Do You Have Brand Insurance?
by Scott Seroka. Posted 10 months ago at 14:37. 1 comment
You’re only one incident away from suffering a devastating blow to your brand.
You can’t predict if, or when, one of your employees will make a really bad decision, act inappropriately toward another employee or a customer, or behave badly in public. You have no control over whether your delivery driver will run a red light tomorrow and seriously injure a family of four because s/he was texting instead of watching the road. You can never predict the nefarious intentions of a terminated employee, and the negative things s/he will publicize about you and your company. And, you may have no idea your company has an ongoing, serious issue because of a belligerent customer service person or an unethical salesperson until you read about it on the blogosphere or receive a letter from an attorney.
Negative news spreads in an instant because many people love to hear about others getting “busted” for notorious acts.
Many incidents are unpredictable and beyond your control, and that’s exactly why it’s crucial that you have a plan in place for when crisis strikes. You’ve worked too long and much too hard building your company and your reputation to let one incident seriously damage – or even destroy – the integrity of your brand.
A Crisis Communications Plan serves as the best form of brand insurance available, placing you in control of the message in order to minimize the negative impact on your brand. The fundamental components of your crisis communications plan should include: 1) identification of your crisis team, 2) a notification tree detailing who to contact, and in what order, 3) a thorough list of the media you must contact to control your message, 4) key messages and strategies for handling a variety of potential crises, 5) identification of a trained spokesperson who exudes stability, remains calm under pressure, and is comfortable fielding heavy questions in front of a camera, 6) protocol on how to respond on the blogosphere, and 7) other appropriate components based on your business and industry. It also helps to have strong relationships with public officials, local law enforcement, a reputable attorney, and of course, your PR firm. You’ll need their support, advice and guidance to navigate through the turbulence.
Creating an effective crisis communication plan requires significant thought, time and effort. If you wait until a crisis attacks you from behind, you’ll be much too late. Now, before even the hint of a crisis is on your horizon, is the best time to put your plan together because, as the Scouts say, it’s best to Be Prepared.
