10 STEP GUIDE TO SURVIVE A CRISIS

Many business owners and executives go upwards of 20 years without facing a crisis, therefore, failing to develop an action plan should one arise. Whether it’s an assumptive immunity or a lack of time and resources, the reality is that crisis is inevitable and even the biggest, most established brands aren’t immune to mishaps.

Why Should You Care?

When it comes to a crisis, it’s not IF you’ll experience one, but WHEN. In modern times, the problem that brands face when hit with a crisis isn’t limited to simply dealing with the actual crisis at hand, but rather how quickly the news media narrative takes them viral (true or not!). For this reason alone, it is important to be prepared with an actionable Crisis Communications plan.

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail.” -Winston Churchill

Picture This

Let’s imagine for a moment that we’re all on an airplane together.

We’ve hit cruising altitude and if you’re like me, you either work or dive into a movie or a random TV show that you’d never watch at home. All is quiet. You’re now relaxed and zoning out on your newfound “guilty pleasure,” and all of a sudden, the plane starts to experience some pretty rough turbulence. Everyone gets even more quiet as you wait for the next “drop!” It’s frightening! And people begin to panic. It’s hard to make solid, sound decisions in a moment of panic.

What exactly happened in this scenario? People began to panic because the turbulence came as a surprise. You simply weren’t prepared.

Now, let’s picture that same scenario, however, this time, you’re just getting into your show and you hear, “This is the captain speaking…” He tells you to “please make your way back to your seats and buckle in because there are few thunder clouds ahead and we are going to feel a few bumps. We should be through them in about 15 minutes or so.”

You then experience the EXACT same turbulence in a completely different way. You were mentally prepared. You planned for them. And thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be.

Preparation Matters!

Now let’s take this back to a business setting, where the #1 issue that a company faces when crisis occurs is simply a lack of planning. What happens when a crisis hits? Who’s the spokesperson? What should they say? What’s the chain of command? It all comes down to preparation.

How To Prepare

Taking the time to think through possible means of crisis and developing a plan will make all the difference when the rubber meets the road. We, of course, can hope for the best, but it is essential that we prepare for the worst!

With this in mind, we’ve prepared a 10 step guide to help you survive a crisis. A roadmap to guide you through the development of a basic crisis communications plan.  Get your downloadable copy below and ensure that your situation doesn’t go from crisis to catastrophe!

Have a question? Have a crisis?

Contact

debi@merlotmarketing.com

brenda@merlotmarketing.com