Does your club have a comprehensive crisis management plan in place? If your reputation is threatened by an unexpected event, how will the team respond? Develop a strategy to help your troops deal with a situation in a less abrasive way. As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Prepare for the worst. Although you cannot control when a situation will take place, with the right preparation, it can be handled with grace.
Planning for a crisis can be a matter of survival. However, there are rare circumstances that can hardly be prepared for. Has your facility ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? Has your team encountered an unpredictable event that caused you to question the efficacy of your communication plan? This is the time to initiate a serious public relations and crisis management plan to turn a potential tragedy into a powerful victory.
Some say, “Any news is good news.” Unfortunately, some crises can be devastating and even lead to the demise of your business. In a severe case, either local or national news may take notice. Both your employees and members are susceptible to scrutiny. Membership may be immediately affected due to the wide spread of media coverage. Each employee could be the target of a reporter. This could lead to a massive decrease in workers due to profit lost because of the negative publicity. Be very strategic when communicating with outside influences, and be swiftly responsive to the media. Make communication easy and open by establishing a toll-free number. Act fast and with sympathy. Be honest and willing to accommodate and dispel any accusations without placing blame or initiating allegations that had not yet been proven.
Develop different public relations communication tools and techniques to inform, influence and motivate the public. Designate a spokesperson to immediately handle communicating with the media. In most cases however, you are the perfect representative as the owner. Doing so can demonstrate the serious attitude the company takes in handling potentially polluting publicity. This choice also may provide the least risk, because you are probably the most knowledgeable and respected authority of your brand.
Print media is another valuable vehicle. Work closely with local publications to give the inside scoop on the story. A well-written story could show the heights to which your health club is willing to go to prove its quality and consideration for an unfavorable event. But, pursue with caution. Papers are infamous for posting speculations that did not help the situation and may have caused bad rumors.
Try community events as a public relations diversion of disaster. Host an event to take the light off of the negative publicity and get the community involved. Although it’s harder to forget a bad rumor than a good one, this might be a chance to be seen positively. Get local celebrities and media to participate. Be available for any questions that might still be lingering amongst your members. Explain the focus and goals of the event to the media in hopes of getting more pleasing publicity.
If hosting your own affair is not practical, sponsor a pre-existing event or cause. Cooperate with a non-profit organization in a cause-related community effort. Help the association with an occasion they already have slated by making a sizable donation or providing coupons for personal training sessions. Sponsoring an event can be costly, but may be less expensive than the damage caused by a crisis gone out of control.
Crisis management is vital. Being able to navigate gracefully during a crisis can be difficult. Be that as it may, when you prepare with the proper tools and techniques, you’ll be able to communicate more effectively during a crisis.
Terrell McTyer is the Marketing Monster of Affiliated Acceptance Corporation. He can be contacted at 573-374-9970, or by e-mail at Terrell.McTyer@Affiliated.org.
