The biggest threat to B2B public relations often comes from within your own organisation.
I’m writing this post in the wake of one of the biggest PR disasters in history. While Prince Andrew’s “Newsnight” interview qualifies as catastrophic for many reasons, what I find most depressing is that it was self-inflicted – whereas often people and organisations find themselves facing a PR crisis due to circumstances out of their control, this fiasco was entirely of his own design. And, while your business may not be as renowned as the royal family, in the same way that Prince Andrew’s ill-advised comments have damaged the entire monarchy’s reputation, one misguided staff member has the potential to bring your whole business into disrepute.
Here are some of the ways your staff can undermine your public relations efforts and how you can prevent it from happening;
Saying the wrong thing to the press
Even in the absence of Epstein-esque issues within your business, an uninformed interviewee can give away details about clients or projects that you don’t have permission to publicise, provide information about company activities that aren’t public knowledge or share opinions that aren’t aligned with your brand. That’s why all press comms should go through one channel and why anyone speaking to the press on behalf of your company should be briefed on topics for discussion and brand messaging, ideally by a PR professional.
Content contributions that create the wrong impression
Often sales teams or project managers have direct relationships with representatives from partner organisations, industry associations and other companies in your sector. These staff members may therefore receive requests to participate in press releases about joint projects, to provide contributions for case studies or to submit company information for sponsorship and partner listings. This can result in well-meaning staff making commitments that the company can’t keep or providing content that’s inaccurate or poorly written which reflects badly on your brand. Regardless of professional relationships, these requests should always be handled by your PR or marketing department.
Getting it wrong on social media
Whether your staff contribute to your business’s social feeds or not, their social media posts can cause all kinds of headaches for your company. That’s why we suggest using a tool like Hootsuite for your company’s social updates so that posts drafted by staff go through an approval process before they’re shared, or limiting access to a select group who are familiar with your company’s social media guidelines. It’s also important to make all staff aware that what they post on their personal accounts can influence how the company is perceived, especially if they list their employer in their bio. Contracts and HR policies should provide clear policies in this regard.
Apparently, Prince Andrew’s communication secretary quit just before the infamous interview over the duke’s decision to participate in the programme . Which brings me to the most important tip to avoid a self-inflicted PR crisis – listen to the professionals.
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