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5 Steps to Crisis Management for Brands

By Thomas Dube posted 05-15-2019 01:15 AM

  

No matter what business you’re in, things can and do sometimes go wrong. And even if your organization is tightly-run, any business is vulnerable to events that could involve the company in a massive crisis.

Regardless of how comfortably your organization runs, there is always a possibility that a scandal will erupt or an employee will do something that lands the company in hot water. There are plenty of companies who have found themselves in a whole lot of trouble without a plan in place to deal with problems that may occur.

We take you through 5 steps to crisis-proof your company.

  1. Have a plan in place

As with many things in life, a crisis response plan is crucial in times of crisis. If you don’t have a plan when a problem looks like it’s going to derail your reputation as an organization, you’re likely to be unable to deal effectively with the aftermath.

In these days of social media, it takes literally hours to destroy the reputation of a company that might have been building their brand and reputation for decades. As a matter of priority, draw up guidelines to follow on how to deal with a crisis. If a crisis occurs, you will know exactly what to do. Have a solid plan ready in form of online reputation management.

  1. Pick a cool-headed team

Once your plan is in place, you can, if appropriate, draw up a template for the kind of response you’re going to issue. You also need to select a team who will be responsible for handling any crisis that happens.

Each person needs to know what role he or she will play, and to whom they will be accountable. Every member of the team needs to know the procedures that will come into play if a crisis occurs. What you don’t need is a panic-stricken bunch of people not knowing what to do. Pick your team accordingly.

  1. Acknowledge and apologize

Communication within the first 48 hours after a crisis is crucial. Acknowledge the problem, tell people you’re investigating, and that you’ll keep them up to date. Don’t leave customers in the dark. All you’ll get is a host of negative comments. Convey your commitment to finding out how the crisis happened and taking action to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Show empathy and understanding, and be genuine. Don’t make empty promises and fail to follow up. Your company’s entire future could be at stake. If appropriate, apologize. Whatever you do, though, don’t stop communicating. Dead space gets filled up with negativity.

  1. Keep internal staff informed

The first stakeholders in your business are your staff. It is therefore important to keep your internal staff informed on the crisis. They need to know what to do if they are asked about it by an external person. What information can they share, and who can they refer someone to with questions?

Your staff needs to be reassured that the situation is being dealt with and how to conduct themselves under the circumstances. Organize regular updates for staff so that they know what message the company is communicating to its clients.

  1. Monitor, respond, analyze

During times of crisis, it is essential to closely monitor what people are saying about your brand online. This is so that you can get a ‘feel’ for what the public is thinking, but also so that you can put out fires before they become infernos.

The way to do that is to respond to comments made by the public. Don’t just allow an incorrect piece of information to remain uncorrected. If you do, it’ll spread like wildfire. Instead, respond according to your plan. At the end of the crisis, analyze your performance.

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