Crisis management for organisations is more important than ever – and it's becoming increasingly more difficult thanks to the introduction of social media and digital press. Recent reports show that more than half of consumers expect brands to respond to a breaking crisis within an hour! Madness.
Online activism, cybersecurity, fake news or misinformation, technology collapse, and viral media now pose an ever-present threat to brand reputation. News is breaking at lightning speed thanks to hyperconnected social sharing platforms, and if you're not paying attention, your brand could be left behind.
95% of business leaders say their crisis management capabilities need severe improvement. Yet, even with our social media clients, we check if they have crisis plans, and it's incredibly rare to hear a 'yes'. In traditional crisis management models, a well-timed press release might have been enough to fight off-brand defamation. These days, you will need a more integrated, system-wide approach.
Crisis Management is, unfortunately, likely to be needed
In the digital-first landscape, frequent crises and issues facing your brand are to be expected, sadly.
Reputational crises are commonplace in business; in fact, 69% of business leaders reported experiencing at least one crisis over five years, with the average number of crises being three. Unfortunately, the truth is that complex, multifaceted issues are right around your doorstep.
This does not mean your brand's crisis communications team should leave it all up to fate – staying engaged in your organisation's (and your competitor's) online presence will help you stay ahead of the curve.
Crisis Planning Must Be Digital-Centric
The way we assess risk, create response actions, and manage damage control in crisis planning must be centred around the digital landscape.
Today, PR crisis management is almost exclusively concerned with a brand's digital presence, be it social media, search, web, or the like.
Therefore, crisis planning should focus most of its resources on prevention and recovery within the digital landscape. Your crisis management team must be able to navigate this space efficiently. Ensure your communications team is well-equipped to present on various digital channels.
Capitalise on the Tools You Already Have
Just like your audience, your organisation can speak swiftly on an issue.
Utilise digital communication tools to monitor your social presence and engage when necessary. Practice active social listening to grasp your customers' concerns better.
Monitoring your brand's digital presence will help with fast issue detection and can even allow your team to stop a crisis before it begins.
Prepare for Quick Responses
Modern-day consumers want answers, fast. So when a problematic story breaks, people seek out information immediately – and if they don't get it directly from your organisation, you can bet they will find more information (or misinformation) elsewhere.
In a crisis, businesses must be able to act with urgency while avoiding a reactive, insincere response. While it's true that the traditional press release is a dying art, curating pre-drafted messages that can be edited in real time is still considered best practice.
Make time for crisis management training sessions with your communications team and run through potential scenarios. The more prepared your team is, the easier it will be to recover when disaster strikes.
