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Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster.

This true story is a simple one. Organic Corp.'s business was impacted negatively by an article that was written about them.

They were blissfully unaware of the damage being caused. This also meant that their staff was totally unprepared to handle or respond to the any of the negative feedback they received. Consumers wanted more information from Organic Corp. and called, looking for reassurance that their products were still safe to use.

So what can we learn from Organic Corp's mistake?


Prepare for Disaster
Create a crisis plan ahead of time to help assess and address possible crisis situations.

  1. Create a list of potential crises. (e.g. disgruntled customers, food poisoning, etc.)
  2. Organize potential crises into categories.
  3. List how your organization would respond to each of the scenarios you've listed.
  4. Monitor the buzz to avoid being caught by surprise.


When Disaster Strikes...
Assess the crisis; speed and accuracy are crucial. Discovering and responding to catastrophe quickly limits the damage that is done. Respond first, speak consistently, and communicate clearly. Address the issues head on; avoid mudslinging and passing blame.

Take action and fix the problem. This is where crisis preparation and scenario planning will help to limit the damage. Demonstrating that you're on top of things will help to retain consumer confidence.

Continue to communicate. Set up micro sites and landing pages, send out regular press releases, continue to post new blog entries, email updates to your subscribers, and continue to communicate that you're aware of the problem and on top of things. Use paid search and natural search to stay on the first page and respond quickly. While you won't be able to keep bad press from being found you can have an answer ready.

Learn the Lesson. After the smoke clears take stock of your plan. What was done right and what was done wrong? How can the problem be prevented in the future?