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Determine Your Communication Channels

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About this lesson

Once you have established your target audience, it will be easier to determine your communication channels because these two factors are related.

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Quick reference

Determine Your Communication Channels

Once you have established your target audience, it will be easier to determine your communication channels because these two factors are related.

When to use

Use the instructions below when deciding on which channels to distribute your press release. Communication on the chosen channels should take place soon after the crisis has happened, at various stages during the crisis to update on any developments, and after the crisis has been solved.

Instructions

  • Ask yourself the question: “Which channels does my target audience use?” “On which social media platforms does my company have a large following?” Try and reach your audience through their preferred channels of communication.
  • Aim to reach as many people as possible: instead of being selective, all communication channels should be used, even though they might not be suitable for a press release (e.g. Facebook and Twitter - post or tweet a short statement using the title of your press release with a link to where the press release is available).
  • Publish your press release on the appropriate section of your company website and if you have a specific news section of your Facebook page.
  • Before a crisis happens, you should identify any online forums related to your products and which might be suitable to alerting people in case of a crisis.
  • Depending on the impact of your crisis, you should contact the local, regional, national and international press.
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  • 00:05 When there is a crisis,
  • 00:06 we need to determine the communication channels that we're going to use.
  • 00:10 Once the press release is ready and you've established who the target audience is.
  • 00:14 We need to know what would be the easiest method to use in order to reach them.
  • 00:22 Ask yourself the question, which channels does my target audience use?
  • 00:26 It only makes sense to try and reach the audience through their preferred channels
  • 00:30 of communication rather than ours.
  • 00:32 However, in the event of a crisis,
  • 00:34 being selective is not really the right approach.
  • 00:37 In order to reach as many people as possible,
  • 00:39 all possible channels should be used.
  • 00:42 Now some channels are not that suitable for a press release.
  • 00:46 Let's look at Facebook and Twitter.
  • 00:48 Neither Facebook nor
  • 00:49 Twitter can feature a full press release because they only accept short characters.
  • 00:54 Also, they are really engagement channels rather than news sites.
  • 00:58 But if you've got a large following on these two platforms and
  • 01:01 your message is important.
  • 01:03 You could post a short tweet or a short statement using the title of your release
  • 01:09 with a link to your website where the press release is available.
  • 01:12 On Facebook you can even allocate a specific tab to press releases or
  • 01:16 company news.
  • 01:18 Specifically related to online communication channels.
  • 01:21 Your crisis press release should definitely be published on the appropriate
  • 01:26 section of your company web site where everyone can search for it then access it.
  • 01:31 The model should be some online forums
  • 01:33 that can be suitable to alert people about your product.
  • 01:36 It would be an advantage to know about such forums before the crisis happens,
  • 01:41 rather than afterwards.
  • 01:42 Now let's assume that your company needs to inform the public about a batch
  • 01:48 of contaminated biscuits, and this is being sold in super markets.
  • 01:53 Another option here would be to contact the food safety body for
  • 01:57 the countries that were affected.
  • 01:59 For example, if your product is distributed in Europe.
  • 02:01 You can contact the European Food Safety Authority and
  • 02:05 ask them to publish the release on their website.
  • 02:09 When you use printed communication channels as well,
  • 02:13 depending on how wide-ranging the impact of your crisis would be.
  • 02:17 You should contact the local, regional, national, and even international press.
  • 02:22 This can be suitable if, for example,
  • 02:24 your company has released a product that's dangerous for people to consume.
  • 02:29 Now all we need to do is to continue to inform people.
  • 02:33 When a crisis happens, we constantly remain in touch with the public and
  • 02:38 with all the stakeholders.
  • 02:39 During crisis management,
  • 02:41 the communication that takes place should be soon after the crisis happens.
  • 02:46 And then at various stages during the crisis to update them of any developments.
  • 02:51 And then of course after the crisis has been solved, we still keep in touch.
  • 02:56 There's not prescribed number of press releases, it really depends on
  • 03:00 the situation and what information becomes available as the crisis unfolds.
  • 03:05 Here's something for you to think of or a little bit of research you can go and do.
  • 03:09 Look at your company.
  • 03:10 See what their social media policy is and
  • 03:13 check whether they've got a social media policy for crisis communications.
  • 03:17 You can also see if your local council has got one,
  • 03:20 because that's often a good way to learn about these things.

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.

Crafting Different Types of Crisis Statements
04m:22s
Learning from One Crisis Management Case Study
03m:31s
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