Social Media Crisis Communications: Preparing for, Preventing, and Surviving a Public Relations #Fail

6. Creating a Crisis Communications Plan

Is your business prepared to communicate effectively during a crisis? It needs to be. With today’s 24/7 media cycles and social media, you need a crisis plan. Events like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal illustrate how quickly a crisis can spiral out of control if you’re not armed with a proper plan.

A 2011 Burson-Marsteller Crisis Preparedness survey asked decision makers if they thought their company plans would be adequate in the face of a crisis; the replies were less than confident.¹ However, preparation is key to ensuring that the way you react to and handle a crisis leads to a positive outcome. It is very important to have a written plan in place ...