The social media world has been whirling this week over two public scandals.  In Nashville, Tennessee it’s Girl Fight at the Steeplechase Race, and, nationally, Amy’s Baking Company crisis is dominating the conversation. Since the latter represents a company’s reaction to a negative event, I wanted to take a minute to share how we at Forest Home Media would work quickly to help in this sticky situation.

First, been living under a rock? Then catch up with the Washington Post’s story “Amy’s Baking Company vs. The Entire Internet.”

Applying our PR advice to AmyGate, here are some of the don’t try this and do this immediately steps we’d suggest.

Don’t Try This:

• There Is Never A Winner In A One-Way Conversation. Ever tried to make a point but the other person wasn’t in the room. Yeah, talking to your self has always looked a little crazy and trying to do this on a social media site like Facebook is even worse. True dialogue over a divisive issue can’t take place unless you are in the same room so don’t try it.
• Never Post When Angry Or Late At Night. My Southern momma would  have totally suggested step away from that cocktail and go to bed before you say something you’ll regret had she been in the same room as owners Samy and Amy. It’s funny how at the end of the day, the manners your parents tried to instill in you very clearly apply to social media etiquette.

Do Try This:

• Apologize and Reveal Next Steps. Immediately issue a heartfelt apology and post to the company website while sharing via all social channels. Why not drive people to the website, the home of real content about your company, for a full mea culpa experience. Then, reveal positive next steps for the company.Watching Amy’s Baking Company’s Facebook page blow up leads me to believe their website visits are also through the roof but are they taking advantage?
• Make It Clear No Further Response. Communicate clearly in the website post that no further response will be made – period. Make sure your “Samy and Amy” will abide by this or it will the sabotage plan.
• Go On The Positive Offense. Find a way to change the conversation by partnering in some way with an appropriate local nonprofit or charity helping children in need thus moving away from the crisis by showing compassion for others. If a deserving child could benefit from crazy, that would be a great way to end the day.

As a full-service, boutique agency, we are very picky about the kinds of projects and people we represent so I’m pretty sure we’d never be in this situation. If you are in this situation, then guide quickly and positively. Then, get the heck out of there!

In the past few days, I’ve been amazed that the Amy’s Baking Company page has jumped from 2,000 “likes” to over 77,900 as of 2:20 p.m. today. (It’s already grown another 1,000.) Due to the rapid follower growth and the high level of engagement, this is the perfect time to put out this positive message.

And, as we say around Nashville, “Here in the South, we don’t hide crazy. We parade it on the front porch and give it a cocktail.”