You’ve heard about it happening other people, but never thought it would happen to you.
You wake up to the news that something has gone wrong with your business, and now the world is watching.
You’re not sure what to do first. Should you release a statement immediately? Do you call your lawyer and the rest of the Crisis Comms team? Or do you wait and see if the whole thing blows over?
The most successful companies and non-profits know to call their attorney and gather their Crisis PR team as soon as they sense there is trouble.
This means BEFORE posting anything on social media. BEFORE calling a company-wide meeting. BEFORE responding to the flood of emails. BEFORE responding to a reporter’s request for comment.
Our team has decades of Crisis Communications experience and is trusted by some of the world’s most recognizable brands and regularly partners with Am Law 200 and Big Four accounting firms to protect their clients.
What Is Crisis Communications?
Crisis communications is how you communicate with your stakeholders to manage a sudden and unexpected event.
The purpose of crisis communications is to manage an incident so that it doesn’t cause bad PR or irreparable damage to your reputation.
When’s the best time to start handling the issue?
As soon as you see it coming.
The best time to tackle an issue is when you see the storm brewing off in the distance and can handle it before it becomes a crisis.
The next best time is at the first few drops of rain, and you can rally the team to mitigate the damage if it’s too late.
The worst time is after the storm has hit, and you’re left trying to clean up its aftermath.
When Do You Need Crisis Communications?
There are many different reasons why you need crisis communications.
Some industries, such as healthcare, education, and consumer goods, are more prone to issues than others.
Effective crisis communications can mitigate damage and sometimes prevent the issue from ever becoming a crisis.
The key to effectively handling a crisis is to have an established team and plan in place so that you can react quickly and effectively.
Here are some of the crisis situations our clients have trusted us with:
- Negative PR regarding your company’s products or services (whether true or not), damaging consumer loyalty and trust in your brand.
- Alleged wrongdoing where you need to conduct an investigation or you’re the subject of an investigation.
- Being sued for wrongful termination or discrimination.
- A video or post going viral on social media for all the wrong reasons which creates a fast-moving crisis.
- The CEO or the founder is being accused of embezzling funds or sexual harassment.
- A possible (or mandatory) product recall.
- A person within your company or non-profit has gotten into serious legal trouble.
- A strategic partner or someone in your network has their own crisis and you’re now guilty by association.
- Your brand has been targeted by hackers or other cybercriminals.
It only takes one misstep for your reputation to suffer – so now’s the time to get ahead of potential disasters! Having a crisis communications team is like putting on armor: it helps you prepare and respond swiftly in case something unexpected threatens your image.
So don’t wait until trouble knocks – be proactive, build a troop, and create your battle plan to make sure any reputational risks are deflected far away from you.
Call (310) 396-8696 for a consultation if you want to survive a crisis or avoid facing one in the first place.
Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based PR firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management. Our team has more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate communications, and working with the media.