In this installment of How’d They Do That, we visit the South Side of Chicago to learn how a small educational institution managed a big dose of bad press. It is a case of crisis management and reputation repair at its best, particularly for small businesses and organizations.
Last fall, Shimer College, a liberal arts college with less than 100 students, landed on the list of worst colleges in America. The Washington Monthly, a well-known publisher of annual college rankings, put Shimer in the midst of a public relations storm and on a path of damage control. How the 162-year-old college responded is a classic example of turning lemons into lemonade. Their efforts resulted in more than 50 new applications, a social media campaign reaching more than 50,000 people, increased website traffic and an investigative report in The Guardian, a Pulitzer Prize-winning global news site, which discovered a different story at Shimer.
https://twitter.com/interRel/status/541701253064310784
In an article for Entrepreneur Magazine, contributor Scott Willyerd provides a recap of Shimer’s story. Here are a few highlights:
The institution, with virtually no endowment and roughly 80 students, didn’t really know what to do. Do they vehemently dispute the findings? Use paid advertisements to help market its messages? What the college finally decided on was interesting: owning it.
In the weeks after the article was published, Shimer and its constituents began wearing the dubious honor as a badge of pride. Early on, current students and faculty voiced their displeasure and protested that Shimer couldn’t be evaluated in the context of other colleges and universities. Students soon rallied behind a hashtag campaign lauding Shimer as the #bestworstcollege.
But it was the public outpouring of support from Shimer alumni that got the attention of journalist Jon Ronson, who wanted to see for himself what “the worst college in America” looked like. The resulting Guardian article suggested that America’s worst college might instead be the model of how higher ed can do better.
Shimer isn’t the only institution that has embraced its scarlet letter. … What the public wants is honesty. It will forgive mistakes, but it won’t forgive being lied to or sold goods that aren’t as advertised. While it may be tempting to ignore bad press or poor reviews, never waste a good crisis. Marketers and other communicators may find lessons, even a sense of liberation, in using “bad news” to refine their brand messaging.
So what can you do if your small business or organization winds up on a worst list, in the midst of a public relations crisis, in need of reputation repair? In From Response to Repair: Reputation Management in the Wake of a Crisis, Justine Carroll puts together an excellent list of suggestions. Here are a few:
- Address the reputational issues that matter most to your customers and key influencers. If your company’s products or services are now in jeopardy due to the crisis, work to fully understand these concerns so that you can take the necessary steps to rectify any issues and set the course to overcoming and rebuilding your public image.
- Address the immediate crisis, and then think of the ripple effect – what comes after? If a company spokesperson made an insensitive remark publicly and sales are dropping as a result, it is essential to acknowledge and address the incident immediately and then tackle the backlash that may follow. Once customer loyalty is tested, rebuilding a strong identity will require an investment of time to communicate value and regain public approval.
- Reputations are built on perceptions. In what ways did the crisis draw attention away from the essence of your brand? … In order to meet the expectations of customers and key influencers, an established ‘voice’ from the company that clearly defines your brand will remind the public what your organization represents and help drive favorable public opinion.
- Consider longer campaigns aimed at creating lasting goodwill. Recognize that people have long memories and work to undo whatever damage the crisis caused your brand’s reputation over time.
- Invest the time and resources to reestablish your reputation and continue to communicate your value. The process of rebuilding your image is what will determine the long-term survival of your brand.
You may find the following Meltwater infographic, 10 Steps to Managing Crisis Communications, extremely helpful.
How would you manage a communications crisis? Do you have a plan? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.
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