[Editor’s Note: Ahead of PRNEWS’ next PRNEWS PRO Online Training Workshop, Influencer Marketing for PR on Oct. 16, we spoke to presenter Alyson Buck, Senior Director, PR, Samsung Electronics America. PRNEWS got a sneak peek into her session, “Strategies for Handling Influencer-Born Crises,” including how to plan in advance for crises and how brands should respond if one occurs.]
PRNEWS: How should influencers be considered in your overall crisis management plans?
Alyson Buck, Senior Director, PR, Samsung Electronics America: Nearly 75% of consumers look to influencers for recommendations, so chances are good that you already have them as part of your communications strategy. Just like anything else, you want to have a playbook for how to handle an issue when it arises. This isn’t a time to ‘build the plane while flying it.’
PRNEWS: What are some specific instances to look for/include in that playbook?
Buck: To me, the four influencer crisis playbook essentials are: an internal communications tree—who needs to be alerted and who has the final say; a log of previous company crisis responses to reference for consistency; scenario plans for common influencer-induced issues, like rogue social posts or inappropriate content; and finally, a measurement plan, with the team and tools in place to monitor should a situation arise.
PRNEWS: In your experience, how do influencer crises differ from other PR crises, and how should PR teams adapt?
Buck: Influencers are incredibly business-savvy—they are the ultimate brand-builders. So, there’s often a fine line between where their identity stops and the brand begins. Complexities arise when the stakes are personal. It’s really important to set expectations at the outset, build trust with the influencer’s management team, and adapt. No one size fits all.
PRNEWS: How important is transparency when communicating with the public during an influencer-related crisis, and how much should you disclose?
Buck: The golden rule of crisis PR is usually ‘be transparent,’ but when it comes to an influencer, you have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis. Not all influencer crises are created equal, and the last thing you want is to wrongly jump to conclusions and become part of the story. The first call I’d make is to the influencer’s team to get the facts, and then, if needed, develop a response that is swift, factual and action-oriented. The second call I’d make is to my social team to prepare them to monitor and manage our channels for an influx of negativity.
PRNEWS: How do you measure the long-term impact of an influencer-related crisis on your brand’s reputation?
Buck: On a macro level, stay close to your analytics teams to evaluate the impact on reputation factors like brand awareness, perception and NPS scores. From a day-to-day standpoint, brand mentions and sentiment analysis over time can be good indicators of whether or not you’ve made it out of the storm.
PRNEWS: What advice would you give to brands just beginning to work with influencers, to help them avoid potential crises?
Buck: Do your homework! Vet your influencers for authenticity and potential risk, align with them on the content asks, involve legal in the contract negotiations, and make sure all parties have a full understanding of expectations. It’s in everyone’s best interest for an influencer relationship to go well, and the good news is, most of them do.
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.