The ideal, when we talk about crisis of image, communication and press, is always never, ever in life, having to go through one of them. What happens is that, with the company's time, exposure in the media, digitalization that allows the propagation of information in a very fast and dynamic way, one day, for sure, on a larger or smaller scale, the crisis will happen.

And it is no use, the best way to deal with a crisis or a negative scenario is to be prepared for it. But always remember that it is the reputation of your brand, company or even your own that is at stake. In this case, the strategies require extra care, the work of specialist professionals, agility, hard and constant work.

Before we get into the specific tips, it is important to talk about some general ones that permeate any and all crisis management scenarios: have people who understand the subject well near you, otherwise you can generate one crisis within another; have a communication plan, clarify the facts; take genuine steps to repair the damage caused, if any; be transparent; and maintain a good and objective relationship with the press.

EXTRA: never, under any circumstances, fail to speak up. Journalists often paraphrase a song by Engenheiros do Hawaii: “the one who lies first tells the truth”. Of course, we are not talking about lying, but exposing what happened first is, of course, getting ahead, as all versions that will be released later will have to counter-argue the first one. And nobody likes reading: “We tried to contact the press of company X but, until the closing of the edition, we had no response”, right? This attitude, most of the time, gives the impression of not giving importance to what happened, which is bad for the reputation of your brand.

But now let's move on to some more practical tips on how to act and what to do to manage a crisis well.

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01 - Monitor, monitor and monitor some more!

A good press office will not do its job without a news clipping service. In addition to not being able to measure the results of their efforts, it is not possible to be aware and know everything that comes out in the media about the client. With it, we can also identify matters that are positive or negative.

Monitoring provides, in addition to credibility, agility to the work of any professional who works with business communication and press relations. In times of crisis, it becomes even more important, as it makes it possible to know first-hand what people are saying about the company or a certain subject. And, in an age of instantaneity of information, it is necessary to be agile in the answers.

We made an article talking about the year of the digital revolution, which is now! Check it out by clicking here.

02 - Not only news sites, but also social networks

It is essential, in addition to monitoring news, to keep an eye on social networks. After all, we are living in their age: YouTube videos, tweets, Instagram and Facebook mentions, LinkedIn posts and everything in between can affect and have a big impact on a brand's reputation. Therefore, monitoring and interacting with comments and posts is extremely important.

Would you like to know the importance of interacting with customers on networks? Click here.

03 - Media training

Training company’s spokespersons is, in addition to being extremely important, also necessary not only in a crisis, but for all press relations strategies and also when we talk about digital marketing.

It is essential that those who speak for the company and represent it (especially in times of crisis, but this also applies to everyone else) know how to behave in front of the press, be prepared to answer the questions that may be asked, be objective, have arguments and data on the tip of their tongue. In addition to all this, it is necessary to have an image in their network profiles that is in accordance with the positioning you want to convey.

04 - Agility, quick and objective responses

The press officer needs, within the crisis management committee, to be agile in the production, approval and dissemination of clarification notes, opinions and press releases. The same for publishing on the brand's networks.

However, the texts must not only mention what happened and bring out the company's version, but also need to value empathy, clarity, objectivity and transparency, in addition to listing the measures that the company is adopting to circumvent the problem, preventing it to happen again and causing even more inconvenience.

Would you like to form a press office team specialized in crisis management that really knows how to take action? Contact us:

contato@agenciamaverick.com.br ⠀

+55 41 99980 9009⠀

+55 41 99954 7416

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