Crisis Communications and the Secret Service: Reviewed

When scandalous breaking news happens, I always find myself focused on how individuals at the center of the controversy are communicating their sides of the story. Are they following traditional crisis communications procedure? Are they going renegade on what they say and do? Or, have they gone silent?

I can see right away when a company has good planning in place, often times with the help of a high-quality PR firm.

The recent Secret Service scandal is a great case study in crisis communications related to scandalous breaking news. John Trader, a PR pro and blogger on PRBreakfastClub.com, recently analyzed several aspects of how the Secret Service handled the unfortunate situation it faced: http://goo.gl/TQCuX.

I like his step-by-step overview, looking at many of the integral parts of crisis communications, no matter the news. He gave the Secret Service an overall grade of B+, which I agree with completely.

One item John's discussion doesn't talk about is just how supportive high-ranking former Secret Service members were in talking about the culture of the organization. As CNN and other news agencies tried to push former agents to talk about a "party" culture in the Secret Service, nobody current or former associated with the organization bent. It was clear that the crisis communications procedures of the Secret Service included keeping former agents in its plan seemingly encouraging the press to interview former agents. They communicated in interviews that the agents participating in the Colombian "party scene" were simply bad seeds, and not a reflection of the agency as a whole. From most accounts, Americans and the world have bought it.

True or not about the culture of the Secret Service, the agency was swift in responding, acknowledged wrongdoing, showed empathy for the concerned, took responsibility and took action to fix the problem.

Is your company prepared to do the same? All Points Public Relations, a Chicago-based PR firm focusing primarily on working with franchise companies, is experienced in preparing and acting when unexpected or unfortunate occurrences happen within your organization.

Give us a buzz and we can talk about designing a public relations strategy that preempts a major problem, and keeps your business in good standing with your current and future customers.

Social Media by All Points

The dawn of mass personalization is here and social media is leading the charge…it's a game changer.

All Points earns "points" with social media users on behalf of our clients through the initial setup and ongoing management of Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Foursquare, Linked In, YouTube and interaction with influential bloggers, along with other emerging social networking sites that help increase lead flow, build awareness and earn customer loyalty. In sum, these social media services aim to leverage innovative communication strategies by creating interactive experiences for a targeted set of customers (consumers, businesses and potential franchisees), all of which drive a return-on-investment (ROI).

All Points PR excels at understanding how to balance two critical elements of this medium:

• Our clients' goals for their social media efforts 
• The voice of the people communicating with you and each other openly on your social networking sites, message boards and blogs 

Proactively on the consumer level, All Points puts into action fan-building campaigns, which heighten awareness of your company and seek to increase unit sales. Plus, we spark discussion, present ideas and respond to loyal fans who want to immerse themselves in more of our clients' worlds. From creation to implementation and through completion of each campaign, our clients trust the talented All Points team to enhance their social media presence or bring them into unchartered territory with a bang.

For franchise development efforts, social media offers a unique opportunity to interact with candidates. Our clients' prospects are investigating them every way possible. So, the importance of embracing social media as part of a franchise development strategy cannot be understated. And, who knows, a loyal fan who frequents our clients' social media assets may very well turn into their next franchisee.

In addition to engaging in positive online interaction with brand advocates, a significant component of our social media work is reputation management. We monitor and respond to the individuals who are seeking responses, most often to questions or concerns regarding their experience with our clients' companies.

Facebook Timeline for Businesses: An overview

We’re all scrambling to understand the layout and functionality of the new Facebook pages since they became mandatory on March 30. Here’s a summary of some of the bigger changes.

Cover photo.

Facebook regulations prohibit any sort of promotion, urls, or product descriptions in the new 851 x 315 cover photo. Cover photos are meant to be strictly visual, with little or no text. Examples of how some big (and small) brands are handling this:

http://www.facebook.com/cocacola

http://www.facebook.com/nytimes

http://www.facebook.com/livestrong

http://www.facebook.com/gudmestadyoga

Milestones.

There is now a Milestone feature that allows you to post News that is significant and can make Facebook operate more like a website that users return to. What might an appropriate milestone? A new product.

Pin to Top.

This option is available on each post – it allows you to “pin” a post to the top of your page, and it will remain there for 7 days. See http://www.facebook.com/livestrong the “Open For Fighting” post that has been pinned to the top left side of their page. This is good when running contests or for upcoming events.

Messages.

Did you notice the Messages Icon on the top of the page. People who have grievances can message the Admin rather than sending an email. Brands are beginning to use this for Customer Service.  As customers get more used to this it could be a way to direct interactions to get them off the page.

Negative comments.

You can now view and approve comments before they are posted. We can hide comments once they have been dealt with. The comment would still be on the users timeline but not visible on your company Facebook page. On the “About” page or a Facebook App (they used to be called “Tabs”) users can be directed to send a “Message” if they have a question or Customer Service issue.

Social Media Marketing

PR and Social Media

Social Media for Small Businesses

Franchise PR

Franchise Social Media

Business Social Media

PR Firms & Tools of the Trade

Public relations careers use integrated communications in order to change public image of a brand. Within PR jobs, many varied tools can be used to create a powerful marketing plan, which can be adjusted, as necessary. Those who follow public relations careers maximize the use of integrated communications to enhance a company, product or person's brand and how the public perceives them. PR jobs are also all about making use of several different strategies to have an overall effective marketing strategy, which has the flexibility to be altered and updated as required.

Media Relations involves publicizing a brand and/or an organization to the various areas of the press including newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the Internet, or television. Relevant stories are given to the media in order to publicize products, although many journalists are not permitted to accept any gifts. Key strategies are used in media relations, and they include things like:

·       Media Kits including written information which tells the media about the business. Kits can include media releases, history of the business, or details about the organization's officers.

·       Media Releases (Audio or Video) can include pre-recorded material featuring the organization as part of a story.

·       A Matte Release is a written article, which is used as filler material. Matte releases are sent via syndicated news services, emailed, faxed or mail.

·       An Online Press Room appeals to the media while providing contact details for relevant people in the company.

·       Media Tours occur when companies send a representative of the company to talk about a brand new product on television or radio talk programs. These representatives also conduct interviews with journalists online and off. The media spokesperson can be someone who is employed by the organization but that isn't always the case. Some businesses use the services of an external person or a person who is known as an expert.

·       Newsletters are used for frequent contact with an audience. Electronic mail and regular mail can be used for these newsletters, and if effective, are well read.

Another aspect of PR jobs is special events, which could include dinners, seminars, and exhibitions, launch parties and receptions. Those in public relations careers who specialize in event management will make use of integrated communications to make sure that the public is told the correct message - which, obviously, is hugely important.

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Crisis Communications in the Current Market

"Into every life some rain must fall"... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was right. 

As a business owner, you're going to run into a problem at some point, and yours or your business's reputation is going to be on the line. What are you going to do?

Crisis communications is when you are called upon to defend yourself in public, or when your business is involved with some disaster or emergency. You'll need to step up your game and put PR to work in a whole different fashion. This is not the time for gimmicky promotions, nor is it time to hide from the media.

Your arsenal includes solid, well-thought-out messaging or "talking points" that will carry you through the storm. You'll need to take systematic steps to respond, and you'll need a plan. We don't suggest you do this alone. Your reputation is too valuable to wing it, and if you can't afford to be naive.

If you're dealing with legal difficulties at the same time, then you'll want to incorporate crisis communications into your defense plan.

Here we offer an additional warning: Unless you have no other choice, don't let an attorney shut down your voice entirely. Attorneys are not in the business of defending your reputation to the public, only with the law. The punishment you get from the public may indeed be worse than the legal spanking.

Here are some key considerations we suggest in tough times:

1. Defend yourself though messaging. Your main message must be simple, easy to understand and take less than 10 seconds to say.

2. Develop two additional messages to back up the first with any necessary information. Keep it direct.

3. Have a single point of contact deliver these messages, so that they remain clear, focused, and on target.

This is just a starting point, but in a crisis situation, this will get you positioned to move forward. Reporters will ask you the same question 70 different ways, but if you and anyone else speaking for you are prepared with these messages, and don't vary them, then your reputation will weather the storm.

Chicago Crisis Communications
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