When any crisis hits, it’s vital to address the situation as quickly as possible and be able to control the situation as much as you can. This is what online channels of communication offer, the ability to be able to respond promptly and limit the damage that can be caused by a situation. So it’s very important to own your online communication channels – make sure you grab the relevant handles quickly.
As well as owning your social media channels, it’s important to make sure that you’re on top of your online channel too and own the URL for business. Whilst social media channels allow instant communication, that communication can often become lost amongst the flurry of noise very quickly – especially at times of crisis. Posting information on your website too will help keep all the communications in one place, whether that’s a holding statement or a response. It also gives you the chance to communicate your information clearly without the message being diluted or getting lost in the noise. Your website will likely be the place that a journalist will head to when looking for information to understand the issues around a crisis.
When it comes to reputation management, planning is crucial. You want to make sure that you know how you will respond when a crisis hits that could be detrimental to your reputation.
Another essential part of any crisis planning or crisis response, is timing. You need to be able to respond in a timely manner. Part of this is ensuring that you understand the process for updating both your social channels and website. You should ask yourself the following:
It is imperative to have a clear idea of what the process will be when a crisis hits. Of course the process can change further down the line as the business evolves but you need a clear purpose from the outset.
Remember that your online space is like a shop window, it signifies what you are all about. As a virtual window it is important to have clear messaging from the start. Keep it simple. This will come into its own when you’re dealing with a crisis. While it can be tempting to dump every bit of information on the landing page, this can overwhelm your audience. In a moment of crisis, you want to be sure that people can digest the information available very easily and understand what you are about.
You need to think about the brand messaging and what you want to get across. If your website messaging is unfocused and there is too much old content, then this can mislead users, particularly in a moment of crisis, adding to the issue rather than solving it.
Owning your own brand space with strong visuals on a website that is fully responsive, can help create positive perceptions immediately. Ultimately, in a moment of crisis, it is imperative that you have a space where you can clearly communicate with people in a timely manner. Have a clear strategy and know what the message is that you are trying to get across, it is the best way to manage your reputation via online spaces.
