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When an attack or breach occurs, organizations are left scrambling to respond, retain stakeholder confidence and comply with Security Breach Notification Laws. Having a crisis communications plan specifically for a cyber security incident can protect your reputation when the pressure is on.

Provide Updates

Regular updates show that the company is committed to protecting its customers and rebuilding trust. This information provides an opportunity for the company to show leadership in the face of a challenge. By openly sharing information about the incident and the steps to resolve it, the company can demonstrate its dedication to its customers and its commitment to safeguarding their information.

Know the Regulatory Requirements

Depending on the industry, specific laws and regulations must be followed in the wake of an attack. Failing to comply with these requirements can lead to steep fines and other penalties – and further damage to the company’s reputation. In some cases, it may even be necessary to notify customers or other stakeholders about the incident. Staying up to date on regulatory issues is critical.

Identify changes

In the wake of a cyber-attack, companies need to take stock of their vulnerabilities and make changes to prevent future attacks. This may involve strengthening security protocols, increasing employee awareness and training, and improving communication and collaboration between different departments. By taking these steps, companies can reduce the risk of suffering another cyber-attack and help protect their data and reputation.

Cyberattacks will be a growing concern for all organizations, no matter how small the company. Developing your plan for communicating during a crisis can help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure that no matter what happens – good or bad – you come out on top!

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Remember the Aaron Sorkin TV series “The Newsroom?” In the premiere episode, when Will McAvoy’s cable news team becomes the first to report an oil spill, the news outlet had “experts” on hand, ready to go on air with their perspectives. Ever wonder how that works and who those people are?

Reporters and media outlets are always on the lookout for quality subject matter experts. A subject matter expert is someone who has a depth of knowledge in a given field. Reporters use them to lend creditability to a story.

Knowing what reporters look for can help better position you to weigh in as an expert. To be considered a quality subject matter expert, you should have:

• High credibility and credentials
  Reporters are looking for experts with credentials in their field of expertise.
• Speed in response
  Journalists work on tight deadlines they are looking for an expert to respond in a timely fashion.
• Diversity of expert
  Media outlets are looking for diversity in ethnicity as well as in gender.
• Previous interview experience
  Reporters like it when another journalist has vetted you. Previous interview experience lends credibility, and they know you are well versed in the topic.
• Flexible availability for interviews
  Journalists and media outlets often work under tight deadlines and breaking news stories. It is vital to have an expert who is flexible and available for interviews when needed.

For all the un-tapped experts out there, let us know if you need any help sharing your wisdom!

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Plan Ahead

First, plan what you’re going to say ahead of time. Identify the key points you want to make and think about how you can condense them into a few coherent sentences.

Keep it Short

The average TV news package is less than 1 minute. Factor in introductions and b-roll; there’s not much time to get your message across. Plan to keep your soundbites short – 5-10 seconds.

Repeat your Message

Finally, be prepared to repeat yourself. While the segment itself is less than a minute, your interview will be longer. To ensure your sound bite and complete message are included, repeat your main points throughout the interview.

The next time you speak to a journalist, remember to keep your message clear and concise and be prepared to answer questions quickly. You may not have the opportunity to say everything you want, but by following these tips, you’ll make sure your key points get across.

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A good team makes all the difference when the pressure is on. That is especially true for your crisis communications committee (CCC). Formed in advance, your CCC will lead the charge when an incident occurs. To ensure the best outcome, strategically build your committee with positions and personalities that will aid your response when the time comes.

Consider these elements when forming your CCC:

Communications First
As the name implies, a crisis communications committee is, first and foremost, a communications committee. In some organizations, crisis messaging is created by a committee rather than experienced communication professional. The result tends to be disjointed, overly technical or legal or fails to address the questions media are bound to ask. Structure your committee with your communications team at the helm, allowing other members to lend their expertise when needed.

Approval Authority
Timing is everything. When in a crisis, waiting on layers of approval will slow down your response and harm your reputation. Your CCC team members should have final approval on all actions and messages in a crisis. Who needs to be on your committee for decisions to be made? This means your legal counsel, leadership team members, and finance for most organizations.

Holistic Viewpoints
For a quick, effective response, it is essential to have all groups within your organization represented on your committee. Consider the departments that are essential to your organizational function. For most, this includes human resources, operations and security. Bringing the heads of these departments to the table will save you time as you implement your response.

Finally, don’t shy away from outside help. When we’re immersed in the controversy, it can be difficult to gain perspective; bringing in an outside communications organization takes the pressure off your team and can improve your strategy and sharpen your response.

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The rise of social media transformed influencer marketing from celebrity endorsements (think: Beyonce and Pepsi) to ordinary people. 92% of us trust recommendations from family, friends and influencers – giving influencer campaigns 11x the ROI of typical digital marketing.

Incorporating influencers into your next advocacy campaign can help humanize your issue, increase awareness and expand your overall reach. Below are a few ways to integrate influencers into your advocacy efforts.

Social Media
Social media has become synonymous with influencers. Search for users already sharing stories related to or discussing your topic area. Once you identify users, reach out, share your message and encourage them to promote your talking points, infographics and call to action.

Testimonials
Capturing testimonials of those connected to and who feel comfortable talking about your issue can help humanize the campaign. These narratives can serve as the basis for opinion pieces, outreach to elected officials and digital campaigns.

Reporter Outreach
There’s nothing as powerful as a compelling story. While experts provide essential background information for reporters, influencers create a narrative hook that turns the topic into a compelling story.

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• Do not prevaricate or try to guess the answer.
• Say “I don’t know” and offer to find the answer.
• If you are not the right person to provide such an answer, state that fact directly.

If you offer to find the answer, be sure to follow up with additional information. This follow-up provides the perfect opportunity to expand on anything you touched on during the interview and thank the reporter for their time and hard work.

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Using the formula below, known as “the architecture of a message,” will ensure your points go from mundane statements to clear, concise and relatable themes:

• Identify a threat or opportunity.
• Establish a victim and a villain who imposes the threat.
• Present a solution and then a hero to deliver the solution.

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It takes time to get comfortable with developing messages, reducing them to a few well-spoken statements, and staying on message through questions. Practicing your key messages and response statements will help you feel better prepared and, therefore, more confident for the interview.

Make the Most of Your Practice:

• Practice with a Partner– Practicing with another person helps you get comfortable with silence and interactions during an actual interview.
• Record your Practice– Recording your practice allows you to see precisely what the reporter and producer will see. Pay attention to sound bites. What could someone pull that may cause trouble?
• Solicit Feedback– Bringing in an outside perspective allows you to view your interview from an audience's perspective. It can help you tailor your messaging and ensure you
  are not speaking in jargon.

Need more interview tips? We can help. Learn more about The Mach 1 Group’s Express Media Training and show up to your following interview ready for whatever curveballs may be thrown your way.

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When preparing for a crisis, it’s essential to imagine potential scenarios and how they might pan out. Doing so will allow you to create protocols that determine staffing, messaging needs and
outreach (or lack thereof).

We’ve outlined 4 Crisis Levels with specific indicators to help you navigate the situationap propriately: Dormant, Active, Serious and Severe.

Level 1: Dormant
In this case, the crisis draws little to no awareness, and the general public, media and influencers are unaware. In these instances, it’s important to have messaging like holding statements in place in case matters escalate, but it’s not an “all-hands-on-deck” scenario.

Level 2: Active
In this scenario, an incident may (or may not) have happened and is currently under investigation, and there’s moderate, steady media attention. At this level, your external partners (companies you work with, board members, etc.) might be getting media requests. Immediate communication about the next steps with your stakeholders and the general public is essential. You want them to know you take the situation seriously and are investigating internally.

Level 3: Serious
At this level, media is developing considerable interest. Reporters might be onsite at the incident, and outside parties (who may or may not be involved) are beginning to speak publicly on the incident. This is where it becomes an “all-hands-on-deck” scenario. Your Crisis Communications Committee must have messaging in place, spokespeople prepped and professionals on board to mitigate reporter inquiries.

Level 4: Severe
We refer to this scenario as “DEFCON 1.” You are in a full-blown crisis: print and broadcast media have emerged onsite for live reporting; the public MAY BE expressing outrage, and media is consistently pressing you for information. This is when your professional, seasoned spokespeople and response architects should be in place to triage response and build a recovery strategy with you. Your attorneys should have their sleeves rolled up, advising on legal strategy and be in close touch with your communicators.

The Mach 1 Group has helped organizations navigate every Crisis Level. On good days, we help inoculate against a potential reputation crisis. On bad days, we parachute in to handle some of the most challenging crises organizations can face, managing and mitigating reputational assaults, stabilizing and rebuilding. For more information on how we can help, CLICK HERE.

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No, perhaps your company did not contribute to this crisis, but how you behave and communicate during it could affect business for years to come. Regardless of your trade: from retail or food and beverage, to security or healthcare, and everything in between — your company should always be prepared for potential crises. This includes severe weather, fire, crime, product issues, reputation crises, HR incidents and as we are seeing today: a global public health crisis.

Streamlined crisis communications, both proactive and reactive, ensures that all relevant personnel can quickly and effectively communicate with each other as well as sharing information to swiftly rectify a bad situation, protect employees and assets, and ensure business continues.

A great example of good crisis communications this past week has been the major grocery retailer, HEB. As millions of Texans flocked to one of the state’s largest grocery chains and products started to fly off the shelves, HEB stepped up, acted swiftly, and communicated effectively to mitigate meltdowns, ease concerns about running out of product, protect public health, and demonstrate that their business would continue to operate as smoothly as possible. As toilet paper flew off the shelves and images of shoppers panic-buying bulk items were reported across the country, HEB acted swiftly.

In just a matter of days, HEB posted clear and concise instructions to protect public health: six feet of distance between shoppers in line, installing “sneeze guards” for cashiers, and they communicated how they were sanitizing and keeping their facilities clean for the safety of all Texans. They communicated that they were adjusting store hours to be able to restock product, and would be limiting popular products like toilet paper and cleaning supplies to a certain number per customer. HEB even went one step further, since they are an integral part of Texas’ community, and waived delivery and curbside pick-up fees for residents.

HEB blasted several notices out to all media outlets. They put messages on all of their social media channels to be shared, and on their website. They posted clear and concise instructions at all of their stores — both to give guidance and reassurance to customers, and in many cases allow customers to pass along the information via their own personal and social media networks.

The swift and decisive response was immediately reported by local media and shared all over social media.

By HEB putting this direct and reassuring communication out to the public they equipped Texans with the knowledge of how to move forward during a crisis situation. The main goal of crisis communication is just that: to enable seamless communication during a crisis and reassure the customer. Three effective strategies for streamlining communications that many effective companies utilize are:

• 1. Real-Time Communication: as with the COVID-19 crisis and period of quarantine, the situation is changing every minute. Acting swiftly and updating content as the crisis evolves is vital.
• 2. Accessible Information: do not hoard your content or expect that the right people will find it on their own. Crisis messaging should be distributed far and wide.
• 3. Relevant Messaging: Communications should be relevant to the individual/customer — what problems they are facing, and how you are rectifying the crisis or stepping up to the challenge.

While we never hope you or your company has to deal with a crisis situation, recognizing that crises can come from outside or inside your company, and the importance of having the tools and a plan in place — is vital. Every year more businesses of all sizes are recognizing this importance and are investing time and resources into emergency communication methods. Communicating effectively takes knowledge and practice.

At Mach 1, we work to empower you and your brand with the skills to achieve your communication goals and offer tangible crisis communications support before, during, and after a challenging time in order to help you and your business come out on top.

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