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- Crisis Comms, a Survival Guide - Part 1
Crisis Comms, a Survival Guide - Part 1
In a world where social media can turn a tiny hiccup into a full-blown crisis in the blink of an eye, knowing the difference between a issue and a crisis is your secret weapon for keeping your brand afloat.
Keren Speck
October 08, 2024
What's in store for this edition:
Finding the path forward before, during and after a crisis.
Crisis Comms - Part 1
Social media is lightning fast and can turn issues into crises faster than a New York minute. First up, it’s important to know if it’s an issue or a crisis?
Issue management means you monitor potential problems before they escalate. The goal is to address concerns and protect and/or minimize threats to reputation or image. It most likely isn’t widespread or urgent, however requires attention to prevent it from getting worse.
Crises are characterized by:
Being unexpected.
Having a strong emotional impact on the public.
Happen unpredictably.
Organizations find it impossible or hard to deal with.
Question the competency of the company’s management.
Extreme risk to enterprise.
Crises are serious and need to be addressed promptly.
Signs a company is in a crisis:
Loss of control over the narrative as misinformation spreads wildly online and in the media.
Unexpectedly intense media interest and public demands for information
Falling stock prices as uncertainty grows.
The emergence of troubling new facts and a sense that the scope of the problem is expanding.
Internal panic as the disruption overwhelms normal operations.
No matter how quickly you try to get your communication out you still don't have enough speed to get in front of your story.
Being able to recognize crisis warning signs is key to be able to shift quickly into crisis management mode.
Whether it be an issue or a crisis, both require agile communication. And more importantly, both require a plan.
"Losing your head in a crisis is a good way to become the crisis."
Do this now: Think about crises that have occurred in your organization’s past, and that might occur in the future.
What past crises have you faced?
How quick was your response?
What did we do well?
Where did we fail?
Potential Crises: What issues have we had or are currently having?
Could they turn into crises?
What potential areas do we need to consider?
Next Episode: How to prepare for a crisis.
Crisis Communications (or Crisis Management) The process through which an organization handles unpredictable events while protecting a brand’s reputation. As opposed to risk management, crisis communications or management deals with events that have already occurred. PR has an important role to play in crisis management as its practice revolves around mediating between different publics and stakeholders.
FAQ
Q: If we get a negative article for our brand, does that mean we have a crisis?
A: No, not at all. First off, you want to see if there was any real coverage spike. Doing a coverage trends comparison over a period of some time can help you measure the amount of traction the story has received. If there is a noticeable uptick in coverage, it is time to examine the issue thoroughly.
Get PR techniques from recent news.
Newsworthy
Crisis Communications Lessons from Train Derailment
February 2023 a Norfolk Southern train with 51 cars, carrying toxic chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, prompting the evacuation of nearly 1,500 people living nearby. A controlled burn created a chemical spill of toxic vinyl chloride into the Ohio River near the Pennsylvania border, creating widespread panic about the safety of drinking water.
A communications crisis indeed!
“The American Water communications team prepares for derailment-type situations through regular crisis training exercises. But Rodriguez said a major part of their preparedness for what happened in eastern Ohio was the strong rapport they’d developed with state emergency organizations, regulators and customers through regular communications. The company sends customers two emails every month, which include industry news, safety updates and the results of year-round water quality testing, that helped develop a level of trust with customers.”
Get the message out fast
All hands on deck
Use multiple channels for updates
Be the source of truth
💫 Pro Tip: Provide need-to-know information, no fluff required. Use a 3rd party to provide reliable trustworthy messages and make an FAQ section on the companies website.
✍️ Key PR Takeaway: Be proactive, transparent, well prepared, and have established relationships with the media.
Learn from others.
100% Cool : 0% Cringe
Flip the Script.
@royalarmouriesmuseum Serving curatorial realness fr #armsandarmour #royalarmouries #museum #history #genz #historytok #museumtok #marketingscript
Flip the Script, is TikTok’s newest trend and it is called “Gen Z writes the marketing script”. This new trends, is where slang and terms you would expect a 12-year-old to say is being voiced by the older generation.
The results are hilarious. This video is a 70-year-old giving us a tour through the Royal Armor Museum speaking like a 21 year old might.
✍️ Key PR Takeaway: Adapt your content to the latest trends, and be unexpected. You may get millions and millions of views.
Useful PR Resources.
Attention Seeker of the Week
Benny (no she’s not a seal despite the disguise)
Benny, the 8 year old Calico, loves napping in sunbeams, or course, gazing outside and locking eyes with the lizards that taunt her. With her super soft fur, and sleeping on top of her humans all secrets to making it impossible to not give her attention. You have our attention and hearts!
Thanks to reader Rebecca for sharing with us her Benny.
We’d love to meet YOUR furry attention seeker, send us a pic!
Busy hurricane prepping this week, so I’m happy could get this issue out. Stay safe my Florida friends.
Until next week, keep your shades on and stay cool.
Your fellow Seeker,
Keren
🕶️
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