It’s inevitable.

At some point during your career, there will be a national crisis.

Probably more than one.

Whether it’s a devastating earthquake, a massive tornado, or another type of national tragedy altogether, we could all use some helpful pointers on how to navigate our social media programs through the ever-changing (and totally perplexing) waters brought on by a national crisis.

These are the 3 Iron-Clad rules I follow when managing our clients’ social media accounts (and our own) here at Falcon:

1.) Turn off your scheduled posts.

No matter how great your new program or sweet deal really is…. nobody wants to hear about it right now.

And if you’ve strategically planned out your social media calendar ahead of time, you’ve got a bunch of Tweets, Facebook posts and other goodies lined up in the queue.

Pause those babies. Immediately.

Letting your social media posts continue to push out means all those high-quality headlines you worked so hard on will easily get lost in all the clamor. Not only that, but continuing to post as if nothing’s wrong can quickly send the wrong message about your brand to all your social media followers.

2.) Elevate the helpers.

Are blood donors needed? Blankets? Donations?

In times of crisis, use your social accounts to elevate the voices of local organizations on the ground who are actively helping remedy the situation.

Whether it’s retweeting posts from the Red Cross, or posting a graphic on Facebook with a link to a donation page, make sure that right now, your focus is on amplifying the messages of those who are helping put an end to the crisis.

Not only does this boost your own brand image, but it’s the most effective and positive use of your sphere of influence during a time like this.

3.) Resume Normalcy:

After the urgency of the moment has passed, resume your regularly scheduled posts. But before you hit “go”, carefully review the language you’re using in each post, to make sure none of it comes off as tone deaf or insensitive. Revising your copy takes a lot less time than managing the fall-out of an ill-conceived social media post.

What rules do you follow when managing your social media programs during a crisis? Let us know in the comments below.