Communications in times of crisis

As communications professionals we are continuously looking for ways to improve how we communicate with our stakeholders and in times of crisis, people’s first port of call is often your digital channels - social media and your website.

Things move fast during a crisis so it’s really important you plan the work and work the plan. Keeping calm and focused is essential during these times.

Here are four tips to get you started on the right path on social media and your website…

Stick to your existing channels

It's tempting to want to create a bespoke channel for crisis communications, but the reality is that your stakeholders aren't looking for something new - they want to find you where they know you already are.

They will also trust existing channels far more than something recently created.

In the era of "fake news", it could come across as just that - eroding trust in a time you need it the most.

Communicate early, communicate often

Think about how you behave during a crisis. What are you doing? Chances are you’re probably refreshing your Twitter feed or a news website to get the latest. So how frustrating would it be if updates came infrequently at random intervals?

It’s critical that you communicate as often as possible and commit to when the next update will come – even if there’s no updates to share.

Never forget your internal stakeholders. Employees are just as critical as your external audiences.

Keep it consistent

If you’re like me and have worked in a corporate environment, you’ve probably got brand guidelines. It’s in times like these that they are important to follow.

Keep your tone of voice consistent and avoid canned statements that are devoid of emotion.

Remember, you’re talking to real people about a real issue. Put yourself in their shoes, how would you want to be communicated with?

Everything in its place

Once the immediacy of the crisis has passed, your stakeholders are going to go back and look at everything you’ve said – but mostly what you’ve committed to and hold you to account – so a hub should be built on your website.

It should be easy to find, easy to navigate to and easy to search.

It should have all the updates and multimedia content centrally located and frequently updated.

Always think about your key stakeholder for the page and design it with them in mind.

If you’re looking for more reading…

Forbes has an excellent article on the ’13 golden rules of PR crisis management’ to give you a broader view – it’s worth a read: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/06/20/13-golden-rules-of-pr-crisis-management/#3a160b91bcf3