Remember this summer when comments about gay marriage by Chick-fil-A’s president ignited a social media firestorm? Your company doesn’t have to be as big as Chick-fil-A to suffer a similar PR nightmare. A crime at your workplace, an irate customer or a personal scandal can all spark bad publicity, devastating your business.
You may be thinking, “Nothing that bad can happen at my company,” but the truth is you never know.
Virtual Vitriol
Online criticism has a long shelf life. Just ask Joe Johnson (his name has been changed, as he asked to remain anonymous), a salon owner whose PR nightmare started last year when an odd-acting customer got verbally abusive and “out of control” in front of other clients.
“It was extreme—like nothing I’ve seen in my 25 years [in business],” Johnson recalls. “We tried everything we could to satisfy them, but nothing worked. We followed up by phone and e-mail, but never got a response.”
A few days later, a venomous review by the mysterious customer popped up at the top of the salon’s Google search results. The fallout was instantaneous. “We used to get e-mails and phone calls [from new and prospective customers] all day long,” says Johnson. “Suddenly, nothing. It was like someone turned out the lights.”
Johnson told existing customers what had happened and asked them to post positive reviews of the salon if they felt comfortable doing so. After discovering that responses to the bad review just pushed it higher in search results, he doubled his social media efforts elsewhere in an effort to push it back down.
Sadly, Joe Johnson hasn’t woken up from his PR nightmare. Nearly a year after that bad review, Johnson estimates the attack has cost his salon at least $50,000 in business, and while new business has picked up, “we’re not where we once were.”
The Answer Man
Sam Yates is a PR fixer. His firm, Yates and Associates has helped clients through crises including a Christmas Eve gang shooting in a mall, an FDA product recall, a chemical spill and an Easter Bunny who punched a customer. He says that when a business gets slammed online, the trick is to monitor the Web closely to pick up on "citizen journalists or others commenting on the situation.” When you find them, says Yates, the response should be strategic, factual and prompt. And Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich Inc. and author of Marketing in the Round, says that it can also help to request to take the conversation offline, and follow up immediately with the person creating the fuss. Ignoring an online critic is certain doom.
“Typically a crisis develops when no one from the business responds to the critic. That almost always leads to a mob effect,” Dietrich says.
Worst-Case Scenario
No business owner wants to think about the worst-case scenario. But events that involve law enforcement, such as workplace shootings, do happen. Yates says that in these cases, the protocol is to issue a written statement (and stating that it must be used in its entirety). “First, address any personal harm done and convey condolences. Then, truthfully reveal only information that is necessary.”
Yates handled one case where a hospice employee was arrested for murder. They implemented a media response plan, instructed employees not to share information with the public, and issued a media statement in cooperation with law enforcement. Rumors were quelled within a week.
“If you can buy yourself an hour or two to prep, by all means do—but don't turn down that interview,” says Jodie Heisner, president of Bottomline Media Coaching.
Whatever you do, experts warn, never say “no comment” or try to hide the truth. “‘No comment’ implies guilt,” says Yates, “and the truth always comes out.”
Being prepared is also key. “Brainstorm various crisis scenarios with your managers and employees,” says Jane Blume, owner of Desert Sky Communications. “Think about what exactly might go wrong, how each incident might affect the company, what the company's internal and external responses should be, what messages have to be communicated, which stakeholders have to be contacted, who will contact them and who your chief crisis spokesperson will be.”
An Expert on Your Side
You should also create a list of people you can contact to help you handle the crisis itself including a lawyer and a trusted friend or relative to help with your business, says Melissa F. Daly, president of MFD Communications. Daly also recommends establishing media relationships before a crisis. Kathleen Gratehouse, principal at Borders + Gratehouse, suggests considering which allies—customers, partners, etc.—would be willing to speak on your behalf.
A PR or crisis management expert can help, so even if you can’t afford to keep one on retainer, it’s smart to get referrals and have a few companies on your list to call when a crisis hits. “Most will take a phone call or meeting to understand what the situation might be,” Dietrich says.
Think of a crisis plan as an insurance policy. “It's Murphy's Law: If you don't have a crisis plan, you'll end up in hot water, but if you do, nothing will ever happen,” says Dietrich.
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