Ep326: Averting Crises Through Empathy With PR Expert Dave Oates
September 5, 2022
With our access to technology, it’s quite easy to start campaigns for or against a person or brand. Comments can be made at a moment’s notice, and people usually respond with emotion, more often than not fueled by anger. You could be sleeping one night and wake up to your business crumbling down because of a disparaging comment, warranted or otherwise.
Crisis PR expert Dave Oates has over 25 years of experience helping companies of all sizes maintain and repair their reputation. He believes that haters are just going to hate. He could post a video of a puppy, receive 1,000 likes, and still get five thumbs down. That’s just the way things go. Dave breaks down his method and shares with us how individuals and brands can continually thrive in today’s cancel culture:
Monitor engagement and mentions. As with any other crisis, you would not want to be the last person to know that comments about you or your brand are gaining traction, whether good or bad. There are plenty of tools for social media listening such as Google Alerts and TweetDeck.
Maintain a solid social media presence. Entities must promulgate their own authentic self based on their core values, what they work towards, and what they strive to do. Doing so will earn your audience’s trust and solidify their support, in addition to having people look upon you or the brand favorably. Leverage the power of media in your favor and gain control of the narrative.
Respond with empathy and action. Apologize if it is warranted, and explain if it is not. Acknowledge the comment as this sends the message to your audience that you are taking the matter seriously and that you are being consistent in your value system.
This week’s giveaway is an opportunity to win a free 30-minute consultation session with Dave himself!