Marcomms Is Different From Crisis Comms: Here's How to Handle Crises

As a corporate communications professional, I focus on reputation management, protecting the brand by managing issues, navigating crises and minimizing impacts on the brand. Marketing colleagues, on the other hand, focus on customers and user experience to win over customers and increase sales. When the two work together, we can create strategies to retain success.

Recently, there has been some confusion between corporate communications and marketing. As a result, talented marketing communications leaders are being expected to handle crisis management, a skill that takes years to develop. To start, one must think through the message they want to send, consider the key audiences and how they will receive the message, and prepare responses to possible questions.

When handling a crisis, marketing professionals must take off their marketing hat and meet the issue with candor and authenticity. This will help the audience feel that the issue is being actively addressed. By combining the skillsets of corporate communication and marketing, we can work together to create and protect success.