Let’s face it – today’s digital world complicates crises situations for organizations big and small. Breaking news reported every 15 minutes makes it hard to determine what constitutes a crisis. Events once thought to be shocking have become normalized. Internet security breaches and cross industry disruptions create new and different issues. And, the ability for anyone to comment, share and engage with just about anything on social media in real time challenges if, how and when organizations should respond. What can brands do to protect themselves in such moments, when time is short and emotions are charged? Prepare in advance!
I recently joined Boston’s PR Club for a panel discussion around crisis management best practices. Here are five tips to most effectively to protect your brand and reputation when a crisis happens:
1. Create the Team
There are two audiences to consider when creating your crisis team. First, there is your internal network, which could include your CEO, CFO, Director of Human Resources, Director of Sales and Board of Directors. Second, there is your external network, which should include experts who are equipped to help you in such situations, such as a lawyer, researcher in your field, or someone like me – a PR professional.
Within your crisis team, identify who will be your organization’s crisis manager, i.e. the person who will delegate and facilitate the crisis plan and shift course to minimize damage if needed. And, define who will be your organization’s crisis communicator or dedicated spokesperson. This person will be trained and ready to proactively address the situation to stakeholders as well as the public through the media.
2. Brainstorm and Research
Once the crisis team is established, gather to understand the situation at hand. Determine what transpired, who is involved and who is affected. Consider the historical context of the situation and brainstorm what could go wrong and where the potential dangers for predictable and unpredictable outcomes lie.
Research your competitors to understand the landscape of those entities that could seize on a crisis situation and attempt to leverage it for their own benefit.
Define your audiences and communication channels for each potential outcome and map out how to prepare for them from communications, operational and business perspectives. Sometimes it may be appropriate to bring in a customer or someone who is directly affected by the crisis to ask him or her questions to determine what you might not think of and prepare as needed.
3. Draft Messaging
Write initial holding statements that provide accurate and consistent information in a timely way while being respectful of all constituents and maintaining the right balance of providing information while protecting the organization at all times. Documents could include:
- FAQ or Fact Sheet
- Statement for staff
- Statement for employees
- Statement for board members
- Statement for press and press materials
- Statement for social media channels
- Statement for website
Be mindful of your brand personality, brand identity and tone in all of your verbal, written and digital communications. Be authentic and transparent and stick to your values and mission. Avoid robotic statements and corporate jargon. And, it’s okay to say “We don’t know but we’re bringing in experts to figure it out and remain committed to XYZ.”
4. Develop Communications Strategy
Create a plan to determine how the crisis team will reach each other, who will communicate on behalf of the organization and when, what will be said and to whom and through which communication channels. Include protocol for those who do not have permission to speak on the issue as well as protocol for what should and should not be shared on social media. Determine who is in charge of the organization’s social media platforms and include what content to react to and what content to delete or let lay low. Keep in mind some trolling comments and questions could be leveraged as an opportunity to reiterate your message.
If the crisis situation is more sensitive to employees internally, it may be necessary to include a security communications portion in case disgruntled employees try to create chaos in the office or online. If the crisis situation is more externally facing, it may be appropriate to create protocol for your customer facing teams, those speaking with clients, customers or those who benefit from your programs and services directly.
For longer crises, plans should include a crisis team refresh, to swap out team members to keep them fresh. Plans should also include a post-crisis strategy to help rebuild or mitigate the damage.
5. Test and Practice
Once all of the above is in place, it’s time to test your crisis communications strategy for holes before a crisis situation occurs. You can do this a number of ways. You can hold mock Q&A training sessions and develop speaking points for the dedicated spokesperson(s). You can also devote a half day at the office to conduct mock fire drills, bringing in everyone who’d be involved during a crisis to walk through what to do based on your plan to navigate the different scenarios you brainstormed with different outcomes.
Set the tone. Establish a “if you see something, say something” mentality. Encourage your team throughout to speak up if they see potential problems and work together to solve them.
Whatever your crisis management strategy may be, remember that everything communicates, including silence and body language. Speed isn’t everything and it’s okay not to have all of the answers. Good luck!
