How to Handle a Reputation Crisis in the First 24 Hours

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How to Handle a Reputation Crisis in the First 24 Hours

A crisis can have a devastating effect on any business, as your reputation and the relationships you have built are put into serious jeopardy. A key factor to determining the damage of a crisis, is what actions are taken within the first twenty four hours.

A Crisis Life cycle

A crisis starts with an early warning that there is a problem. It may develop over a couple of days or weeks, sometimes months until the problem is addressed and the business can return to normal operations. 

Thanks to the internet and social media, any unfortunate incident can be highlighted within seconds. The actions you take within the first 24 hours after a crisis, determines the impact on your business.

How to Handle a Reputation Crisis in the First 24 Hours
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The Importance of the First 24 Hours

With prompt reactions you re able to regain control, preventing misconceptions and misinterpretations. If you are quick and catch the reputation crisis within the first hour, you are eighty five percent more likely to maintain public confidence. Businesses that have prepared crisis response plans are over fifty percent more likely to recover within a few months. 

At the same time, slow reactions during the initial phase of a crisis can negatively impact your reputation. Remaining silent enables the crisis to escalate, while misinformation is spread. 

How to Handle a Reputation Crisis in the First 24 Hours

The first 24 hours is critical when a reputation crisis breaks out. You need a proactive plan and check list, that should include:

  1. Gather your crisis team – call in decision makers including HR, legal, CEO, financial
  2. Communication – decide where to share updates 
  3. Conversations – monitor conversations on social media, customer support tickets, your Google Business Profile and website, The smallest grievance can turn into a disaster if ignored
  4. Employees – ensure you advise employees, providing clear instructions should they receive any queries
  5. Draft a response – acknowledging the issues and committing to an update

Conclusion

Remember consistency in producing high quality and positive content, using user-generated content, and responding to negativity in a timely and professional manner can all safe guard your reputation online. Being proactive, monitoring mentions and reviews, helps you tackle any issues within the first 24 hours, reducing the risk of them spiralling out of control. Do you need help with your online reputation management? Contact Genie Crawl now to find out more. 

Crisis preparation pays off. If you have pre-approved response templates for common crisis types—data breaches, PR issues, or financial downturns—you’ll move faster and with confidence.

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