Active crisis communication always pays off
In the past, when all hell broke loose, regular sources of information could be hard to come by, unreliable, intermittent and downright infuriating; a phone number with a taped message on the other end, a sliver of advice, half-heard from the radio or a massive queue ending in a very flustered customer service operative.
While this can still unfortunately be the case in a lot of instances, a number of recent cases have demonstrated that savvy organizations can use social media channels to keep people informed, disseminating crucial information, answering panicked questions and doing their credibility a whole world of good.
As this quote from a post on the SocialMedia-Forum blog states, new technology is making it easier than ever to communicate during crises. This is important because one of the largest dangers of crisis management is losing control of your own story by leaving an information gap. With the speed of communication expected by today’s public and media, allowing too much time to pass without any type of information or statement being released is asking for rumor, innuendo, and probably your detractors or competitors, to fill in the details.
Even if you do not have enough information to explain the situation, a simple holding statement will usually afford you time enough to craft a full message. After that, it’s the simple, but time-consuming, act of reading and responding to inquiries with a particular aim at answering questions, fixing problems and correcting misconceptions.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/