The Changing Landscape of Crisis Management
Reputation is undoubtedly an individual’s and an organisation’s most valuable asset. It is the foundation every successful person and company is built on. Huge resources are invested by individuals and organisations establishing brands in both the marketplace and the public eye.
Building relationships with stakeholders is central to every company’s survival. It is, therefore, essential for businesses to have an exact understanding of audiences and their expectations.
As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing”.
Your company’s shadow is how people view you. In today’s lightning-fast, hyper-connected world, a crisis can occur in a heartbeat. In the current media landscape of twitter feeds, YouTube hits and email alerts a company’s good name can be demolished in minutes. Look at what has happened recently to the reputations of Lance Armstrong, the Australian swimming team, Vodafone and Qantas.
Social media is a vehicle for unchecked public opinion to spread far and wide in a matter of moments. It gives any one individual the power to influence public opinion with a single blog post or twitter comment.
An effective crisis communications plan should be a key element of every organisation or company’s business strategy.
The reaction time in managing a crisis is a huge component in damage control. Any delay in response will hamper attempts to resolve the crisis.
The role social media plays in a PR crisis:
- bloggers are less predictable than journalists
- bloggers express opinion, whereas journalists aim to report objectively
- journalists scan social media sites for newsworthy stories
- increase in client discontent
- competitors become thought leaders
- a crisis can evolve much quicker via a social media site than in print media
Preparation is Key When Preventing Crises
An issue ignored is often a crisis ensured- for that reason the ideal form of crisis management is prevention.
Regardless of how rigorous your policies and operations are you may still be vulnerable to crisis situations. A comprehensive crisis communications plan should encompass all forms of social media in addition to the traditional media outlets. A Crisis Communications Plan will provide background information and a framework detailing the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’ ‘where’ and ‘when’.
Simply creating a Crisis Communications Plan and filing it in the bottom desk drawer for when a crisis does occur is not enough.
The Crisis Communications Plan is a living document that needs to be updated regularly to reflect changes in organisational structure and personnel. You must ensure all members of your organisation are familiar with it.
The selection of media spokespeople and media protocols will also make a difference when managing a media crisis. It is often too late to wait until the crisis has hit. Do you know who will speak and what protocols exist to manage who says what when?
Establishing a sound crisis management plan should be a priority for all organisations. It is the best way of ensuring a business or organisation is adequately equipped to deal with any media crisis if and when it arises.
