3 steps for protecting your organization from a crisis
It might feel like tired advice to exhort brand managers to prepare for a PR nightmare, but with so many communicators getting it wrong, it’s time to take another look at the basics.
Both Volkswagen and Enron have been on the receiving end of a public relations crisis.
One firm has just announced the launch of a next-generation product—and the other filed for bankruptcy more than 15 years ago. The difference? Good communication.
In a world where a negative comment or online review can be the difference between a business’s success or failure, good communication is essential to a brand’s survival.
No company is ever immune to a crisis, but the way in which they react to one when it strikes is perhaps the most important strategy in the business handbook. While you can never really predict when a crisis will strike, you can formulate strategies in preparation for that inevitable day.
Here are three tips to get you started:
1. Make crisis communication a business priority.
Many brands make the often-fatal mistake of only thinking about crisis PR and crisis communication when they are already amid a game-changing controversy. By this time, they are forced to race around trying to contact the right people and stay abreast of events, while also trying to deliver an effective message and put out the figurative flames.
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