Communication Strategies in 2022

If the last couple of years have taught people and companies anything, it’s that even the impossible can become possible, which is why it’s always best to be prepared for anything.

Everyone around the world has now experienced firsthand the way that a crisis can significantly impact daily life and operations.

Unfortunately, when it comes to big crises like the pandemic, plenty of businesses don’t realize that they’re not prepared enough until it’s too late.

Businesses that want to prepare for a potential crisis can do so by evaluating a crisis process along with the tools, resources, and team they have in place.

Having a plan beforehand ensures that a company is better prepared and able to respond to a crisis situation in a timely fashion to mitigate any risks and protect the company’s reputation.

Listening and Learning

While the world might be constantly changing, the pandemic has made those changes a lot faster and bigger, which is why many consumers now expect a lot more from businesses.

Both customers and employees now expect brands to do better, operate and communicate in transparent manners, and to stand for more than just profits. The companies that are best positioned in this situation are the ones that know who they are, what they stand for, and how they act.

These things are all developed when a brand has a strong foundation of a clear purpose, values, and missions that it’s clearly communicating with the public, which also helps support any crisis responses.

Additionally, companies should look to create and nurture solid relationships with the target audience to make it easier to meet the consumers where they’re at during a crisis situation.

Doing that helps companies establish stronger levels of trust with consumers and to sustain longer and better relationships, which leads to consumers supporting a business even during disruptive situations.

Planning and Preparation

Companies that are able to plan and prepare for different types of crisis situations are going to be better at responding quickly, recovering effectively, and minimizing their risks.

That’s why when planning for potential crises in the coming year, companies should start by identifying any high risks or key crisis scenarios a business might encounter.

Then, the events or triggers that activate a crisis should be clearly defined. The severity of a crisis situation is what will determine the company’s response level to that crisis, and every scenario should be evaluated for its impact on the company’s reputation throughout the crisis too.

After that, companies should develop an internal step-by-step guide that will help everyone during the immediate response to the situation, as well as a long-term plan for different scenarios.

While it might be frustrating or stressful during a crisis, no company can have all possible information while going through one.

That’s why it’s important for crisis team members to know they just have to do the best that they can to assess the situation as fast as possible, and to choose an appropriate and thoughtful response.

All of this is going to go a lot easier if a company has an established crisis response plan with audits, different materials, resources, and guides.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO and founder of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned American PR Firms. Torossian is an award-winning New York based entrepreneur and public relations expert.

He has been named the Public Relations executive of the year by the American Business Awards on numerous occasions. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed book “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations.”

Torossian has worked with clients across all industries, including prestigious brands such as Microsoft, Barnes & Noble, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and others. Ronn Torossian is a native New Yorker, and resides in Manhattan with his children.