What are the steps for creating a PR crisis plan for a Business Services company?

2 Form a crisis team

The next step is to assemble a crisis team that will be responsible for managing and resolving the crisis. The team should include representatives from different departments, such as PR, marketing, customer service, legal, IT, and senior management. The team should also have a designated spokesperson who will be the main point of contact for the media and the public. The team should have clear roles, responsibilities, and protocols for decision making, reporting, and coordination.

3 Develop a response strategy

The third step is to develop a response strategy that outlines how to address each risk, depending on the type, level, and stage of the crisis. This strategy should include key messages and tone to be conveyed to stakeholders, such as customers, employees, partners, investors, and regulators. Additionally, communication channels and tools should be selected to deliver messages, such as press releases, social media, emails, newsletters, blogs, or podcasts. Furthermore, a timeline and frequency of communication should be established for issuing statements, updates, or apologies and how often to follow up. Lastly, monitoring and evaluation methods should be implemented to measure the effectiveness of your communication, such as feedback, sentiment analysis, or media coverage.

4 Prepare a crisis kit

The fourth step is to prepare a crisis kit that contains all the materials and resources necessary for executing your response strategy. This kit should include a crisis manual summarizing the plan, team, strategy, and procedures; a contact list with names, roles, and contact details of your crisis team members, spokesperson, media outlets, influencers, and other relevant parties; a template library with ready-made or customizable documents like press releases, statements, FAQs, social media posts, or emails; and a media kit displaying your company's background, vision, values, achievements, and testimonials.

5 Test and update your plan

The final step is to test and update your plan regularly to ensure that it is effective and relevant. You can test your plan by conducting simulations, drills, or exercises that mimic real-life scenarios and evaluate your team's performance and feedback. You can update your plan by reviewing your risks, team, strategy, and kit periodically and making adjustments based on new developments, insights, or best practices.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?