While the integration of artificial intelligence and digital marketing tools can be useful, itโs easy to forget that marketers are, in fact, human. As such, errors are inevitable. Striving for perfection with every campaign is not only unrealistic, it will also leave you flailing when something truly goes wrong.
When that happens, all eyes will be on you. Make sure your team is ready to make amends and embrace real solutions. It might seem counterintuitive to prepare for failure, but itโs a necessary step. With the following strategies in mind, marketers can bounce back from mistakes stronger than ever.
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Make a Plan
The first step is to simply acknowledge that mistakes happen and ensure your team knows how to handle them. Letโs say a previously scheduled social media post went live during a national or global tragedy, unintentionally making the company look insensitive to current events. Is the immediate response to delete the post? Issue an apology? If the latter, whoโs going to write it? What are the next steps moving forward?
This requires some upfront training and decision making, but youโll be glad you made the effort when things go sideways. Otherwise, you risk leaving your team flailing, which typically leads to rash decisions that could just make matters worse. Keep your tone in mind during training, which is where our next tip comes into play.
Apologize Like You Mean it
Weโve all seen the classic brand non-apology: the passive voice, the avoidance of responsibility, the displacement of blame. Pro tip: do not do this. Apologies must be sincere and empathetic; they should also actually include the words โweโre sorryโ without any qualifiers (โif you were offended!โ). When youโre in a crisis and all eyes are on you, itโs time to show what youโre made of. Instead of shifting blame or downplaying the problem, you need to take responsibility.
Empathy is key here. Sure, the mistake wasnโt intentional, but that doesnโt make customersโ feelings any less valid. Keep your audience in mind and let them know youโre genuinely sorry, rather than taking a defensive stance against criticism.
Specify a Solution
Okay, despite your best efforts, somethingโs gone wrong. Your team handled it as well as could be expected, and youโve apologized to your audience. Whatโs next? Itโs time to clearly communicate the steps youโre taking to fix the mistake and prevent it from ever happening again.
Finding the right solution may not be easy or immediate, but whatโs important is being transparent about what the company is doing to rectify its mistakes. Once youโve done that, make sure to design a process that prevents the issue from occurring again. Most customers are understanding and willing to forgive; as we said, no oneโs perfect. However, to retain that trust, you need to be open and honest about how youโre fixing the problem.
Mistakes are unfortunate, but theyโre part of life. No matter what industry youโre in, youโre bound to see employees from ground level to CEO make a wrong move once in a while. How you react to those mistakes is what shows character, and thatโs especially true in an industry as visible as marketing. Remember, perfection isnโt a realistic goal, and chasing it will only leave you unprepared for inevitable errors. By keeping this advice in mind, you can weather the crisis without losing your customersโ respect and trust.
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