An organisation’s reputation is a big deal in the day and age. It only takes very little to actually make an organisation lose its standing and nothing is worse than a poor response to a tragedy or a disaster, be it natural or otherwise. When a major issue takes place how you react or respond can make or break the situation.In this day and age information can go viral very fast so having a sound social media management Auckland strategy is very important. An organisation must have plans drawn up to act fast when a disaster happens if not significant damage can happen to the image and identity of the organisation. Let’s look at some of the most basic tactics any organisation should follow in a difficult situation.
Respond fast: in the modern world there are many individuals and experts who will quickly jump to find fault with an individual or an organisation in a difficult time. So how you respond and how fast you do it is important. Therefore what experts suggest is to acknowledge and respond honestly and if something wrong has happened then an honest apology can go a long way.
Don’t forget to be human: in a crisis an organisation can stand to lose a lot of money and profits. However focusing on these only will not help the company. Simply saying that you will address the issues will not help stem the issue. Therefore honestly think of the people affected and take a human side to address the matter. Put human lives first and pledge to make things better by also highlighting the ethos of the company.
Be accountable: as any pr agency will tell you, the absolute worst thing you can do is try to hide the issue or pretend like it is not your responsibility. Trying to argue about what has happened or point fingers in public or on mainstream media will only make the situation worse. Therefore first thing to do is get a press release out stating you are aware of the problem and acknowledging that some issue has taken place. That has to be the starting point for any follow up action.
Be the provider of news: when something goes wrong, as an organisation take the initiative to provide information on what is going on and what is being done. Do not wait for things to settle or take time to develop strategies. News good or bad coming from the organisation is far better that third party reporters or news agencies reporting it incorrectly. Not taking the initiative means you are leaving room for opportunists to take advantage. These are some of the important strategies or approaches to take and it helps to practice some of these too so that you know who to get the ball rolling.