How can you rebuild your reputation after a crisis using storytelling and content marketing?

I was part of a mobile company when our launched was delayed by 30 days after we had already done a prebuzz phase and the phone couldn't launch on time. We used social media and content management to retain excitement for 30 days by partnering with 4 partners ( Snapdragon for processor , Dolby for speakers,Google for Android and Camera manufacturer ) who are bringing the phone to market in those 4 weeks every week was a Friday fun quiz . We divided 4 weeks in 4 modules . Monday - post winners of last week Wednesday - talk about a feature Friday - launch new quiz Unforeseen circumstances are a part of life , but a lil bit of smart can go a long way in mitigating such headwinds.

Fruitful, trusting relationships are at the core of brand loyalty. In my experience stronger, effective relationships are built with clients when we are transparent about an issue on their site, the cause, how it will be fixed, and actions taken to prevent it recuring. Critically you need to respond quickly, apologise and listen without being defensive. Shape the narrative to keep the client well informed and demonstrate that you have the matter in hand. Communicate more and deliver on the solution. This can turn a crisis into an opportunity to grow and turn a client into a partner.

The worst thing a brand can do after a crisis is not strongly acknowledge what happened and be vague in describing what exactly happened. Being clear and acknowledging about any incident firstly brings the audience in the same page and allows strong emotions some composure that can lead to discussion and further actions - the true path to a solution

It will be a cardinal sin for a brand to maintain radio silence just after the crisis. After all the firefighting, the brand can quickly take stock of the tonality of the voices emanating from different platforms. There may be more negative comments from X (Twitter), some of the platforms might still be supportive of the brand while some may be neutral. It is equally important to keep addressing both the negative and positive voices to mitigate any potential risk of relapse. The brand can deploy a judicious mix of organic storytelling & content marketing but be careful not to go on an overdrive. While this may be a tactical strategy, the brand team needs to brainstorm if they need a brand refresh to change their imagery in the long run.

I think the single most important piece of crisis management is admitting to a mistake, and then committing to learning from it. Leading with transparency and acknowledging an issue builds trust with your org and clients.

-Address that the brand is facing a crisis of said nature and apologize with intent. -Be open to speaking to your internal stakeholders and employees first : they represent your brand on more platforms (anon) than you realize -Be transparent about the nature of damage, stakeholders that are affected. Address them. -Mention actionable tactics to combat the crisis : short term & long -Show empathy, don't fake emotions: people can spot a Amber Heard. -State how the brand will ensure to not repeat the said crisis -Be genuine in giving updates even when not all is figured -create actionable items that can be seen, shared and reviewed as the brand trying to make genuine amends

There was a case some years back about a major confectionery company which had quality issues. The issue snowballed into a major crisis with media getting involved and could have closed the shop for them. The company responded at multiple levels but what I found most effective was the videos of their manufacturing facility highlighting the process and strong quality control processes. Coupled with a strong brand ambassador lending his equity, it helped create impression that the issue was an unfortunate oversight. Helped to regain the trust

Post acknowledgement of the crisis- owing to any factor . It is an opportunity for a brand to re-position their brand perspective in the minds eye. Acknowledgement + personalized attention with damage control measures + tangible gratification additonally to the consumer- can help a brand to also re-introduce some aspects of their top -of-funnel marketing. It could be a - " also starting" | " re-introducing"| "launching the new and improved " - positioning. Can be leveraged in such cases. What comes to mind is also; crisis not only of your own but being proactive on the category helps in creating recall | eg - AIRTEL'S CAMPAIGN OF getting mobile networks or maximum number of towers pan india was an exstng issue with all network providers.

A thin line separates being brutally honest & being truthful in business. If brutal honesty leads to long term business loss & reputations damage it is better to stay truthful & provide as much information as possible. Customers will more keen to see & experience course corrections to the issues & problems rather than deliberate on past.

After an apology, highlighting where the error or intention lies, you need to be factual with how the brand addressed it. Show proof of performance, if you say that you did something show photos, scans, screenshots or any relevant evidence. At this stage show what safeguards you put in place to ensure that this same issue cannot resurface.

I once was a National Sales Manager of a well-known brand that was taken out of the shelves of a major customer because of an internal misalignment of business directions and principles. Consumers became agitated not finding our brand in that major customer, and we risked being switched to a competitor brand by loyal customers of that chain. We made sure to advertise our brand availability in other customers and channels, merchandised our products aggressively, and even achieved an improved overall distribution nationwide to ensure that our consumers can find us in more locations. We also used this opportunity to become even stronger partners with the rest of our customers and achieved record engagement with our loyal consumers.

I was managing the cord blood banking operations for a large MNC public cord blood bank. The corona pandemic upset the operations & the company was fast declining in profitability. More than the financial losses, the stakes for reputation was something that had to be protected. So we had to rely heavily on our internal customers who ploughed hard to keep the operations afloat. This happened with 20% of the internal customers delivering 80% business (sometimes crossing the comfort zones beyond their own KRAs). But having invested early on developing & nurturing these 20% internal customers yielded long term benefits to the company.

Never seek to exploit any form of crisis. However, your brand is being given a brief but very deep moment to engage. Use it to frame your brand's legacy, activity and human side, always ensuring it has direct relevance to the issue in question and the resolutions you provided

Utilize this narrative to illuminate your brand's values, purpose, and vision. Showcase the journey of growth, evolution, and transformation spurred by the crisis. Share the challenges faced, the struggles encountered, and the triumphs achieved. Crafting a relatable, authentic, and inspiring story allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Illustrate how you've overcome adversity, learned from failures, and ultimately made a positive impact. This storytelling approach not only communicates resilience but also forges a meaningful connection with your audience.

I am the co-founder of ECO.FRENCH.LAB, an innovative venture in olfactory marketing. Passionate about leveraging the power of scents, I champion their use to enhance business strategies, customer experiences, and team engagement. My keen insight into strategic marketing opportunities boosts consumer engagement and crafts unified brand experiences. empowering brands with the right scent signature.

This is perhaps the most critical step: listening. If the customers are talking, they still care. If they stop, you’ve lost them. You may have to make an effort to get their feedback if you have disappointed them but it will be worth it. You should also have a plan to synthesize what you hear and to incorporate these learnings for future improvements. Take this step seriously.

Una escucha activa es fundamental para conocer cómo nos perciben nuestros clientes; qué necesidades tienen; qué les encanta de nuestro producto/servicio y qué podríamos mejorar. Esto supone que pongamos “orejas” a todos aquellos puntos en los cuales estamos interactuando con nuestros clientes. Desde las redes sociales, canales de atención al cliente, encuestas de satisfacción, puntos de venta, eventos, … La digitalización ha dado voz y, por tanto, mayor poder a los clientes. Por eso debemos estar ahí para escuchar y establecer un diálogo con ellos. Debemos ser capaces de segmentar y clasificar todos estos inputs, valorarlos y trasladar los más relevantes a estrategias .

Create traits of speaking less and listening more which creates a habit of patience in finding out the requirment from customer. Gelling up with customer doesn't mean to be talkative enough, but it means to be having the skills of listening the customer's demands and needs

Listening to our customers is not just a component of the job; it constitutes 80% of our approach. We actively seek and value feedback and expectations, recognising that assumptions about their desires can be misleading. By posing questions and encouraging suggestions, we ensure a two-way conversation that shapes our strategies. Through this, we underline the significance of attentive listening as the predominant factor in understanding and meeting our customers' needs. In my role at Eco.French.Lab, where scent marketing plays a pivotal role, we understand that engaging with customers goes hand in hand with listening

This is also a time to not choke information coming your way. Its even more important to listen, gather feedback, filter what is relevant and truthful. This is hugely important and redefines your crisis, allows you to learn what reactions you are creating and to fine tune.

One silver lining from a crisis is that it will build connections and channels with your customers, clients, people. The channels built in such times are usually meaningful and long lasting. Make sure you utilise these channels to offer added value to these stakeholders or audiences. Value is not only monetary, its information, network and resource.

Providing value extends beyond mere giveaways. Establishing a personal connection, and acknowledging shared experiences have a profound and real impact.

Some ways to provide value at this phase will be to identify strategic content territories or key pillars that speaks value to the audience current realities, whilst acknowledging their grievances. Acknowledge. Demonstrate. Educate.

In my role at Eco.French.Lab, I contribute to enhancing customer experience through scent marketing, aligning with the fifth step of providing value to customers. By leveraging the power of scents, we go beyond traditional approaches, focusing on addressing our customers' needs, solving their problems, and surpassing their expectations. Our commitment is reflected in the thoughtful integration of scent marketing into the customer experience, complementing other strategies like content marketing. We strive to create useful and relevant resources such as guides, tips, tutorials, and case studies that not only educate but also contribute to the overall well-being and satisfaction of our customers.

When you suffer and impact it’s a great opportunity to communicate your actions , not only for the crisis. You can share your holistic plan and impact to society and community. It’s momento to talk about the benefits to the community, and your brand or promotions it’s in second place .

Rebuilding reputation after a crisis via storytelling and content marketing involves: Honest Narrative- share a genuine story addressing the crisis and showcasing accountability. Consistent Messaging- Ensure coherence across platforms for credibility. Highlight Positive Actions: Showcase efforts taken to rectify the situation. Engaging Visuals & Media: Use compelling visuals and videos for impact. Targeted Content Distribution: Use suitable channels to reach the audience. Interactive Engagement: Foster engagement for trust-building. User-Generated Content- encourage testimonials for credibility. Continuous Monitoring and adapting strategies based on feedback. Long-Term Strategy- Sustain positive reputation growth even post-crisis.

Integrity is the only thing which helps you develop audience into followers and followers into believers. Keep delivering on your promises.

Rebuilding no is easy , because when you lost the credibility, you lost everything. So it’s to important be clear and honest with your clients. Don’t buy the opinions , Be natural and promote the customer opinions and take actions and improve your customer experience.

Some of my learnings from crisis management: 1) Be proactive in communicating with customers rather than letting the complaints pile in. 2) Keep customers updated with regular communication. 3) Keep your promise to customers. Don't give assurances that aren't realistic. 4) Go above and beyond to help with resolutions as this is not BAU. 5) Consider customer compensation where appropriate. 6) Develop a crisis management playbook for your business. It provides clarity on process, accountability and SLAs and stops the chaos a crisis can bring into a business. 7) Keep communication channels open with legal and governing bodies.

Remember that the timelines in a crisis will vary from one country to the next. So whilst European customers may give you several hours to check your facts and get your story straight, Asian clients may expect immediate answers. Be proactive and fast in taking ownership of the situation even if you feel you're not actually at fault. Being as transparent as possible (obviously without revealing internal secrets if you can avoid it) will help you reestablish trust

After a crisis, here's how to mend your brand's image: Transparently acknowledge the issue, extend a heartfelt apology, and own up to it. Clearly show the steps you're taking to rectify the situation, and keep everyone updated on your progress. Weave a narrative around your brand's evolution and the lessons learned from the crisis. Actively listen and respond to customer feedback, showing you value their input. Focus on producing content that solves problems and adds value for your audience. Steadily rebuild trust by being open, honest, and consistent in your actions and messaging.

Acknowledge & Take Responsibility: Address the crisis with transparency & a commitment to change. Understand the Root Cause: Identify the underlying issues to prevent similar incidents. Implement Corrective Measures: Take decisive steps to address the issues, demonstrating improvement. Craft a Compelling Narrative: Develop a clear & consistent story about your response. Utilize Content Marketing: Create informative & engaging content that addresses concerns. Seek Expert Guidance: Engage crisis management & public relations specialists. Rebuild Trust & Credibility: Engage in active dialogue, be accountable, & let actions speak. Embrace Continuous Improvement: Continuously review communication strategies & foster transparency.

Be transparent and honest: The most important thing you can do after a crisis is to be transparent and honest with your audience. This means acknowledging the mistake, taking responsibility, and explaining what you are doing to prevent it from happening again. Share your story: Once you have come to terms with what happened, take the time to share your story with your audience. This can be done through a variety of channels, such as blog posts, social media, and videos. Focus on the positive: While it is important to acknowledge the negative, it is also important to focus on the positive. This will help to show your audience that you are committed to moving forward. Create engaging content: The content you create should be engaging...