Why a Crisis Communication Plan is Essential - 3 Tips for Startups

I'm Khrystyna Savchuk, Ukrainian. On February 24, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. On this day, all business plans were put on hold. The main goal was to help evacuate the team and relatives. We did not believe, until the last minute, that there would be a war in the 21st century - It was unpredictable. And, like any business crisis, we faced challenges from both the business and communications sides.

I understood that many people around me were scared to communicate about the war. It was the same dread with company representatives, professionals and my acquaintances. Thus, I decided to share my experience here.

In this article, I would like to share tips on how organizations should communicate during unexpected crises by highlighting practical steps from my experience.

If you have a crisis, I understand that you will be shocked. But first and foremost, the CEO and/or top-level personnel within the startup need to remember that:

• You are an example for your team. So, you need to notify the team about the company's position on the crisis. Without allowing too much time for harmful speculation, your team should know the CEO or C-level’s view on the crisis.
• Fast reaction in the external media is essential. Followers of your startup will wait for the information from your side. The information allows or extends the loyalty of the external audience.

Communication on the company's part is strategically important. This issue is especially relevant during times of crisis. A crisis moment can be a war, a pandemic, or a change in the political leaders.

In addition, business communications have a profound impact on reputation. The annual Global RepTrak Reputation Score 2022 reported that the importance of reputational capital for the year reached 74.2%.

This is related to how companies handled the consequences of COVID-19, as it was an obvious challenge for many of the world's leading companies.

In Ukraine, we currently face a test with a new level of difficulty.

For many colleagues and business owners, the first steps in this period were unclear, confusing and mostly scary. Some joined in first to help evacuate the team to safety; some supported the family. Some took time to come to their senses. Experience has shown that communication about social initiatives is valuable, even during a war. It is nothing to be afraid of because, in this way, there is an opportunity to raise the morale of others and set an example for other companies and people.

What should be done when there is a crisis? The following tips are based on my own experience.

1. Promptly and openly translate your position

PwC’s global crisis survey 2021 shows that 41% of leaders are not able to gather appropriate information quickly. As a consequence, 40% are not able to make timely and deliberate decisions. 62% used a crisis plan in their response to the pandemic. 95% of business leaders report that their crisis management capabilities need improvement.

The data above demonstrates the necessity of a fast reaction and a practical crisis plan on the company's part.

The following arguments can be used to help management make decisions about communication in times of crisis:

• It will help if you communicate openly about the company's position and attitude toward the cause of the crisis. Strategically, this will influence the perception of potential candidates who may join your team.
• Covering volunteering as a whole team or from individuals is normal. This is another option for helping and involving, communicating the need for Ukrainians to participate.
• Communication from credible media and prompt commentary are essential steps in a crisis. This point is vital for companies that care about their reputation. In this case, you can help journalists who make publications about crises and search for speakers.
  For instance, you can provide information about
• The support of your team during the financial crisis.
• Development of your support team.
• The help for your company.

Trust for the communications specialist from the company's management is very important. That's how C-level shows the attitude toward the team, the level of trust, and your professional value. If there is no such specialist, it is necessary to conduct communication on behalf of the CEO or the top management of the company.

2. Understand how you can be most helpful

During a crisis, everyone feels bad. Try to act according to the principle of rescue in an airplane — put the mask first on you, then assist the child next to you.

When your business or startup is OK, or if you're not really affected, look around and think about what company resources you can use to help others.

Every business has a strength that should be turned into leverage during a crisis.

This could be consulting start-ups from a field in which you are a professional, or providing professional opportunities and support for vulnerable groups. You can create your charity fund to help people who need help. Or you can continue the hiring process when an economic crisis is in your country, but your business targets other markets and is successful and profitable. This depends on the type of crisis which you met.

3. Become as helpful as you can with your products and all your communication channels

If your product has many users worldwide, you are a partner of international companies — do not keep silent, tell everyone the truth, and attract help by doing your best. Maybe, your site is popular worldwide, and you have a blog there. Share the truth using this type of own media.

Good and bad examples of using different communication channels during crises are below:

• According to the CDC, 60 cases of E Coli poisoning associated with the Chipotle chain restaurantwere reported in 14 states in the US in 2015. The media immediately picked up on the incident, and Chipotle had a PR crisis.
  Chipotle company prepared to find a decision to level the crisis. The brand developed an infographic to publicize the update and achievements of the crisis. A company concentrated on collecting positive press articles and mentions about its company and posting them on its Web site and other media channels.

  
  

Steve Ells, a founder of Chipotle, immediately apologized to everyone who got sick and announced a comprehensive food safety program that exceeds industry standards. In addition, the brand published press releases about improved cooking methods to prevent foodborne illness and ensure better quality. These steps have positively impacted the company's reputation in the future.

• In March 2018, a whistleblower told two newspapers that a British firm called Cambridge Analytica had bought data from about 87 million users and their friends without their consent from Facebook. The company faced investigations by regulators in the United States and Britain, as well as lawsuits from several jurisdictions.

  
  The financial repercussions were immense: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission imposed a $5 billion fine against the company — the largest ever. The Securities and Exchange Commission fined the company $100 million and British regulators fined  £500 000.

  
  Facebook CEO Zuckerberg was silent for five days. Facebook's users heavily criticized the response, prompting Zuckerberg later to say, "I'm sorry" in media interviews. Commentators such as Tufts University cybersecurity expert Susan Landau also criticized Facebook for not taking legal action against Cambridge Analytica and failing to inform users whose data was taken before well after the news broke. The following steps include: Facebook (Meta) placed full-page newspaper ads, changed data-handling practices, and implemented other reforms, but consumer trust was crushed.

Case: how we set up communications during the war in Ukraine

I want to share a practical case study about how we reacted quickly to a crisis. When a full-scale war broke out, our company did not know how to communicate correctly. Exactly 3 basic tips helped us to navigate and make crucial decisions for the team and the business.

Step 1. Be proactive and demonstrate your position

Everyone's psyche works differently. When a full-scale war began, I understood what I had to do. I needed to help my relatives move to safe places, but I also understood that it was my job to communicate with people. So, first, I conveyed to the CEO the need to notify the company's position on the crisis. I paid attention to the Ukrainian market. It's two leading causes of this decision:

The main goal of our PR activities is to scale team in Ukraine. Thus, it was essential to inform our potential candidates' position of the company and attitude toward the existing team.

Strategy of our company strives for development in Ukraine and, after all, abroad.

The next step was to propose a volunteer activity to attract more Influencers to speak out about the war in my home country. In that period, I became not only a PR manager but also a project manager. My team and I reached out stories and got publications on influencer's pages with 80 M and 6,8 M. We understand that we were not the only ones knocking on their door. However, these publications came after reading our messages and used phrases from our appeals. It's great to know that you, too, can influence more people to learn the truth about the war in your country.

Step 2. Create the value of your help

Based on our possibility and expertise, we decided to support and help Ukrainians:

• We created posts with free resources for studying Ukrainians on our social media and distributed them among acquaintances who found them helpful. Statistics show that such resources were most shared and saved by subscribers.

• We provided an opportunity to learn more about the IT sphere, which was the most stable. To do this, we hold online webinars, talk about the professional paths of our employees, and share advice on social networks.

• We support the initiatives of other companies. For example, we joined the activities of the Projector Creative & Tech Foundation, the goal of which is to inspire and teach new professions in the creative and IT industries to 5,000 Ukrainian women who temporarily left their hometowns. Specialists from our team have become mentors, tips from consultations are aimed at supporting the Armed Forces. In addition, we aim to talk more about the IT sphere during webinars from our experts. Sharing knowledge and inspiring Ukrainians is necessary now.

• Scale the team and provide jobs to Ukrainians. We have not stopped this and continue to do so. As the target audience of our business is in the USA and Europe, we attract talents to the team.

• Joined StartUp Academy from Genesis&Meta. CMO OBRIO Anna Homa will share information with entrepreneurs about the role of digital marketing for effective business scaling with minimal risks.

  
  

Step 3. Be the most useful as you can

Our products are used by 16 million people worldwide. Being able to get the truth out and give information on how you can support Ukraine was essential for the team. First:

• Communication in our flagman product — the Nebula app. This allowed millions of users worldwide to learn that Russia had invaded Ukraine and how they could help.
• Providing free access to another product, AdBraze — a marketing automation platform with the “Glory to Ukraine” promo code. The purpose is to support and enable Ukrainian businesses to scale during the crisis without increasing the budget for the marketing department. For two months, 23 companies and professionals took advantage of it.

Communicating during crises is crucial because it’s:

• Peace of mind from potential candidates and customers partners. With this understanding of a clear position and that the business continues to function, the team continues to work. Candidates check the company's social media pages, and their position on different situations, especially crises (even previously) This is the first step to considering or rejecting the offer to review the position. Partners and clients understand that the company has adapted to the new conditions and continues to work. This rule you can use in other crises.
• Trust and loyalty from the team plays a role internally and externally. Stories about volunteering and involvement in socially important initiatives increase pride in being part of and desire to help other team members.
• An example to follow, attracting other companies and, consequently, a greater level of support.
• Strategic, reputational impact. What's important here is responsiveness, consistency, and thinking through the reactions of different stakeholders. Communication that happens now will affect the future. To ensure that a company's reputation has been building for years is not diminished, timely and deliberate reactions must be remembered, even to the anticipated and terrifying events.

Communication in times of crisis is a challenge that companies face. Confidence in PR specialists and the desire to support your audience and team help to adapt to new conditions, understand the public mood, and prevent crises.