can pop up with influencers:

| Crisis Type | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offensive content | Influencer posts something that offends people | Racist comments on social media |
| Legal troubles | Influencer breaks the law or faces legal action | Arrested for drunk driving |
| Misinformation | Influencer shares false info about your brand | Claims your product has features it doesn't |
| Contract breach | Influencer doesn't follow agreed-upon terms | Promotes a competitor's product |
| Authenticity concerns | Influencer's followers or engagement are fake | Caught buying followers |

Consider impact on brand image

Different crises can hurt your brand in various ways:

1. Reputation damage

Bad influencer behavior can rub off on your brand. If an influencer makes offensive comments, people might think your company shares those views.

2. Loss of trust

If an influencer spreads wrong info about your product, customers might stop trusting your brand. This can lead to fewer sales and bad reviews.

3. Legal and financial risks

When influencers break laws or contracts, your company might face fines or lawsuits. This can cost money and harm your reputation.

4. Audience backlash

Angry followers might boycott your brand or leave negative comments on your social media. This can snowball into a bigger PR problem.

To measure these impacts, watch:

• Social media mentions and sentiment

• Sales numbers

• Website traffic

• Customer feedback and reviews

• Media coverage

Did you know? Nearly 75% of consumers look to influencers for recommendations. So, a crisis can hit your brand's image and bottom line hard.

Want to be prepared? Create a risk assessment chart. List potential crises and rate their likelihood and impact on a scale of 1-5. This helps you focus on the most pressing risks.

4. Set up monitoring tools

You need to watch what's happening online to catch influencer issues early. Here's how:

Use social listening tools

These tools track brand mentions and influencer activities. Some options:

| Tool | Features | Best For |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Meltwater](https://www.meltwater.com/en/suite/social-listening-analytics) | Wide coverage, AI insights | Big brands |
| [Awario](https://awario.com/) | Keyword tracking | Small/medium businesses |
| [HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/products/marketing) | Marketing integration | HubSpot users |

When picking a tool, think about:

• Platforms covered

• Real-time monitoring

• Custom alerts

• Integration with your tools

Track mentions and sentiment

Focus on:

1. Brand mentions

2. Influencer content

3. Industry keywords

4. Sentiment analysis

5. Competitor activity

To make it work:

• Set up quick-view dashboards

• Create alerts for mention spikes or negative sentiment

• Review and adjust your tracking regularly

The goal? Catch issues before they blow up. Spotify's @SpotifyCares Twitter account is a good example. They jump on user concerns fast to keep small problems small.

5. Create response templates

When an influencer crisis hits, you need to act fast. Pre-made templates can save time and keep your message clear. Here's how to create them:

Write initial statements

Craft quick statements to address the public before you have all the details:

• Acknowledge the issue

• Express concern

• Promise updates

Slack nailed this during a 2022 outage. They tweeted:

"We're experiencing issues with Slack at the moment. We're aware of the problem and are working to fix it. We'll keep you updated here and on our status page."

This simple update showed they were on it, helping maintain user trust.

Prepare FAQ documents

Create FAQs to answer common questions. This:

• Keeps answers consistent

• Reduces team workload

• Addresses concerns quickly

Your FAQ should cover:

| Topic | Example Questions |
| --- | --- |
| What happened | What occurred? When? |
| Impact | Who's affected? Consequences? |
| Response | What's being done? Timeline? |
| Prevention | How to prevent future issues? Changes

Update these as the situation changes.

Crisis Communication Expert Philippe Borremans says:

"When a crisis hits, swiftly issue a preliminary statement. It shows stakeholders you're aware and taking action, even if you don't have all the details yet."

6. Train spokespersons

When an influencer crisis hits, you need a strong voice. Here's how to prep your spokespersons:

Pick the right speakers

Choose someone who:

• Knows your brand well

• Stays cool under pressure

• Communicates clearly

Tip: The CEO isn't always the best choice. Sometimes, a comms team member fits better.

"Anyone can be the right spokesperson with proper training. They must know the brand's story and key messages." - Jody Koehler, Coopr co-founder

Get them ready

1. Teach media basics

Cover:

• Interview types

• Journalist tactics

• Staying on message

2. Practice

Do mock interviews to help them:

• Handle tough questions

• Stay calm

• Deliver key messages

3. Create a crisis Q&A

Make a document with likely questions and approved answers. This keeps responses consistent.

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| What happened? | "Here's what we know so far..." |
| Who's responsible? | "We're investigating to find out." |
| What are you doing? | "Our team is working to resolve this."

4. Teach what NOT to say

Avoid:

• "No comment"

• Guessing

• Making promises you can't keep

"Well-prepared spokespeople are key to any crisis communications strategy." - Tom Vogel, PR expert

7. Take immediate action

When an influencer crisis hits, you need to move fast. Here's what to do:

Stop scheduled posts

First things first:

• Pause all scheduled content

• Check upcoming posts for potential issues

• Tell your team to stop creating new posts

Why? Regular content during a crisis can make you look clueless.

| Platform | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| LinkedIn | Pause updates |
| Instagram | Turn off auto-posting |
| Twitter | Stop scheduled tweets |
| Email | Hold newsletters

Address the issue quickly

Speed matters, but don't sacrifice accuracy. Here's the game plan:

1. Get the facts (within 48 hours max)

2. Talk to legal if needed

3. Write a clear, honest message

4. Post on your main channels

"When the details are clear, the brand needs to come clean. This shows the public you're working on a solution." - Sakshi Kalani, Savy Click CEO

Your initial statement should:

• Acknowledge what happened

• State your position

• Explain what you're doing now

• Promise to keep people updated

Don't stay silent. It can look like you agree with the influencer. A quick response shows you're on it.

Real-life example:

In 2020, brands posted about Black Lives Matter. Those who backed words with action (like donating) did better than those who just talked.

8. Carry out communication plan

When an influencer crisis hits, it's go time. Here's how to execute your plan:

Create clear messages

Be honest and clear:

• Address the issue head-on

• Explain what happened and why

• Share your fix

• Skip the corporate jargon

In 2016, Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phones caught fire. They:

1. Owned up to the problem

2. Recalled 2 million+ phones

3. Hired 700 researchers to find the cause

4. Kept customers in the loop

Result? They kept customer trust during a tough time.

Communicate across platforms

Use multiple channels:

| Platform | Action |
| --- | --- |
| Website | Statement on homepage |
| Social media | Updates on all accounts |
| Email | Message to mailing list |
| Press release | Send to media outlets |
| Internal comms | Keep employees informed

Tailor your message for each platform, but keep the core info consistent.

Speed matters, but don't sacrifice accuracy. It's better to be right than first.

KFC's chicken shortage in the UK (2018):

1. Created a webpage for restaurant status checks

2. Used humor in ads to acknowledge the situation

3. Engaged openly on social media

4. Kept staff and franchisees informed

This multi-channel approach turned a potential PR disaster into a crisis management win.

9. Review and recover

After an influencer crisis, it's time to look back and plan ahead.

Review the response

Take a hard look at how your team handled things:

• What worked?

• Where did you mess up?

• How fast did you act?

Back it up with data. Here's an example:

| Metric | Before Crisis | During Crisis | After Crisis |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Engagement rate | 5%  | 2%  | 4%  |
| Sentiment score | 7.5/10 | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Brand mentions | 1000/day | 5000/day | 1500/day

Apply lessons learned

Use what you've learned to beef up your crisis plan:

• Tweak your response templates

• Fine-tune your communication channels

• Tighten up your influencer vetting

Take a page from Starbucks' book. After their 2018 racial profiling incident, they shut down over 8,000 stores for racial bias training. That's walking the talk.

Rebuild trust

Winning back your audience isn't a quick fix:

1. Come clean about changes

Tell people what you're doing to stop it from happening again. KFC nailed this during their 2018 UK chicken shortage:

"We've brought a new delivery partner on board, but they've had a couple of teething problems – getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!"

2. Get back in touch with your audience

• Run a campaign that shows off your brand values

• Team up with influencers who match your new direction

• Jump on customer feedback ASAP

3. Keep an eye on brand sentiment

Stay on top of how people see your brand after the crisis. Use social listening tools to catch any bad vibes before they blow up.

Conclusion

Influencer crisis management on LinkedIn? It's not just nice to have. It's a must.

Our 9-step guide gives you a game plan. Here's the quick version:

1. Build your crisis team

2. Plan your comms strategy

3. Watch for potential issues

4. Be ready to move fast

Even big names hit rough patches. Take Tesla. After some PR hiccups, they turned to niche influencers. The result? A whopping 157% growth in 2021.

But it's not all about putting out fires. It's a chance to show what you're made of. Lululemon nailed this. They used micro-influencers during a crisis and saw a 21.01% revenue jump from 2019 to 2020.

The secret sauce? Be quick. Be honest. Be human.

Remember Puerto Rico's Tourism Company during the Zika scare? They turned a crisis into a win. Olympic champ Monica Puig put it perfectly:

"Zika's serious for pregnant women or those planning to be. But if that's not you, come visit Puerto Rico, my home sweet home."

Clear. Targeted. Effective.