Social Media is the new canvas for marketers and brand managers and Twitter and Facebook are the main pillars of the Social Media arena. Businesses have normally used Social Media to promote products but it can also be used for crisis management and Twitter has an important role to play in it as a reputation management tool.

Social media gives you the eyeballs and medium to firefight in times of crisis and to tailor your response in real time. The information relayed will need to be sincere, transparent and accurate so that people trust you and the position is strengthened. Twitter now has more than 100 million active users who send out more than 200 million tweets per day.

Some major things to be kept in mind while using Twitter to handle crisis and rebuild reputations are:

1. Even if you have a Twitter Account, the existing brand manager may be reluctant to give it up and lose face. So for crisis, create a new account to handle the specific issue and conversation related to it. Link it with the other online presence the company has.
2. Always keep in mind that the traditional media uses Twitter and your best interest is to become part of the conversation in their accounts so that they carry the news forward and bring attention to your firefighting efforts. You have to be out there and stand up and be counted. It always helps to have the major news organization reporterstwitter handles in hand and follow them. Reporters use Twitter for news gathering and if you reach them half the battle is won if you can tell your side of the story.
   
   
3. The Twitter headline is very important as most sites recirculate the content. Use the headline judiciously and one which presents you in a balanced perspective. Always keep in mind that the headline will be re-tweeted so it should not give a misleading impression.
4. Shoot a video with a spokesperson and post it to YouTube and then tweet and promote. Give a face to the company and engage positively. The video will work on the viral approach and have maximum impact.
5. Always be ready to have paid and sponsored tweets which will be shown at the top to increase visibility and have maximum impact. Paid Tweets also allow you to target a specific audience and engage them.

The above should help you in making the maximum impact on Twitter and recover lost ground and regain consumer trust. Always remember: Stand up, Go out and be heard.