Opinions expressed by the authors of entrepreneurs are their very own.
Many people will tell you that public relations involves telling your history to the media. The truth is, nevertheless, that it is equally about building relationships.
Of course, in order to succeed in public relations, you need to have the ability to build relationships with journalists and contacts with the media, but relations with stakeholders and the general public are equally essential. After all, the goal of public relations is to make contact and resonate with the audience – often with clients or stakeholders.
Public Relations can be a incredible tool that helps firms improve their image, but one of the key functions that business leaders often skip is the ability to help them gain trust, from which they might not realize that it is the most dear asset they have. Trust has a direct impact on several features of the company’s success, which are obligatory for its profits – including customer loyalty, brand status and maintenance of employees – and it is these features that make customers return to the company many times.
Considering this, trust is not given; It is earned. The company must gain the trust of its clients and stakeholders through its activities and communication.
Trust, honesty, authenticity and consistency
Companies must understand honesty to achieve a sense of trust from the recipients of the PR campaign. This does not mean that firms should maintain 100% transparency, no matter costs. Certainly there are cases in which disclosure of knowledge is inadvisable, e.g. when this might expose the mental property of the company or cause panic.
However, entrepreneurs shouldn’t lie under any circumstances, because the consequences of caught a lie are often much more serious than the effects of overtaking the truth. Consider what happened to the founding father of the lender cryptocurrencies CelsiusAnd who can forget the influence Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal? These examples emphasize very real (and serious) consequences that a lie can have for the company and its leaders.
The next element obligatory to achieve success in business communication is the continuation. Making empty guarantees is for the company one of the fastest ways to lose the trust of shoppers that worked so hard. Even if the business leader makes a promise with full intention to keep his word, if he fails, his clients probably consider it a lie. Therefore, business leaders have to be careful not to promise too much and make sure that every goal – especially the one who publishes – was reasonable and achievable.
Similarly, firms must make sure that they prioritize authenticity in their messages. Initiatives resembling social business responsibility can significantly improve the company’s image, but only if they are well done. For example, there have been several scandals firms transferring donations for political purposes incompatible with their message. When the company’s leader says one thing, but his actions show something different, he will likely be perceived as insufficient and unworthy trust, which can translate into other features of his activity.
Remember that the most significant is consistency in providing information. Business leaders must ensure the consistency of their voice and message on all platforms they use, from social media to public media and internal communication.
It is often correctly to appoint one spokesman who will likely be the face of all company communication and will go through all her queries. Many people can work behind the scenes on determining the message, but having one spokesperson guarantees that many people won’t provide various messages.
How to build trust through crisis communication
These rules are especially essential for enterprises during the crisis. Crisis communication is an essential function of public relations, because enterprises are facing various challenges that can threaten their derailment.
However, if leaders effectively manage their communication, they can successfully leave the crisis – and possibly even stronger. By maintaining honesty and transparency during the crisis, firms can maintain their image of a trustworthy person despite the situation in which they find themselves.
Consumers and interested parties are also looking for business leaders who want to take responsibility. If the company has a crisis response plan, it should already take steps to alleviate the crisis. When the time of providing public opinion comes, the spokesman should share the information on what steps have already been taken and what actions will likely be taken to prevent the crisis prevents, which is able to help the company get and maintain control over the narrative.
Business leaders should keep in mind that trust is difficult to build, but it is simple to lose. Sometimes a single error could also be enough to cause irreversible damage to the company’s status, but most frequently the company can overcome the crisis – this only requires time.
However, some mistakes are too big to forgive them. If it seems that the company was lying about its crises, it should lose credibility, as in the case of repeatedly making the same mistake.
Nevertheless, firms can prosper using public relations tools and assuming an approach to emphasizing honesty, authenticity and building relationships with all the involved pages. This trust will turn into status, loyalty and, hopefully, greater profits.