One of the biggest mistakes companies in reputation crisis make is to try and handle the crisis directly themselves. Don't try this.
How 360 Crue Manages Online Reputation Crisis
Online reputation crisis happens when severely bad press, bad reviews, or things like a smear campaign causes disruption and begins to erode the public’s trust in you and/or your business. Reputation crisis can severely damage credibility. Effectively managing such a crisis requires a structured approach and a well-defined procedure. There is always the potential that stakeholders may respond emotionally and defensively, feeling personally attacked, causing more harm and making it harder to recover. It is always best to resist the impulse to respond and instead immediately seek a third party, such as 360 Crue, who is insulated from the incident and qualified to respond calmly and professionally with tact and precision.
Here’s a breakdown of 360 Crue’s typical process for handling online reputation crisis*:
Pre-Crisis Preparation:
- Develop a Crisis Communication Plan: We help you devise a plan that outlines potential crisis scenarios, roles and responsibilities, communication protocols, and pre-approved messaging templates according to HubSpot.
- Establish a Crisis Management Team: We identify and train individuals from various departments (e.g., marketing, PR, legal, customer service) to handle crises.
- Invest in Monitoring Tools: We use social listening and media monitoring tools to track brand mentions, identify potential threats, and gauge public sentiment.
- Develop a Social Media Guidelines: We help you establish clear rules for employees’ social media usage to prevent accidental crises.
Crisis Detection & Assessment:
- Early Warning System: 360 Crue Implements monitoring tools to detect and flag potential crises early on.
- Assess the Situation: We gather as much information as possible to understand the scope, severity, and source of the crisis.
- Analyze the Impact: We determine the potential consequences on brand reputation, customer relationships, and financial performance.
- Identify Key Stakeholders: We determine who needs to be involved in the response and who is affected by the crisis.
Crisis Response:
- Swift and Transparent Response: Acknowledge the issue publicly and provide timely updates, even if it’s to say “we’re investigating” according to Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC.
- Take Responsibility: If your organization is at fault, admit it and apologize sincerely.
- Communicate Clearly and Consistently: We help you craft clear, concise, and empathetic messages across all channels.
- Engage with Your Audience: We help you respond to questions, concerns, and feedback professionally and empathetically.
- Control the Narrative: We help you use your communication channels to share accurate information and counter misinformation.
Post-Crisis Management:
- Review and Learn: We conduct a post-mortem analysis to identify what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve future crisis responses.
- Implement Changes: We help you take concrete steps to address the root cause of the crisis and prevent similar issues in the future.
- Rebuild Reputation: We implement long-term strategies to restore trust, enhance brand image, and rebuild online reputation.
- Monitor Continuously: We maintain ongoing monitoring to identify potential future threats and manage online reputation proactively.
Important Considerations:
- Legal Counsel: We may involve legal counsel, especially if the crisis involves legal issues or potential litigation.
- Public Relations Expertise: We may consult PR professionals to help manage communication and media relations.
- Employee Training: We help you regularly train employees on crisis communication protocols and their roles in managing online reputation.
- Adaptability: We adapt your crisis plan and response as the situation evolves.
By following this procedure and being proactive in managing your online presence, 360 Crue minimizes the damage caused by a reputation crisis and helps you to recover effectively.
* 360 Crue may change the tools and methods used as deemed necessary or sufficient given the specifics of each case.
