A Crisis Management PR Agency Can Strategize & Implement A Crisis Communication Plan

In the present day’s 24x7 connected era of social media, a prospectively damaging piece of news travels much faster than ever before. This makes crisis communication one of the most important functions in contemporary public relations. An effective crisis management strategy makes sure that businesses and brands are able to maintain a high level of trust and a positive image of themselves in the public’s eye. As the business tycoon Warren Buffett famously said, “it can take 20 years to build a reputation and only five minutes to ruin it.”

Crisis management refers to the process which an organization adopts to deal with a major unpredictable event that threatens to harm the reputation of the organization, the stakeholders, or the general public. The definitions of crisis have 3 elements in common, namely, a threat to the company, an element of surprise, and a quick decision time. A crisis is a process change where the older system no longer works. Hence, the fourth defining factor is the need for change. If there is no change needed, then the event can be more accurately described as a failure or an incident. 

What Constitutes a Crisis?

A crisis is usually any situation that may result in the loss of support, public trust, and legitimacy for brands and businesses. Without an adequate crisis management strategy in place, negative news about organizations or individuals spreads like wildfire in the public eye.

Effective crisis communication strategies put in place the best practices and processes for successfully managing and containing any piece of news that can potentially lead to degradation of public trust, a heavy financial loss or cause significant damage to the reputation of a business or individual. If poorly managed, a crisis can result in reputational and financial loss. It is with crisis management practices and actions, that the harmful effects of the crisis can be reduced on the organization, stakeholders of the whole industry.  

We cannot foresee mistakes, errors of judgment, or any natural calamities. Therefore, every public-facing company or individual is prone to crises. The fundamental idea underlying every crisis communication strategy is plain and simple: preparation is key. One cannot foretell when a crisis might occur, but one can formulate an effective plan for crisis communications that can deal with it when it does occur.

In terms of timing, the worst possible time to create a crisis communications strategy is after the crisis has occurred. Reacting or responding to an emergency or handling a tough reputation-damaging issue requires a calm, level-headed, confident, and well-coordinated response.

Role of PR Agencies in Crisis Management

One of the best ways to prepare for unforeseen crises and protecting one’s reputation is to collaborate with a crisis communications agency. A specialist crisis management PR agency can augment an organization’s in-house team, providing them access to any necessary independent experts and helps keep the general public updated through media, social media and all the other relevant channels. A crisis management PR agency can also help brands develop a sound crisis management plan, list out and pre-brief the spokespersons, select the appropriate communication channels to engage with the audience and quickly analyze and respond to the audience’s feedback throughout the crisis.

Here are some ways in which PR agencies can help with crisis communications:

• Research: Crisis management PR agencies’ professionals keep a track of all the news against their clients and then weigh the severity of the issue. If the company is facing a reputation-damaging crisis, then the PR team gets down to researching the problem – find out the reason for the crisis, rumors doing the rounds, and why it took off. Then they plan and strategize.
• Offer Guidance: The crisis management PR agency assesses the problem at hand and advises on how to resolve the problem. The PR team evaluates the whole background of the company, nature of the prevailing crisis, and then provides step-by-step guidance.
• Handle Press & Media Attention: Once the unfavorable information about the company starts circulating, the PR team begins responding by observing how events unfold in the media and accordingly suggests to their client how to deal with the situation. They released statements on behalf of the client which can help in damage control.

Summing Up

Once the company has successfully passed through the initial stages of crisis communication, the crisis management PR agency then gets to work to help the brand or business regain its lost reputation. They create a marketing plan which can draw more attention towards the positive aspects of the brand, send out important press releases, and attempt to shift the focus of the public away from the incident so that the company gets back on track.