It is important to note that no business is immune to crisis. The only factor that differentiates one organization from another in a crisis situation is their individual level of preparedness.
Quite a number of businesses have had to fold up as a result of a slight change in governmental policies and regulations, financial downfall, natural occurrences, scandals, reputation damage, etc. While every business model is different, these issues are not unique to businesses that have had to close shop. There are other businesses that have faced or are facing these same issues simultaneously. However, what we may find surprising is that some of these businesses survived a crisis situation that ought to have taken them under. There is no magic or any sort of manipulation to this. What set them apart is their unique approach towards effectively managing the situation.
Having read the above, the million-dollar question that should be running through your mind is: HOW PREPARED IS MY BRAND FOR A CRISIS?
In this article, I will be running through some key effective crisis management guidelines your business/organization can adopt to avoid the devastating consequences of any crisis when it hits.
- Firstly, set up your Crisis management team. This is the first point of call in any crisis management strategy. Your crisis team doesn’t have to be an external body. Rather, your employees can be your team members. By so doing, the employees also get to be aware that the continuous growth of the business is a priority to both the employer and themselves. In other words, the mission, vision, and goals of the brand become instilled into them so as to get the maximum support in whatever needs to be done. it is important to build this Crisis management team even before any situation occurs. These are the set of people who will respond by assessing the situation, and implementing the plan when the need arises.
- Create a crisis management plan. Every business needs to set up a crisis management plan. Plans tend to be the dominant factor when we talk about a crisis management strategy. Like the popular saying says; if you fail to plan, then you should plan to fail. This simply implies that having a plan is very crucial in crisis management. Many brands don’t plan effectively for a crisis until they’re caught off guard. One of the major benefits of having a plan in crisis management is that it helps to prevent long-term or grievous damage when a crisis eventually occurs. Putting a crisis plan in place will help the team manage any crisis that occurs effectively without having devastating consequences.
- Attend to the crisis quickly. Once a team is already in place as well as a clear cut plan, the decision making process must be swift in any crisis situation. The team has to act fast following the predetermined methods within a short timeframe.
- Finally, be factual. Whatever the nature of the crisis may be, never tell lies to save your reputation. Always give factual Information to the public, present the facts behind the situation, this in a way can also contribute to the level of integrity and trust people will have for your brand.
Conclusively, having an effective crisis communication and management strategy can be likened to insuring your business as this will cushion the effect of a crisis on your brand.