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One of the primary goals of any crisis communications strategy is to minimize the impact of the crisis on sales and stakeholder opinion. Successful crisis management largely depends on reaction speed and developing a planned, blended solution with a sustained communication approach.
Consider the following five-phase process: Prepare, Alert, Communicate/Educate, Rebuild and Reward.
Beyond the critical prepare, alert and communications phases lies the important road of rebuilding consumer confidence—either in an industry or for a specific product or service—and reestablishing brand reputation.
Post-crisis, companies overlook important opportunities to continue engaging with their loyal customer base and regaining trust. Here are more detailed descriptions of these important two phases:
â–¶ The Rebuild Phase: During this time, the goal is to build back stakeholder confidence and strengthen brand reputation by explaining and communicating how the company will implement changes to avoid future problems.
â–¶ The Reward Phase: On the tail end of rebuilding, this is your opportunity to thank your most valuable customers for their loyalty to your brand and welcome newcomers who are experiencing your brand for the first time. Begin by providing incentives to keep the brand top of mind and ensure customers remain loyal long after coming back.
Some of the best-in-class strategies rely on the understanding that the road to recovery passes through both stages. Rebuilding brand image, customer loyalty and rewarding those who stayed with you through the tough times will help reestablish your reputation and grow sales back to pre-crisis levels.
Target audiences should include both current and newly acquired customers. Prepare, execute and measure promotions that heighten brand reputation and customer confidence.
As you lay down your plans for your post-crisis strategy, consider the following action steps:
• Plan Ahead: Have a preliminary strategy ready before you need it. This is crucial: The better prepared you are, the easier it will be to execute calmly and confidently when the need arises. As you plan, think about the tools in your PR toolbox and how you will use them.
• Make Every Opportunity Count: A regional grocer saw the grand reopening of one of its stores as a way to rebuild its image in the local community after one of their stores was flooded. After remodeling the location, the grocer deployed a combination of small-size, front-page run of press (ROP) shared mail advertising inserts and frequent shopper card data-driven direct mail to thank and reward their loyal consumers.
• Convince Customers to Return to Your Product: Now that you have communicated your efforts to remedy the situation and end the crisis, give customers a reason to come back to you. When tainted peanut butter found its way on the shelves of supermarkets across the U.S., one non-affected manufacturer took action by distributing coupons along with recipes through ROP advertising and cooperative free standing inserts to entice consumers to buy their product again.
• Make Your Brand a Person With Whom Stakeholders Can Identify. Whether you are manager of the grocery store mentioned earlier or a large energy company, make yourself personable and a part of the community. Both successful crisis management examples of Tylenol in 1982 and Mattel in 2007 demonstrate how the companies’ respective CEO public appearances and communications were instrumental in rebuilding the trust consumers had in the brands.
• Harness the Power of Local Media: A 2011 National Newspaper Association survey found that 73% of respondents said they read a local newspaper at least once a week. Whether reporting on Sunday’s local high school football game to the upcoming city council meeting, local pubs are trusted and effective.
• Blend Outlets: To reach the most consumers and prospects post-crisis, leverage a variety of media outlets and tactics to maximize reach and frequency.
Successful crisis management largely depends on developing a planned, integrated solution and a sustained communications approach. Doing this can minimize crisis impact and stakeholder backlash, reducing the chances of a downturn in sales. PRN
CONTACT:
Larry Berg is vice president at Valassis Communications, based in Livonia, Mich. He can be reached at [email protected].