I’ve been umming and ahhing about giving some basic advice on crisis PR ever since the phone hacking scandal broke over the summer.
On the one hand, it seems presumptuous for me to use the implosion of a media empire as a hook for my little blog.
One the other, there can hardly be a more graphic demonstration of how quickly and badly things can go wrong, even for the most powerful companies.
So, what does crisis PR have to do with the kind of small businesses I represent?
Take a look at the stories in these links:
The fact is all businesses, however small, carry risks. You are probably handling people’s money, possibly their houses, their children, maybe their personal safety.
Whatever you do for a living, people are placing their trust in you. And, however well you do it, there is always the potential for something to go wrong.
If public relations is about managing your reputation with those who are important to your success, then crisis PR is the true test of your mettle.
How you handle yourself in a crisis will decide whether you have a business at the end of it or not. It will have long term impact on people's willingness to trust you again.
A bit of basic planning will help you prepare for the storm. At the end of it, if done right, you may even have a stronger reputation than you started with.
1. Avoid a crisis by mitigating the risks
People honestly don’t expect life to be 100% trouble-free, but they do judge harshly if they feel problems were avoidable or that you are not taking the issue sufficiently seriously.
It sounds obvious but have you ever sat down and thought through what could go wrong in your business, however unlikely, and what you can do now to avoid it happening?
2. Don’t ignore an emerging issue
Pretending there isn’t a problem doesn’t usually make it go away. Really. Just ask the Murdochs.
If there are rumblings that people aren’t happy, suggestions that someone is acting improperly, repeated returns on the same item of stock, take note. This is your cue.
At this stage your stakeholders are looking to you to deal with the problem, no-one else. They trust you to deal with it. If you are decisive and successful, your problem is solved and you can move on.
3. Ensure you can keep communicating
So, despite your best efforts, something terrible has happened. Maybe your clients are stuck in an earthquake or a major flaw has developed in your product. You face several intensely busy weeks to sort it out - if only the bloody phone would stop ringing.
Relatives, journalists, suppliers – everyone wants to know what’s going on. As tempting as it is, you mustn’t ignore these people so you can concentrate on the problem at hand.
In a crisis people crave information. If you refuse to engage then they will probably fear the worst, get frustrated, think you are trying to hide something, or all three.
There are ways to make this process manageable. Putting together a crisis communications plan beforehand will give you reassurance that you have all bases covered.
For help putting together a crisis communications plan for your business, or to find out about our seminars on protecting your reputation in a crisis, please contact claire@startpointpr.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment