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Maximise your PR Partnership: 5 Tips for Successful Collaboration

Ah, the corporate dilemma – should we handle our public relations in-house or hire an agency? And... if we do hire an agency, how can we get the best results from that investment? ...

Public Relations Reputation Management Crisis Management

Introduction to Crisis Communication

In the rapidly evolving landscape of modern business, organisations face a multitude of challenges that can quickly escalate into full-blown crises. From product recalls and data b...

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Firefighters

BlueChip recently attended the Walkley’s CommsDirect conference. The day-long event was focused on content as the ‘connective tissue’ for today’s audiences. Passive consumption is a feature of the past and brands need to interact with their customers to get the best results.

The day was broken up into six panels, each focusing on a different theme. Our very own Account Director, Michelle Ryan, featured on the crisis and issues panel, an hour-long discussion that focused on:

‘Brand, reputation and crisis management in the digital space and beyond. How to use digital resources to manage and monitor your issues. What happens when a campaign fires or a disaster erupts?’

Michelle was joined by Steven Lewis from Taleist, Anton Staindl from staindlPR and the panel was facilitated by Sally Loane from Coca-Cola Amatil. You can listen to the recording in full here. But, for those of you who are short on time, here are three key points to remember:

  1. Often a client’s definition of a ‘crisis’ is different from that of the outside world. Because companies are so invested in their own brands, if any event appears to threaten this reputation they want to react. Crises should be managed effectively, and we certainly shouldn’t be ignoring adversarial circumstances. However, one of the first things you can reassure your clients of, is that the crisis will generally be worst in their eyes. The news cycle changes on a daily, if not hourly basis, and their story will eventually move from the top of the agenda. Perspective is everything.
  1. In saying that, do not ignore the residual impact of a crisis. In an online world, articles can stay on the front page of Google long after their initial publication. Make sure that after a crisis subsides (better still, before it begins!) you have taken steps to manage your online presence. When people search your brand name, what do they see on the first page of Google? The top four positions in a Google search receive 83% of first page organic clicks, so make sure you are publishing your own keyword-rich content and securing earned coverage to appear on this first page.
  1. Often, social media can be very useful when it comes to both monitoring and managing a crisis. Steven Lewis referred to a case study from Coles, where a customer used Facebook to complain about faulty nappies after receiving bad customer service over the phone. Within a day, Coles had removed the faulty products from its shelves and avoided a bigger scandal. However, the other interesting lesson from this case study was the Facebook thread itself where some people accused the mother of chasing fame by complaining online. Coles should have stood by this woman who had potentially saved them from a much bigger issue, but didn’t moderate or respond to the comments on its Facebook page. The lesson: monitor and use social media, but make sure you are responding and regulating appropriately.

 

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