Crises develop when they are least expected, often suddenly. When any crisis threatens to negatively impact your business, quick, sweeping, and effective communication is key to weathering the storm. For this, the use of widely accessible media offers a clear answer to the communication needs that arise in a crisis. Here, we will briefly discuss the development of a crisis plan by deploying media assets.
Using Media to Help Develop a Crisis Plan
For businesses, a crisis can come in many different forms and occur at any given time. It could be a cyber attack, market shifts, product recalls, etc. Any of these can result in catastrophic reputational damage and cost you, customers. The way media professionals address these and similar concerns is by allowing you to take back control of the narrative, stop reputational damage, and reverse it. How do we do this? Through media tools for fast and comprehensive messaging.
First, let’s take a look at the many forms a crisis with the potential to damage your reputation may take.
- Financial: store closures, bankruptcy
- Personnel: staff changes, layoffs, furloughs
- Organizational: wrongdoing or misconduct
- Technological: equipment failure, outages, functionality losses
- Natural: natural crises can result in procedural changes
- Confrontation: discontented customers or employees
- Workplace Violence: a perceived or real reduction of safety after a violent event
- Crisis of Malevolence: criminal or illegal methods used by another company to destabilize your organization Financial: store closures, bankruptcy
These are all strong examples of crises that can damage your reputation. So, what does a media-based crisis plan look like?
Media-Based Crisis Management Plan
A media-based crisis management plan (MCP) will be designed to rapidly, broadly, and effectively communicate with the public in a way that ultimately protects the interests of your stakeholders. It will slow and stop reputational damage before you lose a position of leadership in your industry and customers.
A good MCB will guarantee the rapid release of information, delivering a broad and consistent message on all platforms at a critical time. The nature of the message will depend on the nature of the crisis, listed above.
An MCB will consist of 4 or more steps, which should look something like this:
- Information Gathering: Efforts to understand the crisis, how it developed, the consequences, and what should be done about it.
- Message Development: The development of a message to all persons affected by the crisis, the statement of a commitment to respond appropriately, and to take proper measures to alleviate harm while preventing similar events in the future.
- Message Delivery: The deployment of a multi-channel approach to deliver the message quickly, broadly, and in a timely fashion.
- Follow-Through: Possible repeat broadcasts of the message, and action to meet the commitments made in the message.
As a business owner or media professional representing a business, you need to make certain that your crisis messaging reaches all of the people you need it to reach. What’s more, you need it delivered in a way that projects professionalism, respectfulness, and competence.
