By now, you’ve probably heard the buzz about the movie “Bird Box.” I won’t give the ending away; but, the film pits people against evil forces they can’t (or shouldn’t) see… and allows them to know when those forces are nearby through the response of — you guessed it — birds.

As corporate communicators, we also face unseen threats — from time to time — that can impact the reputation of the brands we serve. And, while we don’t wander around blindfolded to survive them, we do have early warning systems that signal when trouble is near. These corporate communications “bird boxes” can keep you a step ahead of issues, developments or problems for your brand. And, they include a few publics you already know:

Your customers. For any business, there will be times when service issues, problems and other unforeseen issues come up that affect customers. Sometimes it’s a one-off issue. Other times it may be an issue affecting many. Regardless of the scope and scale, always be prepared to handle a crisis of any kind that impacts the people or businesses you serve as a brand. What you say/do — and how quickly you respond — can mean the difference between driving loyalty and losing the trust you’ve worked so hard to earn.

Employees. Since Customer Care is on the front lines with customers, these employees are vital  “bird boxes” because they can warn you about issues before negative publicity or social media sentiment erupts into a crisis. Others inside your business like HR, IT, Sales and others will know about problems, mistakes or issues affecting your business and, potentially, your corporate reputation before external audiences know about them.

Keep the lines of communications open with any and all employee groups/departments. Be sure they know how to reach you — at any hour on any day — so that you can get ahead of a potential crisis. Having the time to examine the issue(s) and plan/prepare how you will respond gives you a better ability to manage reactive communications. And, it helps you respond more quickly when public-facing “damage control” is in order for your brand.

 

Social media. No matter how active you are as a brand on social, watching and listening for sentiment is not a nine-to-five role. Thanks to the mobile alerts social channels provide, you have the ability to be alerted immediately when someone engages, tags or mentions you in positive or negative ways. Because the heart of strong social is community building, be sure to move swiftly when you see a negative issue brewing here, whether it’s an isolated incident or a cluster of complaints.

Know who to contact (internally) to alert about issues you discover. Have a vetted standard operating procedure for handling these and stand ready to respond if and when it’s needed. If you’re being trolled, that’s a different matter. But, if you discover negativity that is truly relevant to your business and your customers, take action to alert the right people internally and take the course of action that fits the situation.

Traditional media. Sometimes the news media gets wind of an issue before you do — or before you have had the time to fully vet and prepare how you’ll respond to a negative issue impacting your brand. And, sometimes, negative news stories accumulate in response to an issue, mistake or problem associated with your brand. Stay focused on arming these news contacts with information that can help to balance the negativity. And, evaluate whether more than information is needed to turn the tides of negativity.

Rember, if you do nothing, you’re missing the opportunity to demonstrate the good things you bring to life for the people and businesses you serve. And, even worse, it will seem like you don’t care to external audiences. So, do what you can to provide useful, relevant information to the media. And, think beyond the crisis. What will you do to bring positive attention to who you are and what you do as a brand?

No matter which corporate communications “bird box” alerts you to an impending crisis or negativity for your brand, use the “early warning” to your advantage. Build a plan for responding, whether it’s a one-on-one conversation with someone, a DM or a public-facing statement. The point is: when you see trouble coming, make the most of the time you have, and protect the precious reputation of the brand you serve.