Secrets the PR Industry Never Reveals: Crisis Management

Your client drank 3 tequila shots and went on a Twitter tirade. Now what?

Crisis management is an important facet of public relations and every PR professional worth his salt should know how to effectively and quickly deal with a social media crisis. You will be surprised how often this happens and it seems like Elon Musk has a crisis or two every day. So, let’s look into how a PR professional deals with a crisis.

Let’s set the scene:

Your client, the CEO of a large conglomerate has received a lot of backlashes over a controversial tweet he made. Our job is to mitigate the damage and create a roadmap for rebuilding trust.

The plan:

It is important to have an action plan as a contingency for these situations. The first step one should take is:

??Acknowledge the Issue:

The crisis team must first quickly gather all relevant information about the controversial posts and the nature of the backlash. Then, they must understand the specifics of what was said, why it is considered controversial, and who is affected.

Next, the CEO must acknowledge that what he said was wrong and hurtful and commit to a thorough review. This shows transparency and responsibility.

Example: "We are aware of the recent feedback regarding our [specific post(s)] and are taking this matter very seriously. We are currently reviewing the situation and will provide a more comprehensive response soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

??A Unified Message:

The crisis team must agree on the core messages that will be sent out and make it consistent across all platforms. The public apology should be sincere and direct, addressing the specific issues raised by the controversial posts. Further, the apology should contain an outline for the immediate steps being taken to address the issue and prevent future occurrences.

This is the trickiest part of the process and if done incorrectly, will end up in more backlash and permanent damage to the CEO and the company’s reputation. If you have been on YouTube for any amount of time, you must be aware of the abysmal Youtuber apology videos which not only exasperate the situation but make the Youtuber the laughing stock of the internet. With the power of virality and the difficulty of effective communication during the time of such a crisis, it is important for the crisis team to draft a message which looks over all aspects of the crisis and all the affected people.

??Engagement & Dialogue:

It is important for the crisis team to be on top of what the mass sentiment is about the situation at all times. Using social media monitoring tools to keep a track of this is effective, along with tools such as sentiment analysis and just going online and seeing what the people are feeling. When responding to comments, it is important to respond with empathy and clarity and to avoid defensive or confrontational language. Recently, a lot of crisis teams have started hosting Q&A sessions or Ask Me Anything sessions to address concerns directly.

Lastly, the CEO should engage in community outreach programs and initiatives that align with the company values and show their commitment to positive change. Furthermore, the CEO must continue to communicate openly about the steps they are taking and the progress being made.

Conclusion

Today, there are crisis management software that allow firms to pre-run various scenarios to be prepared for multiple outcomes. I was inspired by Gerry McCusker, a veteran in crisis management, through whose profile I have received deep insight on effective methods to mitigate crises.

Ultimately, the holy grail of crisis management is “never leave anything to the client” mantra. It is very important to do brainstorming and trial runs on each scenario before you jump into any solution. You don’t want a situation where you are doing a cover-up for your cover-up idea ??