Crisis communications is the shadowy side of positive media coverage – the situation that no marketing manager ever wants to find themselves in. But a crisis can happen in any business, and teams need to be prepared. Having the right crisis PR strategy in place can help teams respond quickly and effectively.
What is Crisis Communication?
A crisis in PR terms is an emergency situation, negative media story, social media crisis, product failure, customer complaint, staffing predicament or financial problem that could damage your brand, reputation or organisation in the eyes of customers, shareholders, investors, staff or any other stakeholders. These situations require crisis communication management. It doesn’t have to be a national headline grabbing story to have a huge impact on business – sometimes it’s the seemingly small issues that can have the worst bite. Which brings us to the first common mistake.
1. Waiting too long to take action.
• Time is of the essence in crisis PR. With social media, negative stories can snowball very quickly so don’t get caught napping – have a crisis management plan ready to roll out
• Don’t assume a problem will go away – monitor, prepare and plan for the worst case scenario
• Where possible, create statements in advance – you don’t want to try to craft important comms under pressure
• Know when to step in and how to control the story
In panic mode, it can be tempting to slip into a tone of denial. Avoid mistake number 2:
2. Trying to spin your way out of a crisis
• When you do decide to act remember to stay human. Contrary to some opinions about PR – it’s not about the spin.
• Honesty and integrity win every time.
• Whatever the crisis – be open, as transparent as possible, human and approachable
Always make sure you have all the information you can possibly get to hand. Things being drip fed to you can lead to mistake number 3…
3. Inconsistent messaging
• Decide what you are going to say and then say it consistently across all your communications channels
• Brief all staff with the same message and ensure they know that all comms goes through the comms team / person
• If / when the situation changes or more information comes to light, update your comms and then repeat this across all channels
• Don’t get drawn into adding to your message or providing specific answers or information to only some individuals
Over the last 35 years, we’ve stood next to clients facing the sharp end of many crisis communications situations, calmly guiding them through the process to a positive conclusion.
It’s impossible to give our credentials without disclosing confidential information about some key businesses and organisations in Devon, the South West and beyond, but know that we are often quietly behind some of the statements you’ll have read over the years.
Read this for the PRCA’s view on being prepared for a crisis