Crises aren’t limited to large corporations and global conglomerates. Small businesses and nonprofit organizations deal with their share as well. One difference is where major companies often have ample budgets for hiring outside crisis advisors and purchasing tools, smaller, cash-strapped entities may rely on just one PR pro or communicator and little technology.
More than that, small PR teams face some of the same issues that larger teams encounter. Preparation is one such issue.
“No one likes to think about what might go wrong,” says Elizabeth Ransom, CEO, Ransom Strategic Communications.
As such, we spoke with PR pros who work at or counsel nonprofits and smaller businesses on tools and processes they can deploy to prepare for crises.
While smaller companies have less room for error during a crisis, these pros argue a mix of preparation and free or low-cost tools can provide a solid foundation before one begins.
Advance Prep
For PR pros flying solo or lacking resources to hire outside, expert counsel, going through a crisis preparedness process can make you wish you had 10 hands not two.
Ginger Geoffrey, director of communications at Neighborhood Health Center of WNY, Inc., needs to be prepared for a variety of healthcare-adjacent crises, which could include anything from a mass evacuation or malpractice investigation to cybersecurity threats and labor disputes.
She says without a large team, advance planning can help when having to react to a crisis and play several roles at once as it unfolds.
“Have a framework for dealing with the types of crises most likely to happen to your organization—knowing such things as what to do, for example, in the first five minutes, who needs to be called, who is responsible for doing it—will put you in a much better position when a crisis hits,” Geoffrey says.
Besides assigning roles and tasks, prepared, tactical communication assets can help. For example, Ransom crafts a list of tough questions with corresponding answers for moments of criticism and shares them with everyone in the client’s organization, so all stakeholders are on board.
Similarly, Jess Owens, communications manager of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc., creates pre-approved sample media statements, digital content and internal messaging for potential crisis situations.
Additionally, Owens prefers to lay out other details in advance. These include contact information for local police, fire and emergency public information officers.
Other useful items include a list of on-site locations to direct media to if needed, ways to connect with internal and external groups accounting for the availability of internet (conference call lines, Zoom meeting information) so everything is easy to access and no time is wasted searching for such items.
Building a Crisis Team
Even if you’re a PR ‘team’ of one, don’t operate as an island during a crisis. For example, always keep key stakeholders in the loop.
In addition to identifying a team of players outside of PR, Geoffrey urges communicators assign roles in advance. Brainstorming scenarios helps flesh out who should take on each role.
“Spokespeople may be different...depending on the type of crisis,” Geoffrey says. “There will be different groups of stakeholders, internal and external, to communicate to when a crisis breaks, and the messages and communications methods will differ by group. Decisions on these items should also be made by the team in the planning process. It’s also important to revisit and revise the plan on a regular basis, and especially after a crisis to evaluate what worked well and what didn’t.”
Tracy Zampaglione, Public Information Officer, Orange County Corrections, knows her organization touches many government entities when it’s communicating during a crisis.
“Working at a jail, the potential for a crisis exists every single day,” Zampaglione says. “We have a crisis team that meets regularly to discuss their roles in responding to an emergency situation.”
It includes the chief and an assistant, two deputy chiefs, three majors, legal counsel and Zampaglione, the PIO.
“Top-level security staff are onboard because they have a deep knowledge of jail operations, legal counsel for any possible resulting litigation (such as in a use-of-force allegation on one of our officers) and the PIO for media relations purposes,” she says.
The strength of having diverse personnel on a crisis team was demonstrated during a hostage situation last year.
“Thankfully, a skilled negotiator on staff was able to de-escalate the situation, but the event left several staff members traumatized. Since then we have convened a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team to help counsel employees in the aftermath of a crisis.”
Social Listening and Monitoring
While platforms may seem intimidating for those with limited budgets, there’s a host of options for free or low-cost tools.
And paying attention to public sentiment and chatter can help head off some crises, which might have cost the company in the long run.
Almost every PR pro mentions the importance of Google Alerts. A simple setup of keywords reflecting an industry or organization can provide free insight into where and how media is covering issues before, during and after a crisis.
Ransom suggests setting up alerts for relevant terms, including leadership names and core products.
Take a similar approach on social media platforms beyond Google. Most channels have a keyword search function for social listening to view public perception and conversation. For example, Hubspot provides a list of free and paid social listening tools, including those from Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Buffer and others.
“Keyword searches on social media can be helpful both proactively in identifying trends that could lead to crises, and reactively to monitor how a crisis in progress is evolving,” Geoffrey says.
Global Monitoring
Ransom likes what she sees from a free platform appropriately called Mention. It tracks millions of sources in 42 languages to monitor brand mentions globally. And it features a tool to compare your brand against competitors.
“It’s essential to periodically inventory online presence, correct errors and address any criticism in a professional and persuasive way,” Ransom says.
And while these shiny toys may seem out of reach for communicators with little-to-no budget, Owens suggests inquiring about special nonprofit rates.
“Programs like Alert Media, Sprout Social, Meltwater and Cision all have an annual fee that can range from a few thousand dollars on up,” Owens says. “[However] these programs offer nonprofit rates. So, I would ask for information about that. Most also allow you to customize your packages—a media monitoring service package may start by including print/online coverage but give you the option to upgrade and add on broadcast monitoring, additional searches or reporting options.”
Owens suggests looking at the customer service options a platform can provide, which can help PR teams of one.
“As a solo PR practitioner it has been incredibly helpful to me over the years to have an account rep who is knowledgeable and helpful,” she says. “[For] example: some helped me run reports when I’ve needed them quickly and might also be in the middle of responding to media calls.”
Aside from social listening, Zampaglione turns to an old friend, the case study. She receives updates from the American Jail Association to see how those around the industry are dealing with crises. The takeaways in the case studies allow her to prepare or tweak her facility’s crisis plans.
Internal Communication
While it’s important to monitor public perception during a crisis, it’s become equally important to keep your first chain of command informed: employees. Creating a process for information delivery during crisis is essential.
While Owens worked in higher education at Carroll University, her department had to plan for crisis situations that could happen any day, at any time, since thousands of campus students could be affected.
Tools like Blackboard (primarily for the education sector) or Alert Media (used across industries) allow users to alert employees via email, text, or phone during a crisis. These tools are accessible almost anywhere (app, desktop) which can be helpful in case of a power outage, lockdown or if you are off site. And many allow users to create messages in advance and edit them.
And even if you lack the resources for a formal message-delivery platform, creating and communicating a simple crisis response delivery system for employees—whether it’s email or text or phone—can do wonders for making them feel valued and secure. And who knows? The time you took to prepare for a crisis could not only save the reputation of your organization...it could possibly save a life.
Nicole Schuman is a reporter for PRNEWS. Follow her @buffalogal