As a business owner, it is important that you are prepared to face any form of crisis, head on.
Life doesn’t always go to plan and every organisation, big or small is vulnerable to a crisis. Burying your head in the sand won’t see a problem go away. As a business owner, it is important that you are prepared to face any form of crisis, head on. It is crucial that all staff members are educated on how to handle media, how to keep stakeholders informed and that all staff are supported and feel safe when sunshine disappears and stormy weather hits.
What is classesd as a crisis?
A crisis is classed as an unwanted event that causes unrest or concern within a business, causing major disturbances and concern amongst staff.
A crisis can affect your whole business from a tangible aspect, such as a decrease in overall sales to the intangible, like brand loyalty. Being prepared for a crisis can mean the difference between a quick recovery and a prolonged long-term impact on your reputation.
As an award-winning communication specialists, Sustainable Marketing Services has worked with various clients on delivering effective crisis communications that has ensured their brand and reputation stays intact and that staff are supported during the process.
A crisis communication plan!
Having a crisis communication plan in place before the storm hits is important so that you are in a better position to speak to media and bounce back a lot quicker. A crisis communication plan is a set of guidelines that help you plan and prepare for an unexpected event or emergency. It provides detailed steps on how to communicate with media, the general public, clients and stakeholders, as well as providing ways you can minimise further reputation damage and preventing the issue from occurring again.
A great crisis communication plan;
- Identifies your business goals
- Identifies who your spokespeople are that will address media during the crisis
- The hierarchy of people that need to be informed when a crisis happens
- Generate key messages that you want to get across to media
- Identifies potential risks you may encounter
The dos and don’ts in the face of a crisis.
When your business or organisation is faced with a crisis, it is important that you keep your employees informed and safe. While it is crucial to build a positive brand image during this difficult time, it may also be important to arrange some professional counselling for staff that have been affected. The wellbeing of staff is very important, don’t underestimate the impact a crisis may have on them or your work community.
And then we turn our attention on what not to do. When faced with a crisis and the media attention is on your organisation, do not speculate on what has happened. Do not release information that may violate anyone’s right to privacy. A crisis is definitely not a time to pitch your services or products to media. Stick to the facts. It’s not the time to go out with guns blazing!
A New Decade - 2020
Is your business ready for the new decade? Are you prepared if a crisis hit? Take the wheel and drive into 2020 with confidence – Sustainable Marketing are here to help.
How can Sustainable Marketing Services help?
Sustainable Marketing Services (Australia) Pty Ltd is a multi-award winning, strategically led Brisbane marketing and public relations services company.
We have specialist expertise in the marketing and public relations of automotive, manufacture, construction, mining, technical, renewable energy, air sport and professional services.
In addition, we conduct crisis communication for air sport clients and reputation management PR for a range of our clients.
We use our know-how to deliver practical, reliable and results-orientated integrated marketing, public relations, digital and social media strategies for growing businesses in Australia and internationally.
Meet us for coffee, we're happy to share our knowledge and understand how we can help your organisation take flight.
Sustainable Marketing Services is an award-winning Brisbane digital marketing agency with a long history of delivering sustainable success for our clients.
Book a complimentary meeting on 07 3446 5837 or via email us here.