By: Emily John, Account Director
If you cast your mind back 10 years, dealing with a crisis meant strategically drafting press releases and facilitating interviews to ensure the media conveyed your client’s message. However, in today’s connected world, social media platforms quickly disseminate information, often leading to speculation and opinion before an organisation can even respond.
The question is, how do businesses get ahead of this and better manage their online reputation when technology and digital communication are constantly evolving?
In this blog, we will share our top tips for navigating crisis communication effectively.
Utilise the tools at your disposal
As PR professionals, we have a toolkit of software available to us and using automation software can help us keep a watchful eye on our client’s brand mentions when crises hit. Using these tools, we are able to monitor if there are sentiment changes, and prepare relevant responses in a proactive manner.
Respond honestly and quickly
Staying quiet is not the answer when it comes to crises and the social media coverage that comes with it. When a crisis hits, our client’s audience needs to hear directly from them - and in a timely fashion. They will need honest, direct and jargon-free responses, as any attempts to dart around the truth will be uncovered. Verifying the facts before responding and providing regular updates are also important when responding.
Use consistent messaging
While crises can often roll on for days, weeks or even months, we need to make sure that our client’s narrative remains consistent throughout. Changing the messaging or contradicting previous statements can confuse the audience and leave them questioning the brand’s credibility. Ensuring that there is a cohesive narrative that communicates the brand’s values will highlight that the company is working towards a resolution.
Learn from past mistakes
With the right strategies and communication plans, we can help our clients prevent the same crisis from happening again. Once the dust has initially settled, it's vital to take the time to reflect and assess what worked well and what could have been done better. These learnings can be used to build a comprehensive crisis management plan that can be activated quickly and efficiently in the future.
Crisis communications require adaptability, transparency and honesty. Brands can no longer afford to quietly handle crises if they want to manage their online reputation in the era of social media.