Controversial PR Clients
In a court of law, everyone gets proper and fair legal representation. It shouldn’t be any different when it comes to the court of public opinion with the help of proper PR communications. Every PR client deserves to get the best representation possible. PR clients deserve the opportunity to get the real story about them in front of the eyes of the public. However, when a PR professional or agency is dealing with a controversial client, there are times when the backlash is directed at the professional or at the agency. Nevertheless, everyone should get the chance to defend their name to the public when going through a difficult time.
Company Response
Many people read or hear opinions as well as fake news about businesses across all types of media channels. These perspectives tend to be publicized by people who have specific negative agendas against businesses. This can turn fake news stories into real news stories quite quickly in people’s minds. It’s up to PR agencies and professionals to give companies that are going through a difficult time the opportunity to defend themselves and their reputation in the court of public opinion. Giving clients a chance to get their side of the story in front of the public is one of the main tasks of any PR agency. While people might have low opinions of agencies specializing in crisis communication, they are essential for businesses going through a tough time. PR professionals and agencies also have to work at odd hours during the day and provide great service no matter what.
Navigating a Crisis
A crisis situation is likely to happen to any business under the sun at some point, but how a business responds to the situation can determine how detrimental the situation turns out to be. PR agencies and professionals are there to help companies successfully navigate crisis situations. They also help companies limit the damage crises make to their reputations.
PR Crisis Strategies
Some companies aren’t required to follow the advice they receive from their crisis communications professionals. It’s smart to consider some of the basic strategies for dealing with a crisis, in order to navigate it more successfully. Companies have to be willing to be transparent about their past mistakes and current problems with stakeholders, business owners, employees, consumers, and media outlets. They should also be willing to take criticism openly and with empathy and to implement safeguards and processes to help them avoid mistakes in the future. Companies going through a PR crisis should also be willing to share control of the company with stakeholders. Companies should also figure out various mechanisms for accountability, instead of simply demanding trust from the public and stakeholders at the same time. By following those basic strategies, most companies will be able to navigate a PR crisis quite effectively, and with minimal reputational harm.
