Understanding how to deal with a crisis public relations situation is key to maintaining a good reputation. Some PR firms, such as Farr Marketing Group, specialize in helping non-profit and for-profit organizations deal with crisis situations. The objective is to minimize any negative effects from a public situation that could impact your organization’s brand.
In this first in a series of posts on crisis PR, I want to talk about rule #1 in dealing with a crisis PR matter. And it may surprise you what it is.
Simply put, it is learning to understand what is a real crisis and what is not a real crisis. This is critical in that too often organizations overreact when something potentially negative occurs. Many organizations tend to believe that the entire world is watching them at all times. Sometimes that is the case, but most times, it is not. So, when something happens that a CEO thinks will damage the organization’s reputation, s/he mobilizes the crisis team to go into action to “get ahead of the story.”
But what if there is no story? What if the “crisis” is not a crisis at all and will quietly go away? Mobilizing a crisis team to take action when no action is necessary, will do precisely what you want to avoid — calling attention to the matter.
While it is critical that an organization needs to handle a crisis skillfully, it is equally as critical to learn to identify when you have a real PR crisis.
If you have any doubts, please feel free to contact us and we’ll put it to the test.