Sunday, September 25, 2011

You can't double stamp a triple stamp.

Media use to be an easily kept up with tool for someone with a nine to five job. Now, media is a 24/7/365 ordeal. There are so many tools that it is impossible to stop news from running. This is how media is operating in real time which means everyone who wants to keep their company under wraps needs to stay with real time too.
Have you ever heard of a journalist or blogger not writing up the latest story or not posting opinions because the company or person wasn’t aware of the issue or mistake? Of course not!  Current news and media is what sells and gets the public eye’s attention. The need and desire for these media outlets to be the first to publish these stories or thoughts is tremendous and the only way to not be caught in a crisis is by staying active in your company’s image.
The best way to stay in the loop for current outside information about your company is to utilize the sources that publish said information.  This includes: Facebook, Twitter, blog sites, CNN, journalist (local and national), the community your company is in, and anyone else who is directly affected by the company and its decisions; both good and bad. Also, be the first to broadcast or respond to the new information about your company. The last thing you want to happen is hearing that you’re company is being investigated due to some scandal that happened on Saturday evening, while you are brushing your teeth getting ready for work on Monday morning. Don’t be like the “uncool” kid in high school that was always the last to find the latest gossip out. Even more importantly, you don't want to be known as the company that pushes the problems under the rug. 
Last, you need to be proactive in all media aspects. Even if the new information you have on your company isn’t that big of a deal, make it out to be a big one. Put on a live video stream, a press conference, press release, and tap every social media resource there is out there. It is better to be open and honest about all of the happenings in the company while you, as a PR professional, are keeping a watchful eye on it, than having someone else misconstrue what they “hear through the grapevine.”  

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