If your business is dealing with a public relations issue, then it's important to put your best foot forward with your marketing.
Fortunately, there are a number of marketing steps you can take to ensure the public sees your business in the best possible light during troublesome times.
Here are just a few tips for doing just that:
Deal with the Issue Head-On
Whether it's an unhappy customer, a product recall, or an unflattering claim against your business, it's important to get all public relations issues out in the open.
There's a good chance the general public will find out about your issue whether you try to keep it quiet or not, so you might as well handle it head on.
You can use marketing as a way to inform the public about what your business is going through.
Email marketing is a good way to explain the circumstances of the issue and how it will ultimately affect your other customers if at all.
Social media marketing is another great way to get your public relations issues out in the open.
Your customers will appreciate your honesty, which is especially needed during public relations disputes.
Offer a Public Apology
If your business is to blame for a public relations issue, then it's important to offer a public apology as soon as possible.
You don't have to go into detail about the dispute and you definitely shouldn't mention the parties involved, but having an apologetic tone in your marketing campaigns is wise.
As the following article looks at, whether you're trying to figure out how to handle a claim against your inspection business or any other type of business, an apology is a good place to start.
If the public relations dispute isn't your business's fault, consider offering your regular customers an apology for the inconvenience via a social post or on the homepage of your business's website.
Offer Solutions
Sometimes getting the issue out in the open and apologizing isn't enough to remedy the situation. That's why it's also important to offer solutions to the problem within your public relations marketing campaigns.
How did the issue come about? What steps is your business taking to eliminate the issue in the future?
Offering solutions and actively taking steps to achieve your public relations goals is the best way to retain your current customers' trust and loyalty.
Be Open to Questions
Once you get the issue out in the open, it will likely be followed by a number of questions from your customers.
Make sure you're open to questions while marketing your public relations issue.
You can include links within your marketing campaigns that direct customers to hotlines or a dedicated public relations email address.
Take Immediate Action
No matter the severity of the situation, taking immediate action with public relations issues is of the utmost importance. Waiting to remedy a dispute or a claim will only make that issue worse; this doesn't benefit anyone involved.
The next time a public relations issue pops up with your business, try following some of the marketing advice mentioned above.