“For a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again” Proverbs 24:16-18
Over the years we have seen many personal brands/celebrities rise and fall over a blunder, misconduct, and other vices mostly via social media platforms. The first most important thing is to guard your online brand presence.
You must come to terms with this; know and understand that every piece of content you post online about you, your product or services can make or mar your brand. Therefore, if you don’t take charge of your brand presence, someone else would, and guess what… it will be messed up!
Here is what you should do to secure your brand.
1. Don’t immediately jump into any PR gimmicks, either on social media, etc. to address the issue. Gather your facts right, because anything you say or refuse to say can go against you.
2. If you believe it should be resolved legally, let your lawyers handle that and keep it out of the media where possible.
3. If truly you messed up; sincerely acknowledge that you messed up and ask for forgiveness. (Don’t fake it)
4. If you genuinely regret and apologized, you can then send out messages/ audio/video/ etc. to your fans or followers to assure them of your trust. You must be real.
5. Don’t hire bloggers, social media folks nor your celebrity friends to spread counter messages about you during the crisis.
6. Sometimes the best way is to quietly stay away from the mass discussion and talks about the issue at hand and quietly heal and recover. “Silence is golden”
7. If you can’t honestly share your errors don’t accept invitations to be on media ( radio, TV, etc) to talk about the issue. People can read between the lines and would know if you are being honest.
Let your conscience lead you!
“Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up” – Chinese Proverb
Bernard Kelvin Clive Personal Branding Coach/Brand Strategist at BKC Consulting, Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Amazon bestselling author with twenty published books. Ghana’s foremost authority on Personal branding and Digital Publishing who hosts the #1 ranked Business & Career Podcast in Ghana/Botswana.
www.BKC.name