eModeration and Carrot Communications launch social media crisis management service

A new social media crisis management service for brands and their agencies was launched at an event in New York this week. The social media crisis management service is a collaboration between social media and community management specialists, eModeration (which has offices in New York, LA and London UK), and social communications and PR agency, Carrot Communications. The service covers three main areas:



1. Social media crisis process audit, gap analysis and action plan for brands and digital agencies

2. Crisis preparation package, including issues identification, response processes and infrastructure planning, scenario planning and crisis workshops for brands and digital agencies

3. Full social media crisis simulation (run ‘as live’ using simulated social media software) and rehearsals



In the same way that social media is now part of the vast majority of marketing campaigns, it is also an important part of crisis and reputation management plans. The new service from eModeration and Carrot is designed to ensure that social media is built firmly into crisis plans, and not added as an afterthought. The service tests existing systems and processes, and works with brands to develop crisis plans, infrastructure and processes that include social media at their core. Crisis simulation exercises are run on closed systems ‘as live’, fielded by a team of eModeration’s expert community managers, to demonstrate how an issue unfolds over platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and forums.



eModeration’s CEO Tamara Littleton says: "When a crisis hits, the community managers are at the frontline of it. They have to respond quickly and effectively from within the communities. Community managers must be prepared and trained to act on the brand’s behalf, and not caught unawares."



Carrot’s MD Kate Hartley says: "It’s common for an online community to be the first place a brand will hear about a crisis. Listening to what the community is saying, and acting quickly, is critical. Social media must be at the heart of any crisis communications plan."



For information on social media crisis planning, see eModeration and Carrot’s jointly-written paper on the subject. For more details of the social media crisis planning service, please see www.emoderation.com/services/crisis-management. For insights, information and commentary on current social media crisis issues, visit the eModeration and Carrot crisis management blog: www.bunkerbriefing.com.



About eModeration

eModeration Limited is an award-winning moderation and community management company also offering bespoke social media strategic and social media crisis consultancy.



It has offices in New York, Los Angeles and London UK, and provides multi-lingual moderation and community management services to clients in the TV, entertainment and digital publishing industry and blue chip clients hosting online communities.



Committed to ethical business practices and to the promotion of child online safety, eModeration's CEO Tamara Littleton recently worked with the UK Government department UKCCIS to produce its guidelines on how to moderate online environments for children; and is a regular speaker in the US and UK on the issue of child safety.



eModeration contributes to the growth of knowledge in the social media world via its white papers, blogs and seminars, and has a strong roster of returning clients who appreciate the high quality of its services.



About Carrot Communications

Carrot is a social communications and PR agency that focuses on creating conversations between a business and its audience. It works with fast-growth companies, both B2B and B2C, often (but not exclusively) with a digital offering.