When Bad Press Happens to Good People : The Road to Recovery

Photo Credit: Dexerto

The larger your special event business, or the more in the public eye you are, the more potential there is for even a slight mishap to spread.  And with the Internet and social media, never has it been more important to act swiftly and proactively if something negative happens to your business that goes public.  

We recently had the opportunity to experience an issue with one of our hospitality business clients that warranted a stable PR strategy. We are pleased to say the media was accurate, gracious and shared the press statement generated by our client and everything is on the road to recovery.

Here are our top tips for handling bad press and how to help limit potential damage:


Do not:
1.  Ignore the power of social media and the Internet to destroy reputations.

2.  Lie to journalists or anyone.  It is guaranteed to find its way back to you and can a) make the situation worse  or b) come back when things appear to be solved and make them fresh in everyone's minds again - but triply worse because it will undermine any of the good press that happened to help with recovery.

3.  Automatically assume it's good to disappear for awhile and keep a low profile. Sometimes that is the worst thing you can do.

Do:
1.  Act uber quickly to meet bad publicity head-on and counteract it.

2.  Turn to experts such as lawyers and public relations professionals.

3.  Learn from your mistakes.

Photo Credit: Nick Grantham

Here are some detailed steps & recommendations for handling a PR crisis:

1.  Understand what the problem is, where it went wrong and take steps to correct it immediately.

2.  Keep a close eye on all social media and press - online and print - searching for your company name or key principal company employee names.   Often times what looks like a negative comment is just someone concerned or raising a question.  Don't be quick to take offense. Use it as an opportunity to correct any misinformation in a forum for others to see, and most importantly, always let them know what is being done to correct the problem and the steps you are taking.  

In the special events and hospitality industries specifically, there are three groups affected by a mishap with a business:  the customer, employees and other event partners (vendors).  Your business should take measures to assure all groups what is being done to correct the situation and , if making a public statement, should assure the media that your employees and customers and their safety and well-being are at the forefront of your concern and addressing of the issue.

3.  Don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry" publicly.  Stating an apology does not mean a legal admission of guilt in most cases (if in doubt, seek legal counsel) and to do so, shows humanity and that you take the issue seriously . The stand-by phrase "We are so sorry for the inconvenience this has caused" can never be wrong. 

4.  Saying "no comment" implies you are hiding something.  However, if there are confidential details or you are still getting your bearings on the situation, a simple statement of "we are still investigating the details and hope to have them sorted through soon" is an honest answer that does not give away anything.

5.  Educate your staff and employees and empower them.  This involves letting them know what the situation is, what you are doing about it and what their answer should be to anyone who asks outside the workplace.  Everyone should receive the same information and have the same phrase to give the outside community.

6  Working with the media:  Have empathy for the media's need for a story. You may be able to deflect the attention on you to pointing to a bigger story;  but if you cannot, answer the media's questions directly and factually.  You may find a written statement is easier for you and keeps things moving without a lot of back and forth questions from the media.  

7.  Develop and implement a recovery plan that helps to rebuild your reputation.  This involves good PR and community involvement.  For example, you may wish to get involved with a local charity event as well as build relationships with the media to foster good relations for the future.  Anything you can do to get involved with something that counteracts the misperception of the problem that got you where you were is probably a solid move to start the damage repair. 

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Engaging Inspiration provides marketing, social media, PR and revenue solutions designed to engage and inspire the special event and hospitality industry.