Business controversies can be highly harmful to a company’s bottom line. In a study by the Public Affairs Council, 60% of respondents said they were less likely to do business with a company after it became embroiled in significant controversy. The study also found that 69% of respondents believed businesses should avoid controversy altogether.
Controversies can generate negative publicity that tarnishes a company’s reputation. In a survey by Weber Shandwick, 86% of respondents said they would avoid doing business with a company with negative press coverage. Furthermore, 88% of respondents said they would be less likely to trust a company involved in a major scandal.
It is vital for businesses to carefully consider the potential consequences of getting involved in a controversy. Controversies can damage relationships with customers, employees, and other stakeholders and hurt a company’s bottom line. If your business just finished facing a scandal, you must develop a recovery plan, including these steps.
Analyze Your Company’s Position
The first step is to analyze your company’s position. You need to understand how the controversy has affected your business and what you can do to mitigate the damage. This step will help you develop a plan to address the issue and rebuild your company’s reputation.
Suppose you are not a direct offender and just happened to be associated with someone or something involved in a controversy. In this case, you need to take extra steps to ensure your company does not become irreparably damaged. You can do this by stating your position and taking action to distance yourself from the person or thing in question. A public statement will be necessary to keep the problem from getting out of hand and keep your business partners and customers at ease.
Research the Issue
There will be a lot of media coverage surrounding any business controversy. You should research the issue to understand better what happened and why. This step will help you develop an effective plan to address the problem.
You can use online search engines, social media, and news sources to find information about the controversy. You can also talk to people who are knowledgeable about the issue. This step will help you understand the situation and develop a plan to address it.
Unfortunately, potential customers and clients might feel taken aback when they search for your company on search engines, and the controversial issue is among the first things that pop up. If you want to control the conversation, you will have to make a concerted effort to push down the negative results on search engines.
You can create new content that is more positive and relevant to your company. You can also use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve your website’s ranking. If the case is still a problem, you can get The Right to Be Forgotten solicitor to have some of the more damaging articles and blog posts removed from search engines. This step will likely not be a panacea, but it can help you eliminate some of the more harmful articles.
These steps will help you take control of the conversation and ensure potential customers see the information you want them to see when they search for your company.
Develop a Plan
After you have analyzed your company’s position and researched the issue, you need to develop a plan to address it. This plan should include short-term and long-term goals.
In the short term, you need to take steps to contain the damage from the controversy. This step might involve making a public statement, issuing an apology, or taking other immediate action. You also need to develop a strategy for dealing with the media.
In the long term, you must develop a plan to rebuild your company’s reputation. This step will require creating new content, developing relationships with influencers, and engaging in other activities that will help improve your company’s image.
It would help if you also considered how you could prevent future controversies. It might involve changing your company’s policies or procedures. It is also essential to monitor social media and the news for early warning signs of potential problems.
Make a Promise
Controversies are often a result of broken promises. If you have made a promise to your customers or clients, you must keep it. This step is essential to rebuilding trust and ensuring future business.
It would help if you also considered how to improve your company’s image by making new promises. These promises might involve changes in your company’s policies or procedures. You can also make promises to your employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders.
Final Thoughts
Businesses will inevitably face controversies. The key to dealing with these problems is to take a proactive approach. You must research the issue, develop a plan, and take action to improve your company’s image.
