Tips to avoid PR nightmares in the 24/7 world
We are no strangers to PR nightmares nowadays and cancel culture is having real effects on a company’s survival. The internet can be unforgiven and cruel, once you make a mistake you might not be able to bounce back or it will definitely cost a lot of resources in order to build your brand trust again; sometimes companies even have to change their brand name to rebuild their brand images. Such as Aunt Jemima changed their name to now Peral Milling Company.
Here are the 5 most important things/tips you should know in order to avoid another PR nightmare:
- Have a social media team
Having and managing social media is not for amature anymore. PR nightmares often happen on social media including Instagram and twitter where you can interact with your customer in real-time. If your company is present on multiple social media platforms, be sure to have a professional team to manage them. The team should also include a group of individuals with diverse backgrounds to review the statement before publishing to ensure it is not offensive to people. PR nightmares can often be avoided easily if there were just another perspective to look over it.
2. Stick to your value
Currently, there is a huge distrust among companies and the consumers because some companies don’t truly stick to their values which is the biggest reason why the customers are buying the products. If you fail to comply with your company values and choose to have an easy way so that you can make more profits, customers will know. Once they know, they spread it throughout the internet and your whole company will be cancelled before you even realize the damages.
3. Do good to the society
Consumers nowadays are very aware of social causes and environmental crises. The younger generation speaks up for what’s wrong and what’s right and they are way more picky on where to spend their money. Your companies should have something that you can contribute good back to the society and with positive values. Fight for what’s right and be good. Having that baseline would help prevent your company being involved in a social media disaster.
4. Be Creative
We are living in a very fast-paced world and there are a lot of distractions going on within our daily life, even every minute of ours. Having to focus is one of the biggest modern world problems. In order to succeed and be able to grab the attention of your audience, you will have to be very creative. The boring slogan that was good back in the 80s is no longer applicable to the new generation. Traditional marketing methods including television and physical mails can no longer reach the Gen z and even younger generations.
5. Own up to your mistakes
No one is perfect in this world, we all make mistakes here and there. The most important thing is to own up to your mistakes and learn from them. Trying to make excuses and blame it on something else will probably make your situation way worse because the general public is not stupid either. If you apologize sincerely, people are more likely to forgive you.
