“Be prepared.” – Boy Scout Motto

Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter recently released a report titled Social Readiness: How Advanced Companies Prepared. The report analyzes the level and method of social crises preparedness based on an online survey of 144 social business program managers at corporations with more than 1,000 employees; 63 interviews or briefings with corporate practitioners and service providers; and analysis of over 50 social media crises from 2001 to present.

Suffice it to say that the report is extremely detailed and holistic.

The 144 companies were classified as Novice, Intermediate, or Advanced based on four internal requirements:

1. Baseline Governance and Reinforcement

2. Enterprise-Wide Response Processes

3. Ongoing Education Program and Best Practice Sharing

4. Leadership from a Dedicated and Shared Central Hub

One of his findings was particularly interesting. Large companies can have dozens, even hundreds of social media accounts. These are often managed through a complicated workflow network that increases the risk of a crisis. One of the keys to averting a social media crisis is creating an enterprise-wide rapid response process. However, only 44% of the companies surveyed had such a policy in place.

Figure 2.1. Percentage of Companies with a Formalized Social Media Triage Process (By Social Business Maturity Level)

Base: 144 Global Corporate Social Media Program Managers; Source: Altimiter Group

The report goes on to examine a wide variety of necessities and processes that build a social business. It’s 29 pages and every one of them is worth your time.

Read the full report on Slideshare