Did you know that the best time to build a crisis communications plan is before you even know exactly what the crisis will be?
Or have you been meaning to craft your crisis comms strategy and just keep bumping it lower on your to-do list?
Either way, the time to create your plan is now. And, with a valuable tool we’ll share with you below, you’ll be well on your way.
Crisis situations arise every day in business. When this happens in your organization, it can feel like you’re fighting an uncontrolled wildfire. The good news is that you can put a plan in place prior to the fire starting, ensuring you’re able to quickly put out the flames and minimize damage to your brand.
A crisis communications plan defines how your business will respond in a crisis. The goal of a crisis plan is to minimize impact to your brand by allowing you to quickly and effectively respond.
To create the plan, the first step is to identify possible areas of risk that could lead to a crisis. While there is no way to predict when a crisis will occur, you can take some steps to determine what fires are more likely to burn within your organization. Look at where your biggest areas of risk are. If your business entails manufacturing, could on-the-job injuries be a concern? If you sell consumer goods, are you prepared for a cyber-attack where PII data may be compromised? Are you prepared for an attack on your brand’s credibility on social media?
At KVA, we leverage a tried and true risk assessment framework recommended by PRSA. It’s a great way to take an objective view of the facts by determining the likelihood and anticipated magnitude of the crisis.
We’ve prepared a downloadable version that you can use to kickstart your crisis communications planning process.
