If you think about it, public relations is an art form. It’s like marketing, but it needs to be done a little bit more elegantly because your reputation is on the line. Not just the company as a whole but the faces of the company, too. Basically, the employees, just about all of them, could have their reputations on the line. It’s a little scary to think about, right? Just with music, one wrong note makes it obvious that there’s something wrong with the song, that something was incorrect.
Well, it’s essentially the same when it comes to PR, too; if something is done incorrectly, it clearly shows, and that’s bad. Even if you’re in the midst of starting your very first business, you still have to know about this very delicate art form. So, what’s actually the worst that could happen if this art form is done incorrectly? Are businesses actually at risk? Well, here’s exactly what you need to know!
Your Reputation is Damaged
The whole point of a PR team and even hiring someone to help out with media relations strategies is all due to the fact that reputations that are damaged can be very costly. It can sometimes be a major challenge to bounce back from. A poor reputation can tarnish your brand and make it difficult to attract and retain customers. Negative publicity, customer complaints, or unethical business practices can quickly erode the trust and goodwill you’ve built with your audience.
There’s a Lack of Trust
You can most likely expect a lack of trust from customers but even potentially from employees, too. As you already know, trust is a cornerstone of a successful business. The last thing you want is people questioning your credibility, your authenticity, and even the whole integrity of the company itself. Plus, this lack of trust is also going to deter other customers from wanting to buy from you, too, such as potential new customers will immediately look to purchase somewhere else.
It’s Tougher to Get Collaborations
Other brands, including influencers, venues, you name it, aren’t going to want to work with you if your PR is pretty low. Your low PR can tarnish their PR, so that’s way too much for them to lose. It’s hard because sometimes collaborations can build a brand back up, but there’s also that risk of them being brought back down.
Your Marketing Isn’t Going to Be Effective
You can absolutely expect to have next to no effect on your marketing if your PR is bad. People will immediately know what got your brand into bad PR, and they’re going to be immediately turned off by seeing your ads. Sometimes, this can even lead to negative social media comments when it comes to social media marketing. It can just get worse and worse.
Negative Incidents Can Quickly Escalate
So, when it comes to businesses with low PR, one bad thing turns into another bad thing, and this just keeps taking a nosedive for the worse. Negative incidents can quickly escalate, causing more damage to your reputation and making the crisis harder to contain. It’s hard to have any control because more escalation tends to keep happening, and most small businesses aren’t trained or aware of what to do when a crisis like this happens.
