Crisis Mgmt | Internal Comm

CRISIS MANAGEMENT | INTERNAL COMM

So much pressure is put onto public appearance and response during a crisis, that some companies speed right past informing their employees on what is happening before their statement blindly appears on CNN. As the head of social media, I have found out crucial news via a statement my company sent out by wondering why someone is tweeting the brand page about it >> UM. HELLO. That puts me in a position of distrust as an employee because I now feel a distance between my company and what it’s telling the outside world, AND it seriously messes with reactive PR because I have not been read in on the situation and have no idea what the company’s response and talking points are. TELL YOUR EMPLOYEES before telling anyone outside of the company. This is a rule I use when consulting with clients, no matter what the crisis is and no matter who the client is. When you give your employees the respect of letting them know what is happening before they read it in a news headline, you’re able to provide them with the right tools to fight for you out in public. When you disrespect them and let them find out via third-party sources, they are more likely to disconnect from you and feel less of a need to defend the company.

A video directly from the CEO is usually preferred, emailed to each employee with the company’s domain so they have the inability to forward it on and betray your own trust. If that’s not possible, it’s still best to flag an email as “important” and share the statement. If you’re a small company, pick up the damn phone and speak with your employees 1:1.

The statement is not the only thing you need to arm employees with. You should be transparent with where you plan on sharing the statement and provide employees with a general FAQ guide focused around the crisis. What do they say if a family member asks them something? What should they do if a reporter tweets them for their opinion on a crisis? What are some good general statements they can share?

And if you think you are done there, think again. The #1 thing employees will want to know is, how are you going to protect and empower them as employees during this crisis? Share all benefits available to them, even re-sharing basic benefits like vacation days, personal days, flex-schedule, health insurance, etc. BE HONEST about potential layoffs. If you think there could be lay offs in the future, don’t say “No layoffs”. It’s better to say something like, “It’s unclear right now how this will directly impact different roles within the company”. It’s quite common for roles to expand into “T-shaped” positions during crisis where everyone needs to help with everything. Note this, stating how much you value your employees and there might be moments during the upcoming months where they need to perform tasks outside of their role. Spend some time with the VP of HR and figure out if there are any additional benefits you can provide to make your employees feel more secure. I’ve seen companies where a new “flex-schedule” is introduced and it made employees work even harder for the company while feeling secure that they could leave to take care of what they need to during the day.

YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE YOUR COMPANY. It really is that black and white. Sometimes it’s easy to want to go protect your company’s reputation right away and deal with employee fallout later, but if you let your employees in on what is going on right from the start, they will protect your reputation with you more than you ever could have by going to CNN first.

– Marji J. Sherman

Frequently asked questions

AI-forward marketing, in plain language

What is AI-forward marketing?

AI-forward marketing is the practice of using generative AI tools — large language models, image generation, and AI agents — to plan, produce, and distribute marketing content while preserving a clear brand voice and editorial judgment. It pairs AI for speed and scale with humans for strategy and quality control.

Who does Marji Sherman work with?

Marji works with B2B SaaS, financial services, healthcare, and consumer brands whose in-house marketing teams want to integrate AI into social media, content, and editorial. Past clients include Capital One, KOHLER Co., the ADL, the United Methodist Church, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Answer Engine Optimization is the discipline of structuring brand content so it can be cited and surfaced by AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. It includes entity-clear copy, FAQ schema, structured data, and topic authority — and it is now a core part of every engagement Marji runs.

How long does an engagement take?

Most strategy engagements run six to twelve weeks. Workshops are one to two days. Ongoing advisory retainers are quarterly. Marji takes on a small number of partner engagements per quarter to keep work hands-on.

Will AI replace my marketing team?

No. AI replaces tasks, not teams. The brands winning right now are the ones whose marketers learn to direct AI — using it for research, drafting, and repurposing, while keeping editorial judgment, taste, and brand voice in human hands.