The first step in crisis communications occurs before the event itself. Senior management and the public relations department of a business need to build strong relationships and a robust contact network within the media community. Do you know your local newspaper event reporters, nearby tv and radio stations representatives or industry bloggers? Have you interacted with your local police, fire department and government regulatory agencies? Remember that a crisis is not an ideal time to meet them.

Next, identify your best crisis communicator. Which member of your team is cool under pressure, enjoys the spotlight, is knowledgeable about the business and has developed strong public speaking skills? Once the crisis hits, determine whether that person can still function in their assigned role or if he or she needs to be pulled to manage the crisis fulltime. Remember, crisis communications is not as easy as it sounds. It involves initiating a quick response turnaround time, defining the company’s position, articulating the action plan and staying on top of the narrative. Many times, it’s unclear how long the crisis will last. Therefore, a crisis communicator has to always stay on-message and maintain the company’s brand image no matter what comments or questions arise during press conferences.

After the crisis, take the time out to conduct an offsite meeting in order to review lessons learned and update processes as needed. Whether the security breach involved one or multiple individuals, now is the time to put control measures in place to prevent a future reoccurrence. Make sure these internal adjustments are made public. Success at crisis communications is measured by how quickly your company gets back to garnering positive press.

This entry was written by a guest author. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of PressDr, Inc.

Fast forward two decades later and we have pretty much the same thing. But it's faster, it's fiercer and it now connects people from beyond the neighborhood. Now, one bad remark out there and you could lose customers from all around the world. If that is not frightening for you as a business owner, I don't know what is. It's called Web 2.0, and it’s the rumor mill of modern society.

As easy as it is for people to say things about your company online, you have tools to capture them and respond instantly. Don't believe me? Try going on Twitter and say something nasty about a big company like Google, Apple or Microsoft. We are pretty sure someone will come right up and try to make amends with you. And that is precisely how you are going to monitor your own brand. Once you have established how you want to monitor yourself online, make it a routine.

How can use listen to them?

Google Alerts. Google’s web crawler, Googlebot, is sent out into cyberspace in every single direction and to discover the latest news and information. You’ll want to subscribe to their feed for your name or brand so that whenever there is word out there in the cyber world, you get a notification. You can even tell Google Alerts to send you email alerts whenever someone is talking about you.

Technorati. In some ways, folks tend to believe blogs more than they believe websites. Word of mouth, remember? For most of the web, Google is apt in dealing with what is being posted out there. But, blogging is a whole different story. If you want to know who is blogging about you, search for your name or brand on Technorati. With this tool, you can also monitor other people's reactions towards blog posts via their comments, links, trackbacks, pings, etc.

Twitter Search. The fastest way to get word out is by way of Twitter; be it good or bad, one thing is guaranteed... it will spread like wild fire the world over within seconds after your tweet. I have known many people who have used to Twitter to get noticed by the big guys. You can search for your name or brand via twitter search or use a search engine that can give you a list of results from a variety of real time news sources. A good example is Collecta. If you just want to monitor for mentions of your brand on Twitter then Tweetbeep.com is a good tool to use.

Don't think that you are not big enough to care about your online image? Well, think of it this way...you have bigger competitors out there and they are bound to be online. In a way, you can use all the above mentioned tools to monitor your biggest competitor just to see what they are up to. Well, it might sound a little sneaky but hey, it's fair game for the social web.

1. Conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA). This will identify the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in your business and assign a dollar figure to their impact on your bottom line.

2. Identify Preventative Measures. Assemble a team that would work through the various available options ranging from onsite/offsite backup, reciprocal agreements with other companies, technical recovery personnel and alternative sites for moving business operations in case of a natural disaster.

3. Select specific recovery strategies geared to the different parts of your business. For example, the mission critical areas will have a shorter maximum tolerable downtime than say back office operations so in the event of an emergency, they need to be given priority.

4. Document findings in a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that defines how your business will operate during a security crisis. Select a business continuity coordinator to take ownership and assign authority to the different roles indicated in the plan.

5. Run a practice drill of the plan at least once a year. Think of it as a mini-business fire drill. Because when an actual crisis hits, it’s way too late to find the plan much less read it!

This entry was written by a guest author. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of PressDr, Inc.

Twitter, when used properly can be a powerful PR tool. But as with any communication, there are good ways and bad ways to approach it. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Compared to other methods, journalists are often more receptive to being pitched on Twitter, because it forces the public relations professional to be brief. In fact, he only gets 140 characters.
• Using a direct message for your first interaction with a journalist is rude—especially if it’s a pitch. If you’re off topic because you didn’t take the time to engage the journalist in dialog it’s even worse.
• If you take the time to discover what the journalist likes writing about, it will be much easier for you to pitch a story that’s relevant to him and his audience. Ideally, you’d follow the journalist for a while before making a push of your own.
• Keep in mind that you don’t always have to seek a placement in the journalist’s publication or land a spot on their show. Often times just demonstrating that you can be a valuable resource to them. When the time is right, they might approach you.
• Journalists write because the want people to listen. If you can express your interest by showing appreciation for stories you truly enjoy and respond to the journalists tweets, you’ll befriend them must sooner. Journalists will open they’re ear to you, if they know you do the same for them.

Above all else, the key to interacting with a journalist is respect. You should communicate with them in a professional manner and put your time in. Blindly pitching your story and pushing your agenda is a surefire way to lose the respect of a writer, broadcaster, or any one else in the news business. Instead you should consider their needs, interests, and preferred method of contact.

By following journalists, you can observe how other communications professionals successfully use Twitter. By noticing what works and what doesn’t for each individual journalist, you’ll be better prepared for your own approach. Following established PR professionals can benefit you too. Through conversation and observation you’ll find that Twitter can be a powerful Public Relations tool.

1. You could create a list of the reporters or personalities at your news organization and you could share it with the public. This will help publicists and readers contact the right person at your company.
2. You can use a private list organize your sources by beat or topic. You might even want to keep a list of people you've interviewed, in case you need to follow up with them in the future.
3. For writers you compete with (internally or at another publication), you might want to create a private list. This will keep you up-to-date about what they are writing about and possibly discover some of their sources.
4. You could keep a list of industry experts. People working in the industry you are researching might clue you in to new story ideas and are always willing to provide a quote or opinion. Industry insiders are often the whistle blowers that can clue you into the big story and they can provide the validation you need to write with authority.
5. You can create lists for events or product launches, based around hash tags. This will allow you to keep up with the latest announcements and information available. Hash tags often center around a certain topic, industry, or conference.
6. If you work for a national publication, it might help to create geographic lists for sources in specific markets. When you need a local spin on a story, you’ll have a readily available list of local businessmen or other individuals to choose from.
7. If you write for more than one publication or on more than one beat. You can channel the conversations you see at any given time to just that news organization or beat, respectively. This can help reduce the distraction that Twitter can be.
8. If they left them public, you can use the lists of other journalists to discover their sources. Knowing who your competition is following can help you better identify the public relations professionals that really do provide good leads.
9. Similarly you can look at the lists of industry professionals, to discover those whom they follow. By noticing similarities between the lists of individuals in the same field, you’ll easily identify the known industry experts. You’ll improve the validity of your information by referencing those top names in the industry.
10. Knowing that individuals often follow their competitors, you might want to view lists created by those individuals you interview and identify competitors they follow. If you can include a quote from your subject’s competition, you’ve just made your article more balanced.

There is no single way to use twitter. Some users I know simply want to see what their favorite celebrity is doing. Others want to keep up on the latest industry news and trends. Others want to share their thoughts and activities with friends or family. Others are their to inform their followers on various issues or share their favorite links.

One thing about Twitter that is certain is that it is a communications tool. This means that regardless of why an individual is on Twitter, they are there to speak and be heard. As a marketer or public relations specialist, it’s your job to tap into your audience.

But how do you do this? You must balance the time you spend communicating to your followers with the time you spend listening to them.

Here are a few ways Twitter can further your public relations efforts.

• Consumer Relations - You can open the door to two-way communications by asking questions, answering the questions posed by others, and simply discussing news. You might get others involved by arranging meetings or simply asking for feedback. You have a forum for thanking and helping your customers. This allows your followers to connect with your brand and participate in it.
• Reputation Management – By monitoring mentions of your brand, you can see what others are saying about it. Recommendations and mentions by consumers and partners provide free exposure for your brand. If something isn’t right and someone says something negative, you now have a public forum to make it right. This demonstrates that your company does care about its consumers in a very public way.
• Media Relations – When it comes to bloggers and other media professionals, it’s becoming a common practice to communicate through social networking. Twitter can also be used to make announcements to the public and share business news.
• Journalism and Reporting – Twitter is often used to report on company events and involvements in public affairs. It can be used to keep listeners informed about events in real time, whether that’s conference events or speaking schedules. You can share your spin on news stories as well.

When writing a news story you should consider what is going on locally, nationally, and in your particular industry. The secret to writing timely news is to consider what people want to read at any given time. This will help you develop a tie-in that can make your news story, mesh with what people are currently interested in.

Here are a few news ideas and how to make the news “current”:

• Starting a new business? With the job market down, job seekers are turning to entrepreneurship as the answer.
• Are you expanding your operations?  This could be great news for a sagging local economy. It will provide more jobs and bring additional revenues in for the local government.
• Your business is now on Twitter? Your business leads the industry by embracing new technologies.

In general the more contact information you can provide, the better. This is because every journalist has a preferred way to contact people they’re interested in interviewing or writing about. Many just want to call, so a phone number is very important. I’ve even had one reporter send me a text message. Others will drop you a line first, either through email or your website. As social media continues to evolve, you’ll find that it’s not just bloggers who make first contact through a social network.

It’s important to include your contact information for three main reasons.

1. If a journalist needs more information, they can get it. Sometimes, they’re looking for a quote. Other times, they need more details about your product, service, or event. In the case of a product or service, they might want to see a demonstration or test it. They might just want raw statistics and data. For an event, they might want to attend. Whether it’s a movie release, book signing, or grand opening… having the media present could be great.
2. The journalist can contact you for discussion. They might want you to appear as an expert in a certain area on a television or radio broadcast. It could be that they want to have you on their show to discuss your news or need to interview you so they can put their own spin on a story. Whatever the case, they need contact information to do so.
3. The journalist needs to verify the story. Even if the news outlet got all the information they needed from your release to write their story or if they wanted to run your news story exactly as it is, they will likely still contact you. Nearly all media outlets have a policy of verifying the source of a story. This is necessary to ensure that news stories that run are true and accurate. That’s how they maintain their credibility. Without a way to get a hold of you, you’re story would not run.

Last month, I helped one of my clients land a feature spot in the Los Angeles Times – and this feature gave them a link to their site. This link helped drive a lot of traffic to the clients website and the search engine benefit of having a strong link from an authority site. This is great publicity both online and off.

But this is just one example of how online public relations and search engine optimization work together. In my article, Online PR: The key to building backlinks, I discussed some of the ways that reasons that online PR results in more backlinks to your website. What I didn’t discuss was how to actually make journalists (and other influential individuals) want to write about your website.

I did some brainstorming and came up with 6 common reasons why a journalist would want to write about your website. I’ve tried to include an example of each reason in practice and some basic advice explaining how to be a contender in getting publicity through each of these journalistic needs.

1. They’re Putting A List Together

You’ve seen top 10 lists all over the Internet. You’ve seen top 100 lists in magazines. Even on regular articles regarding a specific topic, journalists will often provide a list of recommended businesses or suppliers. Lists are a common way for journalists to provide information about a certain subject and they provide small businesses with both coverage and a backlink.

When putting these lists together, journalists will often search Google or popular business directories. So be sure your business ranks well in the search engines and can be found on the pages most important to your industry. Maybe it’ll even land you on the Time Magazine’s List of Most Influential People.

2. They Need To Follow Up The Big Story

When there’s a big story, journalists love to milk it for every drop that it’s worth. Sometimes they seek a local spin on a national story. Sometimes journalists just want to know about the emotional impact a stories had on individuals. Often they want to know how business is affected by a particular event, be it the passing of a new law or a community event that’s going to bring tourists in. The journalist might just be looking for an example to illustrate a larger trend.

This current economic crisis is one that’s generated many stories. Some business sectors have used this to their advantage. As you can see, by this article about Spirit Halloween stores, the costume industry is one of them. So is the custom car industry. By learning how to piggyback off big stories, you can earn plugs and get your quotes in important publications.

3. It’s That Time Of Year Again

Every season and holiday brings predicable news coverage. In summer, newspapers talk about BBQ, picnics, and vacation spots. In the winter, you’ll see touching holiday stories, information about preparing for the cold weather, and ways to lower your heating bill. 

Fire Departments for example, use the approaching cold weather as a positive public relations opportunity by urging people to heat their homes safely. By anticipating seasonal stories and holiday news you can submit relevant news to journalists well in advance. This could possibly earn some local news coverage for your organization.

4. They’re Seeking Someone Who Fits The Bill

Journalists are often looking for business stories from specific groups. They might be talking about minorities in business, female entrepreneurs, or young businessmen, for example. That’s exactly how this list from BusinessWeek was put together. It’s not just about demographics though. Sometimes journalists are looking for someone in a certain industry, from a specific area, or that are a member of a certain organization.

So how do you go about seeking this kind of media attention? Sometimes it’s all about the pitch, but often journalists look for people by approaching special interest groups. So joining those trade organizations and business associations might not be a bad idea after all.

5. They’re Talking About Your Competition

Jounalists pride themselves on their ability to be unbiased. Usually, they want to write stories that are balanced. This article in the Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal, was essentially written about Allina Hospitals and Clinics partnership with MinuteClinic, but for the purpose of balance, the author mentioned HealthPartner’s “QuickClinic” concept as well.

So you want to be sure that you appear in searches alongside your competitors. Through keyword research, you might be able to discover your competitors keywords and aim to appear next to them in the search results. That way, if your competition is the one receiving the publicity, you might get a mention too.

6. They Need An Expert Opinion

Journalists usually aren’t experts in industry. When they need to write about things they don’t understand completely, they turn to experts in the industry. They could be practicing professionals or professors. Almost always, the person they turn to has the ability to explain complex issues clearly. In this example, Citigroup is able to achieve publicity from Michael Sawyers status as a financial adviser, when discussing how to make it through the financial crisis.

You want to establish your self as an expert in your industry. You might do this through articles trade publications, broadcasts, or even writing a book. If you’re just starting out, you could demonstrate your communications abilities through video blog or podcast. A few awards and certifications couldn’t hurt either. But once you’re known for your speaking ability and excellent communication in a certain industry, journalists will often seek you out.

That’s It!

The reasons a reporter will want to write about your website, will usually fall into one or more of the categories listed here. But knowing why a reporter will want to write about your website is just one part of the formula.

To get the types of coverage described here, you need to start paying attention to the news. Not just industry news, but general news as well. You’ll start noticing that the opportunity for free publicity is everywhere and you’ll be prepared to seek it out. Hopefully, when you do seek it out you’ll get the exposure and links that come with the media attention.

1. Public Relations is no longer about monologue, it’s about dialog. PR professionals should become part of the story and conversation of the organizations they represent, instead of just telling the story.
2. Your approach to marketing should resemble that of the consumer, not that of the business. You’re understanding of the customer’s needs and invest of time with the customer sharing knowledge or even simply empathizing with the customer can go a long way.
3. You should utilize social media as a way to connect with individuals, instead of just a new technology for broadcasting your message. Social media is always changing. The specific tools of social networking come and go, but the significant of engaging with users does not.
4. The benefit of participating in communities is not just having a place to tell stories about your brand or product, but also have an outlet to listen to customers. This can bring valuable insight to the effectiveness of your communications and possibly create additional opportunities to share your story.
5. Finally, it’s important to note that traditional PR is not going away. The strategies and techniques used in traditional public relations work and are important to utilize. It’s just that social media isn’t the place. When it comes to print and broadcast media, follow the long established rules. But when it comes to new media, it’s best to put the public back into public relations.