Now more than ever before in our digital age, it’s important for both big and small businesses to have a crisis management and brand reputation plan ready to effectively respond to potential threats and crises.
Here are five essential crisis management tips to protect your business and brand's reputation.
1. Be prepared
Don’t wait until a crisis hits to create a crisis management and brand reputation plan. This means taking the time, now, to plan your approach; outline the procedure to follow, prepare key statements and messages, and identify the most appropriate channels of communication. Now, is also the time to select the spokesperson to manage and represent your business and brand throughout a threat or crisis.
2. Be open
Don’t remain silent. You may think that remaining silent and waiting for the threat or crisis to blow over will protect your brand, but no it won’t. Explain what occurred, make a formal apology and try to right the situation. If you’re honestly still waiting on facts a simple statement like “We’re aware of what has occurred and are currently looking into the facts.” Remember to never say “no comment.”
3. Be honest
Don’t lie. Always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Trying to hide the facts will only result in more damage being done to your business. When a crisis does occur you must quickly collect the essential facts. What happened? When did it happen? How did it happen? Who was affected? What is the potential impact on your customers, employees and business?
4. Be quick
Respond in a timely manner to both customers, employees and media outlets. The longer you wait to communicate the more damage will be done to your business. This is why it’s crucial to have a crisis management and brand reputation plan in place as it allows you to respond quickly to potential threats and crises.
5. Be consistent
Maintain consistency by keeping to your crisis management and brand reputation plan at all times. Your plan may include a "public statement" that has been prepared according to potential scenarios that are related to your industry. By having such statements prepared and key messages at hand it’ll help your spokesperson maintain consistency.
We all make mistakes, but having a crisis management and brand reputation plan ready to counter any potential threats in a transparent and timely manner will protect your business and brand's reputation.
Scopic works with you to protect and grow your brand, contact us to find out more.
Here are five essential crisis management tips to protect your business and brand's reputation.
1. Be prepared
Don’t wait until a crisis hits to create a crisis management and brand reputation plan. This means taking the time, now, to plan your approach; outline the procedure to follow, prepare key statements and messages, and identify the most appropriate channels of communication. Now, is also the time to select the spokesperson to manage and represent your business and brand throughout a threat or crisis.
2. Be open
Don’t remain silent. You may think that remaining silent and waiting for the threat or crisis to blow over will protect your brand, but no it won’t. Explain what occurred, make a formal apology and try to right the situation. If you’re honestly still waiting on facts a simple statement like “We’re aware of what has occurred and are currently looking into the facts.” Remember to never say “no comment.”
3. Be honest
Don’t lie. Always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Trying to hide the facts will only result in more damage being done to your business. When a crisis does occur you must quickly collect the essential facts. What happened? When did it happen? How did it happen? Who was affected? What is the potential impact on your customers, employees and business?
4. Be quick
Respond in a timely manner to both customers, employees and media outlets. The longer you wait to communicate the more damage will be done to your business. This is why it’s crucial to have a crisis management and brand reputation plan in place as it allows you to respond quickly to potential threats and crises.
5. Be consistent
Maintain consistency by keeping to your crisis management and brand reputation plan at all times. Your plan may include a "public statement" that has been prepared according to potential scenarios that are related to your industry. By having such statements prepared and key messages at hand it’ll help your spokesperson maintain consistency.
We all make mistakes, but having a crisis management and brand reputation plan ready to counter any potential threats in a transparent and timely manner will protect your business and brand's reputation.
Scopic works with you to protect and grow your brand, contact us to find out more.
