Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “crisis preparation”
Crisis management is simpler than it seems To control a crisis, organizations must be able to respond quickly as well as effectively. Delay in response erodes credibility. A bad scenario takes on additional dimensions until it just gets worse and worse. Indeed, the first fundamental rule is to take the …
Share information first to prevent problems later We live in a litigation-happy society, but, while it’s important to protect your business, in the midst of a public crisis disseminating important information should take priority. Besides increasing safety for all involved, this practice plays another crucial role in crisis management, as …
Short messages, long reach Twitter by its nature helps facilitate mass discussion, and the evolution of hashtags means that it’s even possible to (mostly) keep these discussions organized and on-topic. My favorite part of this is that it enables professionals around the world, who might otherwise have no contact with …
It’s not voodoo – SEO pays by preventing crises My dear mother forwarded me an email today with the subject line, “Target Says “Veterans do not meet our area of giving.” It was one of those emails that had been flashed around the world and the string was filled with …
Take control with wordplay Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a garage startup, at some point your business is likely to come under fire, whether it be from opponents or the media. These attacks often focus on one particular word or phrase which is damaging to your reputation, and …
Trouble isn’t over for Murdoch and Co. The downfall of The News of the World was one of the biggest crisis management mishaps this year, and thanks to emerging information we’re finding the entire circus may not be over yet. A quote, from the Guardian UK: Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch …
Stay humble in your celebrations Using crisis management to cope with negative events is a common topic on this blog, and of course it’s an essential part of business. What gets less attention is exactly what you’re supposed to do when you have good news to share. In a recent …
Changes in technology have shifted priorities Public relations and marketing have always served similar functions, but in decidedly different arenas. In their evolutions, though, the two disciplines have grown increasingly closer, resulting in some organizations naming one person to hold both CMO and CCO roles. One example is American Airline’s …
Weak response hurts pizza giant’s reputation Early this month, Ken Wieczerza went to reheat a piece of his Pizza Hut from the night before, only to (allegedly) find a used, bloody bandage. Obviously dismayed, Wieczerza claims to have sought a private resolution, but was forced public by Pizza Hut’s own …
Creative thinking makes for stronger crisis planning Some crises, natural disasters for instance, are almost a given. There is no way someone is going to overlook the fact that California is known for earthquakes, or that their company headquarters is located smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley. Others …
Don’t keep employees out of the loop Many businesses plan for ways to communicate with the public and media during crises, while neglecting internal communication plans. While obviously external communication is important, well-informed employees are a necessity for proper crisis management. In this quote from a New York Examiner article, …
Don’t be caught off guard You’ve signed up on Twitter and things are going well. You’re posting links to events, useful information, and company blogs, perhaps even beginning to interact with some active stakeholders when suddenly you notice your company name and #FAIL are appearing in many of the same …
Mistakes happen – fix them with a plan While Twitter and Facebook are great at attracting potential customers rapidly (potential being the operative word), you can lose them just as rapidly via a silly or careless remark. Just weeks earlier one of the bosses of a PR firm got annoyed …
Back in 2008, I suggested that an eyewitness tag on Twitter, such as #EW, would help people identify relevant material from the vast torrent of tweets that were being posted about Mumbai. In 2011, Twitter users have taken things beyond my rather simple idea by organising a number of separate …
New study shows pervasive lack of preparedness Burson-Marsteller, the global public relations firm, has just released a study surveying corporate perceptions of the state of crisis communications in the age of social and digital media. It amounts to a wake-up call for business leaders who defend reputations and brand equity …
