Weathering the Storm

Gloves, Masks, Hand Sanitizer, Toilet Paper… And A Crisis Communications Plan

Now’s not the time to clam up. People are hunkered down in home offices hungry for information that will help them navigate the uncertain waters ahead. This is the time that valuable content will rise to the top and continue to build brand loyalty and trust.

What can you offer current and future customers and clients in terms of education? What stories can you share that will spark ideas? What images can you create that will position you and/or your company as an industry leader, good corporate citizen or a concerned employer?

If you’re scrambling to come up with communications activities for these unchartered seas, let your 2020 COVID-19 lesson be to prepare a crisis communications plan for the next time a UFO lands or King Kong stomps through Manhattan.

A solid crisis communications plan, prepared when cool heads prevail, creates a blueprint to construct a strategy and implement tactics. In order to create a proactive plan a crisis management team must be established to brainstorm which possible crises lie ahead; then this team can identify and design strategic tasks including when and how to notify stakeholders; the team must have immediate generic “place holder” statements prepared and finally formulate the messaging specific to the situation.

Next time we find ourselves in the throes of pandemic or other crisis just remember to be transparent, truthful and timely in your messaging and dialog. If you would like to bounce around some ideas and zero in on solutions, let us know.