No matter how careful you are, how much you plan, or how well-intentioned you always remain, every company will face a crisis at some point. In the best-case scenario, it will be limited in scope and stay quiet, with only a few people aware of what is going on.
But life isn’t always best-case scenarios. When the cat gets out of the bag, negative press is sure to follow. And sometimes, you may even see bad headlines that aren’t even based upon reality or anything your company did.
Fortunately, there are a few time-tested ways to lessen the damage and fend off any persistent rumors. By employing the following three strategies, your organization will be in a much better position to withstand even the worst public relations nightmare.
Controlling the Narrative
Whether the negative attention is warranted or based upon false perceptions, the key for any company facing a PR crisis is to get out in front of the news. Both traditional media and social media will often run with whatever narrative takes hold early on. This is why you need to present a fact-based account from the organization’s perspective through press releases, social media channels, executive appearances in the media, or other means.
The key to remember here is that you never want to mislead anyone. You are trying to drive the conversation and shape the discussion — not fabricate a fictional storyline that will only make things worse once it is shown to be inaccurate. When done correctly, the company can get its perspective out there without looking like its goal was ever to delude the public.
Correcting Fake News
In addition to framing the narrative, you need to actively combat misinformation. Almost every organization deals with some level of unfair and incorrect perception. If these are low-level, infrequent messages that rarely get attention, the best route can be to simply ignore them. But quite often, the problem resurfaces regularly and going on the offensive can help ensure that the other accurate version of the story is the one most easily found by consumers, journalists, or anybody digging into the issue.
Amway is a great example of a company that has successfully mounted a campaign to correct misinformation through its own blog and media outlets. Despite all the clear evidence to the contract, it still has to continually confront the “Amway scam” myth. In doing so, the direct sales giant has taken negative press and found a way to talk about its business in a positive way.
Apologizing Properly
Of course, there probably will be times when the company is actually in the wrong. This is a much different scenario than cases where the media is spinning an act negatively or when information abounds about the company that is patently false. And it must be dealt with differently.
In such situations, you need to tread carefully. The response should generally be one of contrition. There are legal questions to consider, however, so be sure to consult with the company attorneys and even outside experts in whatever specific area of the law that might apply. But presuming you will not be adding to any liability concerns, the company should show some remorse, issue an authentic apology, and look to take actionable measures that can correct the problem or benefit any people or communities that were affected.
Combating Negative Press
Every company will face some negative press. That’s just part of doing business, and it usually gets worse and worse the more successful you get.
But a few negative headlines or social media hashtags are not the end of the world. By taking control of the narrative, actively countering false accounts, and properly apologizing if the company is in the wrong, you will be able to survive some bad press.
In fact, when these strategies are used optimally, an organization can bounce back stronger than ever before. That just goes to show that being proactive can be very powerful if you take the right steps.
