Crisis Communications and Reputation Management in a Digital Age

Everyone, including organisations and individuals, are vulnerable to crisis. The crisis communication landscape has changed considerably since the advent of social media and now faces more challenges than ever as the online world continues to transform. Companies and individuals are now expected to respond at the speed of light and PR professionals also have to ensure that they are confident in using all the latest digital platforms to ensure the right message gets to the right audience, at the right time.

Time is at the heart of crisis communications in the digital world. It can present a major issue in the way a crisis is handled and defines a successful communications plan. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook also offer consumers the chance to easily convey their negative consumer experiences, which has significantly contributed to the rise in the number and scale of potential crisis communications.

Bearing these changes in mind, crisis communication professionals need to ensure they revise their strategy to account for social media and have a workable plan for jumping into action the very moment a communications or reputational crisis occurs.

This article provides practical advice on how to plan and execute a crisis communication plan.