A university social media crisis moves faster and involves more stakeholders than a typical corporate one.
In this article, we break down the key components of a successful crisis response in higher education. You’ll learn how to tailor a single message to multiple audiences and find out what to prepare before a story breaks.
Why do university crises spread differently from corporate ones?
In short, because of audience demographics.
Students typically spend more time online than the average person. They tend to be more concerned with social justice and often participate in digital activism.
This means that a single incident can quickly spread through online channels and escalate into a full-blown social media crisis. If a scandal breaks out during applications season, reputational damage carries an additional risk of financial harm.
So, university crises escalate faster than corporate ones. But do they really need a different PR response?
Yes. University crises impact multiple stakeholder groups simultaneously, so one consistent message has to be tailored to reach:
Current students
Prospective applicants
Parents
Alumni
Staff unions
We’ll cover this in more depth later in the article. Next, we’ll explore what happens in the first 24 hours following a crisis.
The first response.
You’ve been informed that a negative story about your university is rapidly gaining traction on social media.
What do you do? Should you release a statement as soon as possible, or wait until you’ve established the facts?
Make a public statement too quickly, and you risk saying something inaccurate that invites liability. Wait too long to address the situation, and you could be accused of intentionally staying silent or burying the story.
How you structure your first response largely determines the outcome of the crisis. This is why we recommend having a crisis response plan ready before you actually need it.
So, what should the first 24 hours look like?
Establish the facts.
What actually happened? Who was involved? How much information is already public, and is there anything else that could leak?
Find out as much as you can about the incident and make sure your crisis team is on the same page.
Ensure the right people are notified.
Depending on the severity of the incident, you may need to file a report with the Office of Students (OfS). Transparency is key. Concealing information could undermine the university’s registration status, making things worse in the long run.
For more information on what counts as a ‘reportable event’, refer to OfS guidance directly.
Decide who should respond publicly, and who should stay silent.
Public statements should only be issued by those who have the authority to do so. Serious, high-profile crises must be handled by senior figures, such as the Vice-Chancellor. Minor incidents can usually be dealt with by the university’s comms team.
Determine specific escalation triggers in advance. Everyone involved in a crisis communications response should already know exactly what they are responsible for, and when.
Make sure staff members do not publicly comment on the situation. Uncoordinated statements are a quick and reliable way to make a social media crisis worse.
Land on a message.
Satisfying diverse audiences with one message can be a challenging feat. In the next section, you’ll find out how to tailor your crisis response to multiple groups at once.
Managing multiple audiences with one message
Now we’ve covered the first 24 hours of your crisis response; let’s return to the issue of stakeholder communications.
As mentioned previously, universities have the sector-specific problem of reaching multiple audiences with a single message. Students, staff, parents, and the press all have distinct priorities.
The temptation is to issue several different statements to satisfy each group. But this would be a mistake. There’s a greater risk of self-contradiction, and mixed messaging does little to clarify your version of events.
The key to successful crisis communications is to adopt one clear line and not deviate from it.
How does this work in practice?
Make sure internal staff communication does not contradict public-facing messaging. This is a common mistake, and can undermine institutional credibility.
You should coordinate with the press office, student services and the students’ union so they know what line to adopt.
Communications can go through multiple channels to reach different stakeholders, but the message must remain consistent.
Still struggling to manage your reputational risk across stakeholder groups? We have the knowledge and experience to help.
Read on for advice on how to navigate the weeks following your first response.
What to do in the following weeks.
The crisis response should not fizzle out after the initial 24 hours. A strong communications strategy extends into the weeks and months following a social media scandal.
What does this look like?
Proactive updates.
Maintain regular contact with the affected students and parents. Proactively offer updates on progress made, whilst remaining transparent about any setbacks.
Do not go silent after the initial statement. Rebuilding trust after crisis is a lengthy process, and it’s important to preserve positive relationships throughout. For detailed advice, consult Advance HE’s guidance on promoting good relations in higher education.
Monitoring.
Monitoring sentiment in the months after a scandal is a critical aspect of crisis recovery. Universities should utilise data from the following applications cycle to track any lasting reputational damage.
An independent review.
If necessary, consider bringing in an independent body to review your progress and produce a statement of learnings. This is an effective way to reassure stakeholders that you’re actively taking steps to learn from past mistakes.
Building the plan before the crisis, not during it
The most important piece of advice to take away from this article is to have a crisis communications plan ready before you need it. If you’re not prepared, what started as a few negative social media posts can quickly escalate into a full-blown crisis.
Not sure what you should include in your plan? Here’s a quick checklist:
A named spokesperson for each incident type;
A pre-agreed holding statement signed off by legal counsel;
Defined escalation triggers;
A designated student-welfare handoff point.
Looking for expert advice on how to rebuild your reputation after a higher education social media crisis? Check out our university crisis communications strategy.
