A public relations crisis is any form of negative publicity that can impact a company’s public reputation and perception, as well as the bottom line. These days, every company needs to have a strong positive relationship with its target audience to get them to convert and generate more sales, however, if a company goes through a public relations crisis, that relationship can easily be damaged. There are a few different reasons why a company might go through a public relations crisis, and there is a specific way companies need to handle each type.
Product recalls or malfunctions
There are times when a company starts to receive negative reviews and even publicity from media outlets for all the right reasons, such as its solutions being genuinely low quality, leading to recalls and malfunctions. If a company is repetitively going through product malfunctions that end up in recalls, that business can easily end up in a public relations crisis. Additionally, f a company decides to ignore the negative reviews from consumers who have complaints about their purchases, paired with a low-quality product, it can cause a public relations crisis for a business.
Harassment, misbehavior, and complaints
It’s both unethical and illegal for anyone to be harassed, emotionally, sexually, and physically, and when someone complains of such behavior, it’s easy for a company to find itself amid a PR crisis. A company’s entire reputation can quickly be ruined by such complaints or claims. Any business that doesn’t incorporate and implement behavioral guidelines can be vulnerable to this type of PR crisis. Additionally, in every business, the employees and the employer need to have an amicable relationship with each other. If any one of the involved parties continuously misbehaves, it can easily cause the company to damage its reputation and market position. A sure-fire way for a company to find itself in such a position is not having enough employees, management employees, as well as guidelines.
Social media
One of the easiest ways for a company to find itself in a PR crisis is because of social media use, or, more specifically, misuse. Even a single improper or negative reply can spin out of control and can create a disastrous PR crisis for a company. Millions of people around the world use social media platforms these days, which means the company’s missteps can be immediately apparent to hundreds of thousands of people. That’s why companies need to be careful in the way that they communicate on social media platforms including sharing content and responding to other users on those platforms. In fact, both sharing the right content and knowing how to respond to potential consumers are key elements in making or avoiding a PR crisis for businesses.