Fanning The Flames: What To Do If You Make a Big PR Mistake

Last Updated on January 24, 2019 by Jessica Adams

It can be the smallest thing and last no more than 2 seconds. But it can be one of the biggest mistakes you will ever make. If your business or brand makes a big PR mistake by saying something wrong by accident or if a product malfunctions and it’s right there for the public to see, it’s a tough call.

Should you directly refer to the mistake, and run the risk of drawing even more attention to it? Or do you avoid it completely? Avoiding it completely is not the right way at all. Instead, you need to acknowledge what took place. But first, there are many other factors that you must consider. Read on for some tips on what to do if you make a big PR mistake.

Fanning The Flames:

What To Do If You

Make a Big PR Mistake

**Don’t Draw Anymore Attention To The Error**

You need to focus on how you’re going to acknowledge what was said or done and how to deliver that in an apology, over anything else. What you did, created a huge inconvenience and digging it up, again and again, will only remind the consumers of what has happened.

Instead of explaining why it happened, you need to show that you’re truly sorry and explain what has to be done in order to minimize future problems.

Timing Is Everything

This is especially true when communicating with customers via social media. A customer can easily jump to the conclusion that you are ignoring them when they’ve made a complaint on social media because on there, we are always on the clock.

We’ve got to do what we can to reduce the damage before they spread their dissatisfaction further. The many top reputation management firms can offer support with managing your response as it pertains to your reputation.

This response, of course, is to issue a formal apology. And you’ve got to jump on it as soon as possible! The more time goes by, the bigger the flames.

Own Up To It

There’s no point in skirting around the issue. From the perspective of a customer, it doesn’t matter who made the mistake, the fact is that your company is what the consumer sees.

Regardless of the personal error, there’s no point in being insincere in your apology, or attributing blame to one party in your organization. Taking responsibility is always the best thing to do in a situation such as this.

Explain What Changes Will Be Made

Make sure that the situation has been assessed and that you know what needs to be done to decrease the chances of this happening in the future. This will be a great opportunity to increase your focus and to learn from the situation.

A lot of people guard their reputation but they make the mistake of holding it in a vice-like grip. We’re all human, and we need to learn from our mistakes. There is nothing more infuriating than seeing someone make a mistake in life and refusing to acknowledge it.

We’re not infallible, we are all prone to mistakes. The problem we have these days is that we are afraid to admit when we’ve made a simple human error. Either for fear of the repercussions or how in business, this will result in losing some customers down the line.

But as far as reputation is concerned, it’s far better to acknowledge the problem and show everyone that you’re working to change it, instead of ignoring it completely.