04 May Crisis Management as a BDSM PR Agency
In any aspect of PR or brand management, you’re likely to come across some need for crisis management, not least for a BDSM PR agency. You’re likely to need to implement a crisis management strategy at some point. Every company should be prepared for the worst. Whether your ‘worst’ is a major data breach of anonymous client information or a negative review of a domme session, you must have a plan. When dealing with a PR crisis, damage limitation is the aim. Yes, you won’t know what’s hit you when the crisis first emerges. You’re likely to be panicking, but you should know your protocols and steps to crisis aversion well enough that they are carried out like clockwork.
Assess the Situation
Let’s be honest, in today’s online environment, you’re extremely vulnerable to having a crisis taken out of your hands in an instant. Before you’re even aware there’s a problem, it’s all over social media. Infact, you’re extremely likely to find out about such issues through social media. That instantly puts you at a disadvantage. Fear not! Something we can always count on is that social media will have something new to latch on to by the end of the day. Still, you probably do not want to have lots of negative talk about your name. From the perspective of a BDSM PR agency; there are a number of things that could constitute a PR crisis, so you need to be able to keep a level head in times of stress.
So, once something has come to light, sit down. Breathe. If it’s not urgent, make yourself a cup of tea and sit down and really look into what’s happened. Does this affect your workflow currently? Is it something that means you can’t sell your content or market your products? Something that you need to consider is that not every issue is a crisis. Find out your vegan condoms actually aren’t vegan? Yes, it would be an issue, but is directly solvable. If you’re a Mistress whos’ client’s personal information is leaked, then that’s something much closer to a crisis.
Avoiding a PR Crisis
In short, you won’t be able to avoid them. However, you can do your best to mitigate them and to deal with them when they arise. Having proper security in place and cloud-to-cloud backup will ensure confidential data and pictures or videos are as safe as they can be. It’s probably the biggest risk that people in the adult industry face, content leaks, but it’s avoidable for videos that are under your control, such as those unpublished.
Always proof-read. We get it, you’re an individual, you want to sell yourself as a brand, and you want to keep chatty and authentic. When we say proof-read, we don’t mean make a draft. You must edit and re-edit, or get your manager to sign it off. What we mean is to double check names, pronouns, your prices, anything that could come back to bite you. Please check for spelling mistakes, you’re a professional remember!
This industry has multiple opportunities for PR crises. The general public are coming round, but for the most part they still don’t understand everything. People are often nervous to ask questions or are intimidated. As a BDSM PR agency, we’d also recommend that you do as much as you can to educate yourself and ensure you cover all bases. Here’s some example of what we mean:
- If you run classes, or demonstrations, ensure you have the right training and insurance. Something as simple as first aid will be a great addition to your site, as well as in case of emergency.
- Along the same lines, if you are running a dungeon, you will need to make sure that your insurance is good enough for all the services you provide.
How Much Can We Control?
With the increase in social media, there is a lot more potential for negative comments and bad press. Gone are the days when a crisis was purely confined to the affairs of corporate bigwigs and Hollywood scandals. From genuinely dangerous fake news to someone taking umbrage with the way an advert was worded; it’s all on a sliding scale, but it can damage your brand’s reputation.
You must be mindful of whether something that has been said online is a genuine issue, or whether it is just another human who’s had a bad day, and has taken to social media to voice their thoughts. Sometimes you’ll have the opportunity to reply directly, say, to a Tweet, and if someone doesn’t reply, chances are it’s not something that needs to be solved. It’s key to keep mindful as a BDSM PR agency. They probably just had a moment of anger, and wanted to vent. Reply professionally and in good time, and if it’s something you can deal with then and there, do it. Don’t wait for them to email again and ask why you haven’t responded.
Positive Spins on a Crisis
Once you’ve done all your initial crisis management and resolved the situation to the best of your ability, now’s the time to do what any good PR does. Have you solved an issue quickly and efficiently which resulted in a happy customer? Great, put it on your testimonial screen. Managed to embrace a compromising or embarrassing situation? Capitalise on iron social media. A good PR will always look to get press coverage, whether that be through conflict resolution, or breaking the news with an embarrassing story.
The most important thing to remember about crisis management is that your aim is damage limitation. Take some deep breaths, not everything that happens is a crisis. You don’t need to stress about every little thing that happens, as chances are, it’s solvable, and easily. If you want to talk to us about managing your personal brand as a BDSM worker, then don’t hesitate to click here to email us. We’re always happy to chat, and offer advice!