How to Handle a PR Crisis Like a Pro

No matter how amazing your food products or how innovative your services are, crises can strike. Think contaminated food, disgruntled clients, or a social media meltdown. It's not fun, but it's a reality.

Your best bet to dealing swiftly and effectively with a crisis is to have rock-solid communication in place ahead of time. Planning your response – and being prepared to adapt as needed helps you stay calm and collected and ensures that you and your organization can come out ahead when the dust settles.

Identifying a Crisis: It's Not Always Obvious

First, let’s define what constitutes a crisis. Sometimes, it’s as clear as a salmonella outbreak, while other times, you might be dealing with a bad review from months ago. Here's how to stay on top of potential trouble:

Keep Your Ear to the Ground: Monitor social media comments, review sites, and coverage by traditional media outlets and trade publications. Check them regularly and set up automatic alerts or media tracking services so you know when a crisis is coming.

Make a List of All the Things That Could Happen: Look, we’re not trying to manifest anything here, but organizations that are prepared recover quickly.Your list could include a negative comment on social media, a building fire, a major product recall, and even the sudden death of your CEO. This might sound a little macabre, but you should consider it an exercise in literally planning for the worst. This exercise enables you to decide before you’re in the middle of a situation what is – and isn’t – a problem, and how to respond.

Developing a Crisis Communication Plan

A crisis communication plan is your roadmap to navigating stormy waters and it needs to be practiced by the organization so that everyone understands their role and scope of responsibility. Do you want your frontline customer service team responding, or does the crisis demand an official company spokesperson and press conference? It’s good to sort this out ahead of time so there is little to no confusion when a crisis strikes.

In developing a crisis plan, you will:

• Prioritize Your List of Crises: Divide the list you just made into two or three tiers, from those that might require a smaller response to those that need the full force of your crisis plan behind it. For example a semi-negative social media comment might rank low, while an international product recall where people are sick or dying will demand more time and resources, Prioritizing this list enables you to decide what level of effort and response to assign to each potential crisis ahead of time, so there’s no guessing when the heat is on.
  
• Identify Your Crisis Team: Assemble your team of trusted folks and note that depending on how serious the crisis is, you may not need to involve everyone in every response.
  
• Designate a Spokesperson: Choose a trusted individual who not only has the authority to speak on behalf of your company, but who can communicate clearly and effectively during a crisis. You should also “media train” this person so they aren’t stepping in front of a camera for the first time when your company’s reputation is on the line – we want them to do well.
  
• Choose Your Communication Channels: Your crisis plan will include channels you control (e.g., website, social media, etc.) and those you don’t (e.g., media like newspapers and TV stations). Figure out how best to reach your audiences and make friends with the press beforehand. It’s easier to work with media in a pinch if they already consider you a reliable and trusted resource.
  
• Craft Key Messages: Words matter, and it’s best to pull them together when you aren’t under the gun. Messages that are clear, honest, and compassionate are often the most effective. If you have a brand messaging strategy, make sure your crisis messages also support it.

Responding to a Crisis: Stay Calm, Stay Classy

When a crisis hits, remember: panic is your enemy. Here's what to do:

• Be Smart: Use the messages you developed ahead of time and tweak as needed for the specific situation you’re facing.
• Be Quick: Generally speaking, the sooner you respond, the better – even if it’s to say that you understand the situation is upsetting and you are in the process of gathering the details.
• Be Honest: Transparency is key, even if the truth hurts.
• Be Human: Show compassion and empathy for those affected.
• Be Proactive: If it’s a situation that can be prevented in the future, clearly identify what changes will happen and the impact.

By developing a comprehensive crisis communication plan and responding promptly and effectively, companies can emerge stronger than before.

Are You Ready for the Next Crisis?

A well-executed crisis communication strategy can make all the difference in protecting your company’s reputation. At Mayes MarCom, we specialize in guiding your business through this process. From crafting clear and timely responses that resonate with your audience to media training your spokesperson, our expert team is here to support you. Don't let a crisis define your brand – get ready by reaching out to Mayes MarCom today.