Once the crisis is over, a new chapter of work begins.
The first part consists of analyzing the bad buzz, its origins, and how you handled it. What is the objective? To learn from your mistakes.
The second part aims to limit the damage to your online reputation and rethink how you communicate by taking what happened into account.
Analyze the Bad Buzz
Make Sure the Bad Buzz Is Over
“One crisis can hide another.“
Be alert and keep monitoring the subjects and individuals identified during the crisis.
Are your brand mentions dropping? Is the tone of the comments no longer as negative? Is there any new communication on the subject? Has any new sensitive content appeared in the search engines? Phew!
Be careful—another negative reaction from a fairly influential account could re-launch the bad buzz.
You can also track how the influencers and media that initially reported the crisis handled the topic. Have they brought in any new information? Have they changed their opinion as a result of your actions?
Do a Post-crisis Review
Even though it’s rarely fun, look on the bright side. A crisis has a lot to teach you about your communication and strategy.
After the storm has passed, it’s time to look back calmly at past events to learn about:
The intended procedure: How did you handle your monitoring process, reporting, internal communication, and external communication?
Stakeholder analysis: Who supported you? Who were your detractors? Which media outlets were reliable? Which influencers?
This assessment takes the form of quantitative and qualitative analysis and includes the following elements:
The change in messages from internet users. Base this change on your actions concerning volume, interaction, types of messages, and sentiment.
The most active types of participants (media, influencers, single individuals, various organizations, etc.).
The initial channels of activity (forums, blogs, social networks, etc.);
Factors and channels of reactivation after a decrease or stabilization of the buzz (press articles, repurposing, petitions, videos, etc.).
The content elements that worked or not (holding message, type of discourse, etc.).
Strategies and positions that were well received/poorly perceived.
Your allies.
Take up the Tools and Processes Again
Once you conduct this assessment, it’s time to take corrective action, such as:
Reinforcing the monitoring process: add the topics that triggered the crisis.
Contacting and monitoring new influencers and media discovered during the crisis.
Updating the FAQ document.
Adapting action plans.
Building a base of ready-to-use content in the event of another crisis.
The Deditex Case Study
Once that’s done, look at Emily’s takeaways.
Enhance Your Image
Internally: Thank and Train Employees
Take the time to thank your employees after a crisis, especially those directly involved in its management and those who supported you in other ways. This encouragement will go a long way.
You can write and distribute a press release on internal networks, the company blog, or the company newsletter.
It’s crucial to take a moment with your employees to review what happened, including what they suffered, are proud of, learned, want to improve or change, etc.
Put aside a dedicated discussion time. This should be in a friendly atmosphere, such as a breakfast meeting.
Present them with the actions carried out by your teams during the crisis. Then highlight and acknowledge the efforts of all employees to overcome it.
You can also review the company’s financial health. Depending on the extent of the crisis, your employees may fear losing their job. Reassure them with key figures and detail the actions that will need to be taken and their impact on their business.
Further adjustment meetings, training sessions, and additional preventive measures may be necessary depending on the feedback.
Externally: Rethink Your Communication
The crisis you have experienced will force you to question your way of communicating.
To reassure your audience and rehabilitate your online reputation, you must explain what changes will take place.
What is the action plan? How will you be rolling it out? When?
Show that you have learned from your mistakes and take responsibility by acting transparently and honestly.
Stay true to your content plan - that is, continue to publish the content that has made your community loyal - while including new themes.
Does your community doubt your commitment? Include content highlighting your latest achievements in CSR (corporate social responsibility) or quality control, upcoming innovations, and solutions to the crisis. If you haven’t already done so, create the schedule you plan to put in place!
Externally: Work on Your SEO
During your post-crisis review, you will realize that the crisis has left some traces.
When typing in the name of your company (or one of your products), the first search results may bring up your difficulties during the crisis.
That means you must create new content, implement an SEO strategy to feed the search engines, and gradually make the material most critical to your brand image move to the bottom of search results.
Agencies specializing in online reputation or SEO can support you in this effort.
This process may take time and must be carried out over the long term. Spreading it out over several months is essential to avoid radically changing your content overnight. Stay true to your content plan, and don’t try to drown internet users with information to hide old content.
Externally: Rely on Your Stakeholders
To back up your position, be sure to get support from various stakeholders.
Are you beginning to understand the value of creating an alliance with your employees? Satisfied employees are assets for your brand. Working on your employer brand is a good way to ensure quality information channels or ambassadors.
In the same way, get closer to the influencers and media that defended you during the crisis—or at least those who gave you a chance to explain yourself.
They can act as external ambassadors for your ongoing actions, vouch for your willingness to change, and convey the results. At the same time, they will enable you to obtain objective customer feedback and reinforce your social capital.
The Deditex Case Study
Now list three new actions to implement internally and externally for Deditex.
Have you written them down? Here are some proposals.
Let’s Recap!
The post-crisis period is as demanding and eventful as the crisis itself. Here are the steps you should carry out to make the most of an unfortunate event:
Ensure the crisis is over by keeping an eye on what’s happening. Take advantage of this opportunity to update your monitoring to cover the key terms from the crisis.
Write a post-crisis assessment and share it internally.
Adapt the crisis process and content (FAQ, holding message, press release, etc.) depending on the feedback.
Thank, reassure, and train employees.
Review your communication and work on your SEO.
Use your various stakeholders (employees, influencers, journalists in the media, etc.) to spread your message.
Now that you know the ins and outs of a crisis, it seems less scary, right? The key is to stay true to your values, and be transparent, responsive, and prepared.
Test your knowledge in the final quiz by putting yourself (one last time) in a crisis.
