Crisis Communications Done Right: Buffer App

When it comes to crisis communications, SHIFT advocates for a simple three step model:

The model is simple: own the problem, share as much as you can, and get in front of the problem as fast as you can. Here’s an example of how to do it right, via social media posting service Buffer (disclosure: not a client).

On Saturday, October 26, Buffer was hacked by spammers who were able to post spam onto the social media profiles of 6% or so of its clients. Within an hour of the problem, Buffer founder and CEO Joel Gascoigne emailed, posted to social, and updated the Buffer blog to let its users know what was going on.

In his email, Joel owns the problem, shares what’s going on, and does so quickly, despite it being a Saturday morning. Over the next 24 hours, Joel posted 8 blog posts and many more social media posts detailing what was going on, when users could expect service to be restored, and what steps their customers should take next.

At the end of the event, Buffer recapped what had happened, how customers were affected, and how they fixed it to prevent future similar problems. They followed the three step crisis communications model perfectly – taking ownership of the problem, getting in front of the problem with as much speed as they could, and sharing knowledge liberally so that customers were not left guessing as to what was happening.

The last point is one of the most important in crisis communications from a strategic perspective. In the absence of information, customers tend to make up reasons for a brand’s failure that typically are significantly worse than what’s actually happening. By sharing frequently and being transparent about what was happening, customers didn’t need to guess what was going on behind the scenes at Buffer with their data.

In the end, the crisis may well have been an overall win for Buffer from a business growth perspective. In a quick scan of the comments on their blog, Buffer’s customers speak highly of their response:

When a crisis helps to grow your business and cement the loyalty of your customers, you know you’ve handled it the right way. Congratulations to the Buffer team for handling a crisis so well!

Christopher S. Penn
Vice President, Marketing Technology

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