Courtesy of Martin Blayon, an experienced Public Relations Specialist
Misinformation is carried very fast, and the growing speed of social media is concerning because the first information that generates public attention can be very hard to easily clarify.
We reside in a world that faces trust issues and as such, crisis communication must be everybody’s priority, particularly stakeholders in the private and public sectors, if they are interested in achieving long term business and reputational success.
Public relations (PR) focus on building and maintaining a positive reputation of individuals and institutions in the public and private sectors. It is intended to shape public opinion, influence perception and realize institutional objectives by technically managing flow of communication between an entity and the public.
Also, ‘Public relations play an important role for brand management and customer satisfaction. Effective communications help individuals and entities technically navigate disruptions and maintain competitiveness.’
Against this background, it is so challenging to continuously maintain the visibility of your business brand and reputation without hiring an experienced Public Relations Professional who is well-knowledgeable to smartly implement an effective public relations strategy that could turn critical public relations crises into opportunities.
A Public Relations (PR) Professional takes care of ties between an institution and the public. He/she is responsible to craft a communication roadmap for publicity purposes that could promote the reputation of an individual or an entity.
In overcoming a reputation crisis and making your brand more visible, the crafting of a well-detailed public relations crisis management strategy provides indication that an entity or individual is prepared to prevent, predict and display the qualities that are associated with its brand.
Time is one of the greatest enemies when a company or individual is facing reputational crisis and as such, a well- trained Public Relations Specialist comes in by designing workable strategy by writing a press release and later engaging relevant stakeholders with time-sensitive information that can effectively restore credibility and transparently influence public opinion void of “cash-driven” manipulation.
Also, building and maintaining a cordial rapport with widely followed media institutions and their practitioners can meaningfully help a Public Relations Specialist during the three stages in crisis management: pre-crisis, during crisis and post-crisis.
“You can only change the way you say the truth, but not the truth itself,” and as such, a Public Relations Specialist must timely broadcast and publish crafted messages about an individual or a brand that could resonate deeply with the public.
After a public relations crisis has been resolved, it is technically important for the Public Relations Professional to openly communicate the lessons learned in an emphatic tone to help foster transparency and for the maintenance of long-term relationships with the public-clients, key stakeholders, and others.
To conclude, to minimize misquote of an entity’ representative or individuals’ speeches and prevent possible reputational crisis; while maintaining brand visibility, a trained Public Relations Professional should technically prepare a well-edited news article for print and broadcast media practitioners/ journalists who have provided media coverage for an event that needs publicity.
