Protect Your Business Reputation With A Communications Plan

By Sue Voyles
Logos Communications, Inc.

An employee who was fired for embezzlement starts circulating e-mails that inform people you are about to go out of business. A contractor is using your company e-mail to send out solicitations to people to visit a gaming site she has created. You are selling your business to a long-time, trusted employee and want to assure your customers that everything remains in good hands – should you set up a blog?

In today’s business environment, where e-mails spread faster than a bad cold and blogs are the order of the day, every business should have a plan for communicating during a transition or crisis.

Whether it’s embezzlement, workplace accident, natural disaster, lawsuit or layoffs, every business owner should be prepared to communicate to both internal and external audiences. These audiences include employees, vendors, customers, business allies and the media.

Here are some tips for creating a communications plan that will guide you during those times of transition or crisis.

• Designate a spokesperson. Your business should have only one or two key individuals that may speak to the media and respond to customers, vendors and employees during a critical situation. A spokesperson may be the owner, CEO, PR counsel, HR manager, attorney or another trusted individual. Only these individuals may take and respond to media and other inquiries. Once these individuals are identified, communicate this information to all employees.
• Speak to employees first and be frank. Put safety and people issues first.
• Never lie, cover up or say “no comment.” Give the facts as you know them.
• Make sure you tell your side of the story, including key messages. If necessary, issue a press release with the facts and get it out to all pertinent audiences. Post information on your website. If your business is responsible for what has happened, tell why it happened and how you will fix the problem.
• Be timely in responding to inquiries. If a reporter calls, find out their deadline and ask if you can get back to them. Then prepare your message and call them back. Prepare a message ahead of time for when customers or vendors call.
• Remember the three C’s – confidence, control and credibility. Have confidence when delivering the message. Exercise control over the message by having a designated spokesperson who communicates the key points. Maintain credibility at all times; if you don’t know an answer, say so and get back to the individual.

Create your communications plan, communicate it to employees and make sure they understand it. Remember, during any transition or crisis, your company’s hard-earned reputation is at stake. Take steps now to protect that reputation.