Is your organization crisis communications prepared? The worst time to answer that question is when you find yourself knee-deep responding to a crisis situation.

It is natural to believe that having the proper procedures and protocols in place will prevent your organization from becoming the victim of a crisis. And, you are confident that, should you be faced with a situation or issue that requires a response, you can effectively deal with it when and if it occurs.

But, in today’s world of ever-increasing speed of gathering and sharing information, organizations need to have a strategy and plan in place to address potential crisis situations.

In this first of a four-part series on crisis communications management, we share an important first step in the development of a crisis preparedness plan – the Crisis Audit Questionnaire. Utilizing this tool, we assess the organization’s vulnerability to a potential crisis from responses to a series of questions.

Some examples include:

• What are the prevailing negative perceptions or issues that could be amplified during a crisis?
• Do you have a company-wide social media policy?
• Do you have a communications team with contact information available 24/7?
• Do you have public dark website capabilities in the event of a crisis?

Based on the responses to these Crisis Audit questions, we can develop a crisis communications strategy and plan that will limit your organization’s risk and minimize the potential damage to both your reputation and bottom line. To learn more about our Crisis Audit Questionnaire and how we can help you to Be Prepared in the event of a crisis, contact us at hello@360mktgllc.com. And, watch for additional updates on the topic of Crisis Communications, including our work with Contingency Planning, Messaging & Post Crisis Analysis, and Brand Vulnerability Audits.