Crisis 101: Be Aware of What People Say About Your Brand

I saw an article today about a company that did not listen and respond with sympathy to their customer complaints. It is important as PR Professionals that we listen to the complaints of customers and respond with sympathy. The customer is always correct. Listening to complaints is a way to gauge what could come later.

Look at all the major crisis situations and the way they were handled. Some correct and incorrect but the ones that made it were the ones that looked out for their customers.

The Tylenol case- Tylenol took all product off of the shelf and asked people to send it in and they would send more.

Pepsi Case- They handled the syringe scare by addressing the issue and looking out for their customers.

Crisis Communications is all about meeting the problem before it arrives. "Ongoing public relations programs and regular two-way communications build relationships with key publics and thereby prevent crises, lessen the blows of crises, or limit the duration of crises."

Check out the case dealing with Alaskan Airlines to see how you dont want to respond to an angry customer.

PR on the Go

Mobility has opened a door for public relations professionals in ways they never could have imagined. Public relations professionals have to be ready for whatever curve ball may come their way and now they can receive the information at two in the afternoon or two in the morning by having a mobile phone. Mobility provides PR teams with e-mails, calls and Internet around the clock.

It also allows professionals to keep up with their clients no matter where they are or what they are doing. Miranda Yow wrote an article in Platform Magazine discussing mobility and how it has taken PR to the next level. She asked professionals to picture themselves at a grand opening for client A and getting a phone call from client B who reports that they have a product that is up for recall and would like to hold the media back until all communications points are written.

With mobility this is no problem at all; you whip out a phone, shoot out an email, set up a news conference and go from there but without mobility that would be impossible. You would have to get to a computer before anything could be done.

This keeps PR teams on their toes and allows them to maintain top quality media relations and communicate effectively. Public relations is formed around the acronym R.A.C.E. which stands for research, action, communication and evaluation. With mobility we are able to be effective communicators and to take action no matter where we are. Mobility has opened the door for public relations in more ways than one and is revolutionizing the world in connectivity. There are so many smart phones to choose from and PR professional can find a phone tailored to his or her needs.

The Importance on Blogging

I read an article today entitled "Ten Reasons to Blog - Even if Nobody Reads It" (http://bit.ly/daC9Mi)It was really interesting. I have blogged about traveling and the places I have been but never thought to blog about the things I am learning as a young professional.

The world we live into today is all about social media and connecting via the internet. Ways you can improve as a PR professional and gain more knowledge in social media is by connecting with professionals and see what they are tweeting about, connect with PR bloggers and see what they are learning and the tips they have and lastly ask lots of questions.

If you are looking for some great blogs to follow check out these PR blogs at