Most companies might face a potential crisis every couple of years. Discover key crisis management principles and the necessary steps to facilitate recovery.

7 Steps for Crisis Management and Communication Control

Crisis Management & Communication – 7 Steps to Control a Crisis

7 Steps for Crisis Management and Communication Control

Most companies are likely to face a possible crisis approximately once every two years. In this manual, I will outline the fundamentals of crisis management and detail each action you can take to rebound effectively.

What does managing a crisis entail?

Crisis management involves a sequence of actions taken by an organization to handle a disastrous incident. Such a crisis can interrupt business activities, pose a risk to human safety, harm your digital image, and adversely affect your financial standing.

Prior to the advent of the internet, handling crises was limited to conventional media such as television, radio, newspapers, and official statements. Although these methods might have worked in earlier times, they are not prepared to deal with the most widespread source of information in the world: Google.

To efficiently handle a crisis in the digital era and minimize harm to a company’s reputation, businesses need a comprehensive understanding of SEO.

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Planning for crisis management starts well in advance of any potential issues. While delaying risk assessment may be appealing during stable periods, insufficient preparation can lead to significant operational, legal, and public relations repercussions.

• Stakeholders who are not well-prepared tend to make suboptimal decisions.
• Companies may be perceived as incompetent when they release misleading or contradictory statements.
• Not being prepared can lead to a longer recovery period.

Examples of challenging situations

In the business realm, a crisis is defined as any event that can damage your company’s reputation or financial performance. This can include severe situations such as product recalls, data breaches, unfounded allegations, or the departure of a crucial executive. Each of these issues has the potential to severely harm or even destroy your company’s reputation and financial stability.

Certain emergencies, such as natural disasters, terrorist incidents, or a worldwide financial meltdown, are often unavoidable and unlikely to harm your business reputation if managed correctly. On the other hand, avoidable crises stemming from negligence or poor choices can tarnish your reputation. Therefore, it’s crucial to develop a crisis response plan to be prepared for such situations.

Even negative reviews have the potential to become a crisis if they spiral uncontrollably. We have covered in detail methods for dealing with customer complaints and unfavorable reviews.

• Steps to Remove a Negative Google Review
• Strategies for Managing Negative Yelp Reviews
• Guidelines for Deleting Reviews on Glassdoor

Johnson & Johnson’s reaction to the crisis

The way a company addresses a crisis lingers in people’s memories long after the event has concluded. For instance, Johnson & Johnson was hailed as a hero for its response to the Tylenol recall in the 1980s. The firm effectively navigated a situation where seven individuals lost their lives due to cyanide-contaminated Tylenol.

Johnson & Johnson swiftly removed all Tylenol capsules from the market and collaborated with the FDA to develop secure tamper-resistant packaging. Consequently, the media portrayal of the incident remains favorable even after nearly 40 years.

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Crisis management steps

A well-executed professional response, combined with effective brand management and online reputation management, can greatly diminish the consequences of a crisis.

In the following sections, I will lead you through the entire process of handling a crisis.

The crucial phase of a crisis plan happens before any issues arise. At this stage, business owners need to pinpoint and train key stakeholders, evaluate potential risks, and create and test a response strategy. It’s also a great opportunity to appoint or hire a crisis manager.

Naturally, the ideal method for handling a crisis is to prevent it from occurring initially. Yet, errors and unavoidable disasters can still arise. Hence, it is crucial to foresee potential crises and implement preventive strategies. Being ready beforehand can significantly safeguard your reputation.

1. Form a skilled team for managing crises.

The CEO should lead your team, which should include senior executives, department heads, legal advisors, and the public relations leader. Ensure representation from every company discipline and region to effectively evaluate vulnerabilities. It’s more manageable to streamline your crisis management team later than to bring in new members during the process.

2. Identify and evaluate your areas for improvement.

The initial move in creating a response strategy involves identifying your vulnerabilities. Organize a brainstorming session with your crisis management team and outline any potential threats to your business. Involving staff members from every department can help ensure that critical issues are not overlooked.

3. Develop a plan for managing crises

Incorporating crisis management into your business strategy is essential, so resist the urge to rely on a standard crisis response model. Instead, develop a personalized business continuity strategy that reflects the findings from your vulnerability assessment. Strategies designed for other businesses may not suit and could potentially harm your company.

When creating your work plan, begin by establishing clear objectives. After that, outline the steps by working in reverse.

At the very least, your emergency plan ought to cover these aspects:

• Internal and external parties involved
• Main representatives for each communication platform
• Infrastructure for communication and its redundancies
• Chain of authority in decision-making
• Emergency funds access
• Statements prepared for potential release during a crisis or event.
• Backup strategies

4. Develop a plan for communication during crises

To begin with, it’s essential to choose an appropriate representative. This person will represent your company in times of crisis. The representative should be capable of managing all forms of communication and excelling under pressure.

It’s crucial for CEOs to maintain visibility during a crisis, yet not every executive shines in public relations roles. The spokesperson chosen should be at ease with live or recorded interviews and adept at crafting written statements. Above all, this person should be able to distinguish between public relations and crisis communication.

Your public relations team needs to prepare a cohesive statement for the press. Establish a structure and obtain prior approval from your legal department. This approach will significantly enhance your efficiency in crisis management.

Begin monitoring your brand.

Brand surveillance allows you to swiftly identify negative content and manage criticism before it gains widespread attention. Google Alerts is a vital, cost-free tool for tracking online references. Expand your monitoring by setting alerts not just for your company’s name, but also for trademarks and key executives. Here is a selection of tools you can use to monitor your reputation today.

Social monitoring plays an essential role in the majority of crisis management plans. Although Google Alerts is effective for notifying you of unfavorable content, your customers might express criticism on social media platforms that may go unnoticed. There are numerous free social media monitoring tools; however, if your budget allows, you can opt for premium services.

It is advisable to set up a social media team to monitor brand mentions during a crisis. This team should have the capability to respond in a professional manner and post strategically to reduce the impact of any negative news.

When a crisis arises, your team will primarily focus on two main areas: addressing the issues that caused the situation and effectively communicating both within the organization and with external parties about the measures being implemented.

6. Resolution of the crisis

Delegate a team to investigate and resolve the fundamental causes of the issue. These issues can range from inefficient procedures to security violations or intentional damage. Consequently, leaders must delve deeper into existing policies to address root causes and avert future occurrences.

Your team responsible for resolving issues should consist of financial and legal experts to aid in identifying suitable compensation methods for those affected.

7. Communication during crises

Your crisis communication team must be diverse to collect and comprehend a broad range of data. Some audiences will demand detailed technical information, whereas others will prefer concise executive summaries. Prepare various individuals as potential spokespeople capable of addressing a multitude of issues.

Numerous employees might have received training and are familiar with your crisis communication strategy. Nevertheless, it’s vital to appoint one representative to serve as the brand’s voice. Having a dedicated spokesperson guarantees uniformity in crisis management messaging, both internally and externally.

It’s crucial to keep your employees, customers, and suppliers informed during this process. Ensure consistent communication and update them on any changes to maintain control over the situation. You want them to hear any news directly from you before it reaches them through other channels. Effective crisis management will maintain their trust and minimize rumors.

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The impact of a crisis on your company

Organizations often face various crises that are beyond their control. Events like earthquakes, oil spills, or industrial mishaps are often unavoidable, though certain crises might originate from the organization’s actions or staff. A poorly considered tweet or an incorrect statement can quickly turn into a social media storm. Despite the countless possibilities, companies generally experience impacts in three main areas:

Harm to one’s reputation

During a PR crisis, the continuous stream of negative news can severely impact your brand’s image. Negative reports saturate traditional media such as newspapers, TV, and radio. Additionally, online platforms and social media persist in associating your brand with the crisis. Mistakes, choices, and failures of your company will be scrutinized and shared worldwide, prompting you to react by eliminating articles from Google as they arise.

Continuous media coverage may lead to unfavorable articles persisting in your Google search results well after the crisis is over. Implementing a focused reputation management strategy is the only effective way to suppress negative search outcomes.

Disruption of business activities

Your plan for ensuring business continuity might necessitate involving personnel from various departments. When teams lack sufficient members, essential business operations, such as customer support and manufacturing, could be jeopardized.

High levels of work-related stress and a negative reputation can lead to increased employee turnover and recruitment expenses. Additionally, abrupt departures of top executives can disrupt business operations.

Loss of income

Persistent negative media coverage can overshadow positive content in your search engine results, damaging your reputation and deterring potential customers. If your website and social media profiles are not on the first page, people may struggle to find them. This reputational risk, along with decreased website traffic, can result in a loss of revenue.

A recent study conducted by Forrester Consulting reveals that 47% of companies think that decreasing negative search outcomes could enhance their brand’s image, while 54% believe that better search rankings could lead to increased revenue. You can access the study for more details.

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Recovery from a crisis

The last phase of managing a crisis involves restoring your online image. Search results might be filled with unfavorable articles that don’t truly represent your business or its staff. It is crucial to enhance and broaden your online presence by implementing SEO tactics that align with your reputation objectives.

Many crisis management companies prioritize the logistical aspects of addressing problems, yet frequently don’t have the skills to improve your online search presence. Our corporate reputation management service reduces the impact on your digital reputation during challenging times. Following this, we will restore and enhance your brand’s online search results using our reputation restoration strategy.