The Public Relations Blog

Why it's important to communicate bad medical news about a CEO

Nothing is more troubling to a public relations spokesperson than having to communicate the poor health or advancing illness of the CEO of a major corporation. Simply put, there is no good way for a PR person to make the news story appealing to the investing public, and no matter how he or she positions the news, the public will usually decry the spokesperson for one of two things: being less than forthcoming on the details or being downright duplicitous.

Social media is optimal for promoting interaction between your company and the public in a way that is meaningful and delivers results. But a social media crisis can send your company into a tailspin if your social media campaign is not on target.

Several top companies have experienced social media woes that they could have easily avoided – or at the very least minimized. Here are a few examples, followed with the steps they might have taken to avoid a social media crisis.

In many matters, it pays to take your time and think about a decision – that's why mortgages and car loans allow a three-day, penalty-free grace period in many states, just in case buyer's remorse sets in. When it comes to dealing with a corporate crisis, however, time is always of the essence. Here are four reasons why you should move quickly during a crisis.

5 ways to guard your company against digital hackers

You think it won’t happen to you, until it does. Whether it’s your identity, your reputation or your social media accounts, digital hackers are alive and well.

Last week, Ole Miss Rebels lineman Laremy Tunsil personally learned just how social his social media accounts could be when they were hacked during the NFL’s opening draft night.

When your CEO creates a firestorm

An instance of self-induced crisis cleanup began on Wednesday when Verizon workers went on strike over several key issues – which, in itself, wasn’t the crisis.

In the presidential campaign events the next day, both Democratic candidates took to the stage to support various aspects of the Verizon workers’ decision. This is common for politicians; it only became an issue for Verizon when the company’s CEO chose to respond to only one candidate, Bernie Sanders, but remained silent regarding Hillary Clinton’s similar statements on the same day.

Don’t dig yourself into a hole during a PR crisis

Not having your customer’s pulse for your brand can hurt your business when the public is expecting a response from you, but so can a knee-jerk reaction. No matter what noise is in the background, responsible corporate statements always need to stay on message, on time and be delivered via the appropriate channels.

In the past, crisis communication was usually done on an ad hoc basis and in a relatively reactive manner. More recently, companies have realized that communicating messages during times of corporate stress should be carefully managed so that the right message is sent to both their customers and to their employees.

Improving your brand’s online reputation

When your company gets negative press, you may hesitate to publish anything online in your defense for fear of fueling the fire. It’s a Catch-22 because if you don’t control your message, everyone else will. If you are ready for your customers to move beyond a recent incident, here is how you can be heard through the firestorm.

The first reaction to a company crisis is usually to speak out and defend yourself. In social media, this can be hazardous to your brand. So what is the best way to react during a corporate catastrophe? Should your social media firm respond or not? It depends on the situation. Here is a brief primer on how a social media firm should react during an emergency.

Public recognition and trust are huge aspects of business success. By virtue of the stories they run, the news media can develop awareness, extend credibility, generate trust and motivate the audience’s responses toward a company and its products and services. Successful businesses often have solid working relationships with several news outlets, including bloggers, reporters, editors and producers. A recent survey indicated that the public considers news stories to be more persuasive and more credible than advertisements. A high percentage of business owners report that public relations – not advertising – is the most valuable investment for marketing dollars.