Many businesses inevitably undergo some sort of mishap or crisis that requires professional handling. This could be as simple as an unhappy customer or as large as a massive product recall.

Crisis communication is an aspect of doing business that many find uncomfortable, but it’s something that must have a defined protocol in order to effectively employ it.

The modern-day news cycle means that industry stories don’t stay under wraps for long, and for many brands, it is only a matter of time before they find themselves dealing with one form of PR crisis or another. But wouldn’t it be better to avoid them in the first place?

With the right preparation and planning, there are a number of ways to minimize the likelihood that your brand will be forced to tackle a PR crisis head-on. Here are a few suggestions for keeping your business on the right side of publicity.

In business, you may be down, but that doesn’t mean you’re out. Plenty of brands have been in trouble, then fought their way back to prominence with a combination of ingenuity and clever, well-planned messaging. Here are some standout examples of businesses who “made it back” and the lessons their journeys can teach us.

It really wasn’t that long ago that one of the Big 3 automakers in the United States was looking liked a stalled-out shell on the side of the highway. A bankruptcy filing in the late 2000s and a massive layoff has even die-hard GM customers looking for other options. Then, insult to injury. A huge government bailout to keep GM in business earned the company the derisive moniker Government Motors… Quite a fall from the union darling and first choice of millions of “buy American” focused consumers. Then, a combination of smart business moves and some prominent PR campaigns, including a star turn in the blockbuster Transformer movies, put GM back in the fast lane. When faced with customer apathy, look for ways to generate excitement and restore faith in your brand.

Before talking about building trust after a crisis, let’s at least mention the need to build trust with your clients and customers on an ongoing basis. Part of that will be in friendly and helpful service and part will be in integrity and honesty. If you have those components going for you, if that crisis (or maybe “when” is better since with social media it’s almost impossible not to meltdown with something or other) comes, those people who have done business with you are more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt. Or if not, more likely to forgive faster.

Nature of the Crisis

With an estimated 10 million cyber attacks a day, the question isn’t if a company will get hacked, it’s about how to handle it when it does. As was seen with Target’s own security breach, a poorly handled reaction can result in trust being lost in the company, and both stock and sales will plummet.

Businesses need to be prepared for these eventualities, because a fast response can do a lot for damage control – whereas scrambling for a plan can cause the public to lose faith that a business can be trusted with their data.

A major product recall can become a nightmare for your company. Having your name appear in the media in an unflattering light can take the wind out of many strong brands. The bad press your business receives cannot be avoided after a recall, but you can meet a recall with wise PR moves. A PR firm can guide you through the process of recovering your public image and quickly mitigate a tough situation do to help your company recover.

You must not deny the situation as it stands currently. You know that you must recall a major product, and you know that the public will get a hold of information about the recall. Hiding from the problem only makes your business seem out of touch with society, and you must accept that people in the digital age will know exactly why your product was recalled. The power of social media thought leaders can make or break your brand.

Fame can cover a multitude of sins. And on the internet, fame is where you fall when you get Googled. Search results will, more often than not, determine your guilt or innocence in the minds of many. So, you need to know that when your name is searched, only good things will fill the front page.

Content matters for more than just search engine ranking. Solid, regular content not only gives the ‘net more reason to appreciate you, it gives users more opportunities to find your unique content. People appreciate being given something for free. Solid, unique, and compelling content can be the gift that keeps on giving.