Crisis Communication Tips for Small Businesses

NEW YORK, March 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As a small business owner, you might not have a dedicated PR team equipped to handle a disaster or crisis, but that doesn't mean you cannot arm yourself by putting an executable plan in place before it's needed. For crisis management to be effective, small businesses should focus on delivering key messages in a timely and accurate manner in order to strengthen damage control.

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In the latest article posted to PR Newswire's Small Business PR Toolkit, contributing author Phillip Thune explains that when a disaster strikes, businesses are not doomed to fail. Thune provides three crisis communication tips:

Respond quickly. Don't allow your customers to become frustrated if they are left in the dark. Ensure you are responding in a timely manner and providing all information that is available. If you don't have all the answers that is okay – identify that there is an issue and you and your team are working on a resolution. Social media might be the first channel to communicate through, since it is such a quick way to reach your audience.

Answer honestly.  Don't exacerbate the situation by avoiding the issues at hand. Provide transparent and honest answers in order to demonstrate trustworthiness and show your customers that you care. Having a plan in place ahead of time can also provide your staff the necessary tools they need in order to respond to the influx of calls, emails or social media enquiries.

For discussion on the remaining crisis communication tip, read Thune's article, "3 Commandments of Crisis Communication" here.

PR Newswire's Small Business PR Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that provides small businesses and entrepreneurs the tools to develop an affordable public relations and marketing plan that helps generate interest from potential customers, engage with key audiences and grow their businesses. The toolkit features relevant content such as informative white papers, interactive webinars and how-to articles and premium access to educational resources, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of special offers designed specifically for small businesses. To request information on how PR Newswire can help your small business, click here. You can receive updates on new Small Business PR Toolkit content by following @prnsmallbiz on Twitter.

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