Castle’s Neeve Prendergast answers three questions on Crisis Communications:
Why is a crisis communications plan essential?
Something we say a lot within our practice is it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, especially in the age that we live in with social media and a 24-hour news cycle. Everyone has such quick access to information, it’s inevitable that organizations are going to deal with crises. It’s a matter of knowing where your weak spots are, where your stakeholders are engaged, being able to monitor those verticals and those channels, and then being able to understand and work through how to best communicate when those crises happen.
A lot of our crisis clients live in the education space, so there’s been ongoing crises between COVID and questions about Critical Race Theory; those specific nitty gritty details that we really dive into and have a deep understanding of. If and when our clients do face those issues, we’re able to help them respond and limit their exposure and their risk.
What is your #1 tip for an organization facing a crisis?
My number one tip for organizations facing crisis would be to find a line between communicating quickly, but also accurately. A lot of times organizations will have a desire to get information out as quickly as possible, which you do want to be quick in your response, but you also want to make sure you’re accurate, especially with social media and the 24-hour news cycle. There is a tendency to be go, go, go, but also take a step back and collect your thoughts and your information accurately to make sure that you are mitigating all your risks.
Why turn to Castle for Crisis Communications?
What makes Castle unique among PR agencies is we have events, we have PR, we have crisis, we have public affairs, we have social media, we have marketing all under one roof. The big thing about PR is it’s very collaborative amongst all those different facets, so being able to have access to some of the best in their respective industries right under our roof really makes Castle unique.
Are you looking for a custom crisis communications plan?
Learn more about Castle’s Crisis Communication services here or contact our team to connect.
