Should your organization conduct crisis communication drills?

practical

Tips and information for effective public relations - Winter 2017

www.LFpublicrelations.com

Name Dropping

Here's a sampling of what's going on with our clients and staff:

Congratulations to 2004 Menominee Indian High School grad, Sara LaBarge, who received a 2016 Native American 40 Under 40 Award from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development for her work in education.

The Berlin Area School District is now part of the world's largest weather network, known as WeatherBug. Students will benefit from having their own weather station; with live weather data fed into interactive lessons, tools and activities that will be used for enhanced mathematics, science, geography and technology education.

Calls to the Helpline operated by the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling (WCPG) reached 13,081 last year. In addition, the WCPG website also registered more than 8,600 hits in 2016.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help has announced the additions of Jeff Koss and Ashley Saxe to its staff. Koss is the new operations manager at the Champion Shrine, while Saxe has taken on the role of pilgrimage planner.

"Leisure and its relation to the virtue of hope" was the focus as Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) conducted a one-day seminar at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion. Bishop David Ricken of the Green Bay Diocese played an instrumental role in the formation of WCC more than a decade ago when he served as Bishop of Cheyenne.

Ice breaking operations for the Port of Green Bay garnered national attention to the need for the Port to remain open in the early winter months to allow for shipments of petroleum products. A petroleum pipeline shutdown has resulted in a dramatic increase in petroleum imports to meet the needs of Northeast Wisconsin.

Replacement of the I-39/90 bridges crossing the Rock River is going well. A portion of the bridge for the new northbound lanes is now being used. The previous northbound bridge deck and piers were removed throughout fall and early winter and, on January 4, 2017, demolition experts used explosives to break up and remove the pier foundations under the water level. Check out the demolition video.

Leonard & Finco Public Relations welcomes to its roster of clients:

The International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the world's largest community of professionals in the business broker and intermediary industry. It's an outstanding group of professionals and we're looking forward to helping spread the word about what they do!

Coming on the heels of L&F's work for CASA of the Fox Cities, L&F is proud to be working on a statewide campaign for CASA-Wisconsin. We'll be spreading the word about the wonderful work of Court Appointed Special Advocates and the need for additional volunteers.

Should Your Organization Conduct Crisis Communication Drills?

Mock crisis drills have routinely been done by many of our clients throughout the years; and it makes sense to test out your crisis plan on a regular basis. What has changed with these drills is the number of times we're now being asked to participate as part of the crisis team. There is a growing realization that communication (internal and external) is an essential element of crisis response. In today's instant communication world, failure to appropriately communicate in a crisis can do even more damage to your business and your brand than the crisis itself.

So the answer to the headline is obviously 'yes.' But don't wait for a crisis drill to prepare your leadership and communication team. Start right now, by first doing an audit of your team's crisis communication policies and procedures. If you have multiple offices, be sure to include them in this fact finding endeavor. Then, based on what you discover, build your crisis comm plan. Although a crisis never unfolds in the way you prepare for, you can still develop a framework that will be a reference and provide guidance when a crisis hits. At least once a year, develop a mock crisis scenario and do a table-top drill to see how well your crisis comm plan works. It gives you an opportunity to work together, tweak things that need improvement and be even better prepared for a real crisis. It will be time well spent.

Reporting live from...everywhere

Can your business incorporate live video to reach your audience?

Social media is constantly evolving by incorporating new features to compete not only with other social media platforms, but also against traditional media.

The latest trend is the use of live video. It gives users the ability to show their followers what they are doing in real time. Facebook Live was launched in 2016 and Facebook users have been quick to make use of it. Twitter followed soon after with its live video app, Periscope. Instagram and Snapchat also quickly joined the list of platforms offering live video streaming.

Live video streaming has definitely created great opportunities for individuals and businesses wanting to showcase something of interest. It's also created opportunities for individuals to become "watchdogs," live streaming video that may be controversial such as encounters with police.

And, in some instances, a well-intentioned video can create significant backlash. The most recent being Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown who went live with head coach Mike Tomlin's postgame locker room speech after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. The NFL's policy on social media is players cannot post on social media 90 minutes before the game through postgame interviews. Brown was fined $10,000 for sharing the video.

Live video streaming has its advantages and disadvantages so understanding how to incorporate it into your businesses marketing efforts should be well thought out. Here are a few ideas:

Set up a demonstration of a new product. Let viewers watch how the product works and learn how to use it from the people who created it. Viewers can comment with questions about the product that could also be answered during the live video. Why not show off a cool feature of the product that viewers may not have known about?
Go live at an event that few people can attend, but might be interested in seeing. Sharing a live feed at an athletic event, groundbreaking or a special guest speaker lets the audience feel like they are there even if the event is states away. Offering a sneak peek of a display or new project would be fun to show to followers too.
Post a live interview, question and answer session or news conference. Let followers get to know your company from the CEO and employees. Followers with questions can have them answered immediately and they can learn what is new at your organization.

As with all things social media, don't just jump into live video streaming without a plan. Develop a plan that you think will work for your business, then have fun with it!

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Quick Quote

"Communication

- the human connection -

is the key to personal and career success."

-Paul J. Meyer