All businesses, at some point, will face a Lakeland public relations crisis. How you respond to the crisis will either boost the image and reputation of the company or significantly damage the brand.
PR specialists know how to change public perception with the right words and marketing strategies. They know that using the right strategies can alleviate the effects of a crisis on a business.
But handling a crisis is not the only role of a PR specialist. Many organizations still don’t understand what this job entails. All they think is that PR experts respond to angry customers and sweep the negativities under the rug.
Offer advice and guidance
The first thing that a PR expert must do is assess the situation and offer advice on how the business should address the issue.
To be able to provide the right guidance, the Lakeland public relations practitioner must evaluate the background of the company, the nature of the current issue, and the context of the problem. This will help determine the right marketing strategies to address the issues.
Handle the press and the media
A Lakeland public relations expert will work “reactively” rather than “aggressively.” The PR practitioner is mostly on the defense rather than the offense. A business cannot offer more information than what is being questioned by the media.
Otherwise, the business will be facing more problems than what the current issues are. Instead, a Lakeland public relations expert will draft support materials and statements on behalf of the client, so the company is ready to answer any questions presented by the press.
PR practitioners can also take over the whole handling-the-press issue. Instead of drafting the statements that the clients will deliver, the PR experts can make the statements themselves.
All the while, the Lakeland public relations experts will continue to give advice on how the business can maintain the loyalty of their customers, shareholders, and investors.
Support during post-crisis
After the crisis has been handled, there will still be a lot to do for the company to regain its original reputation. This is when the public relations company must develop plans to heal the damage done during the disaster. They must create a strategy that draws more attention to the positive aspects of the brand.
Lakeland public relations experts must also set up interviews and press releases that will take the public attention away from the issues and refocus it on what the company is offering.
The company should be able to get back to “business as usual.” There should be plans to create a strategy that will prevent the same incident from happening again.
