Is Your Crisis Management Playbook Pandemic Proof?
If your business is one of the 51 percent of organizations that admits to not having a crisis management playbook in place, then now couldn’t be a better time to start planning. Typically, when in a state of panic, companies rely on their PR partners to provide messaging and timely updates for their team, customers and to members of the press. A great PR team-player, however, should already be three steps ahead with a plan in place to help them best navigate a crisis when it poses a threat to a company’s bottom line. You only have to look at the recent Zoom Video Conferencing lawsuit scandal to see how quickly a company’s reputation can be tarnished, sending your number one supporters directly over to your competitors. (Woof!)
Every crisis is unique and how you respond will depend on the type of situation, but having procedures set in place helps to maintain control, ensure information flow and successfully maintain the reputation of your client.
Here are a few basic steps on how to best prepare your client when handling a crisis:
1. Identify vulnerabilities and the impact a crisis could have on your client–
Determining the impact a crisis may have on the company will help guide your response and next steps. Certain incidents such as a nationwide pandemic, may be worth monitoring and offering up your organization’s spokespeople as credible sources to provide commentary, while another incident, such as an internal uproar or protest, might make your organization the public focus and put you further into the spotlight. It is important not to insert your organization into a potentially negative situation if it doesn’t impact you directly, and especially if the press has not yet requested a statement.
2. Know the facts, know the sources...then proceed with messaging–
It is important to assess credible sources of information and base your decisions and messaging solely on facts, not jargon. During a time when “fake news” floods our news feeds more than Spongebob memes on a daily basis, relying on news media as a final source of information can do more harm than good. Generally, sources such as the CDC or National Associations can be helpful when crafting messaging to your audiences. Should you use Twitter as a channel for relaying these messages, interacting by retweeting live updates from said sources is also a great way to keep the public, media and stakeholders informed on an ongoing basis.
3. Establish relevant channels for relaying the message –
Based on the crisis at hand, it is important to determine how you will communicate with key audiences. Does the situation warrant an immediate response? If so, deciding whether the crisis is best addressed via a newsletter or a press release to issue to the public should be a priority. Should you address the matter on social media? If so, defining which channels to use earlier on can help prevent minor mistakes like creating a pricey Facebook campaign when your key audience members are scrolling on Twitter. When you do communicate, keeping your constituencies continuously updated by regularly monitoring the situation and providing updates and guidance keeps you at the forefront, and further establishes you as a thought leader in your space.
4. Stay coordinated, steer clear from personal narratives and remain calm –
Coordinating messaging with all parties who are involved from interns, assistants and all other internal employees to forward-facing spokespeople, is crucial so that the public doesn’t receive mixed signals or conflicting information. This can be difficult in a crisis situation, but it is necessary in order to stay effective. It is important to communicate only the facts as you know them and to steer clear from personal narratives. Empathy, optimism and calm leadership are important in times of crises.
No two crises are the same, but the basic procedures above will help you answer some key questions to guide your actions and decide what is best for your client and help you weather a potential PR storm. Being prepared in advance and following these steps can help prevent a one-time event from becoming a five-day story in the news cycle – think smart!