One of the most important disciplines in PR is crisis communication. But for it to work, it must begin before the crisis. This is the only way companies can prevent it from spreading further and further. With just five most important dos and don'ts, crisis communication becomes more efficient.
Corona has shown: a corporate crisis can hit any B2B company at any time
Empty order books, delivery bottlenecks and investment freezes were just france phone number list three common reasons for crises in B2B during the pandemic
Even without external circumstances, the risk of crisis is always lurking: poor working conditions at foreign production sites, environmental damage, liquidity bottlenecks and quality defects
This makes it all the more important to reduce or completely avoid damage to your image. If you react incorrectly, you risk a drop in sales, attacks from critics and an ever greater loss of image.
The 5 most important dos
B2B companies should definitely follow these five principles of B2B crisis communication:
Be prepared
Professional crisis communication is only successful if B2B companies prepare themselves. This is the only way they can react quickly and correctly. Otherwise they risk the communication actually making the crisis worse.
Good preparation includes the following factors:
Setting up an early warning system such as social media monitoring
Define crisis team
draw up a crisis plan
Clearly define the coordination path to ensure consistent communication
Pre-formulate helpful press releases/texts for foreseeable scenarios
Training staff for crisis situations
Have an address book with the most important contact details ready
Create and publish a crisis manual
Setting up dark sites with information about companies, personalities and products