Despite these successes, virtually every segment of America’s influencer class is attacking companies large and small. Gas stations and oil companies are demonized for prices, airlines for delays and cancellations, and real estate and tech firms for layoffs and hiring reversals. These hostile narratives ignore that companies are preoccupied with meeting the demands of inflation, supply chains, and sagging labor participation.

And unless businesses start pushing back, these critiques will likely shift from words to actions – higher taxes, more regulations, and consumer lawsuits.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs especially could be decisive in shaping public opinion about the realities of business. Each of us was raised by business owners, and today we each run a company. James’s mother ran a gas station, where she earned the industry norm of about five cents’ profit per gallon. Dustin lugged shingles up the ladder for his parents’ roofing company and took orders at their inn. Our communities did not look at our parents as distant villains guilty of price gouging — a charge that a number of Washington, D.C. talking heads now lob at service station owners — but as neighbors who fueled their daily commutes and repaired their leaky roofs.

Stores can’t just sell gas, cigarettes, and donuts at a time when politicians are accusing them of price gouging: They need to tell their story to customers to bolster goodwill. Customers may not feel any obligation to go to bat for Exxon-Mobil executives, but they will surely do so for Teresa, the service station manager ready with a pot of coffee each morning.

There are three parts to that story. First, define the value your business brings to the community. Gas stations keep people going to and from work, enabling people to provide for their own families. Airlines provide travel opportunities which were unimaginable 100 years ago, and tech companies have revolutionized virtually every part of our lives for the better. Small businesses will be essential to this narrative’s success; they sponsor Little League teams and participate in ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Their local and regional earned media, and support from community leaders, will serve as ambassador programs for their individual brands as well as the entire private sector.

Second, share the facts, even the ones which are uncomfortable. Only 40 percent of a barrel of oil hits the fuel pump — the rest is in our water bottles, t-shirts, and jet fuel. Gas stations themselves are not large corporations, but rather small businesses run by families. Airlines’ delays and cancellations are in large part due to pilot shortages produced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The real estate market suffers from the opposite problem. After experiencing a hiring surge as consumers relocated as a result of COVID and other social factors, the market has settled down.

Firms have not been aggressive enough about communicating these difficult truths, and bad faith actors have filled that vacuum. Which leads to step number three: using a surround-sound marketing and branding strategy to ensure that all target audiences hear a business’ story.

Only a surround-sound marketing and branding strategy has the ability to penetrate America’s 24-hour, social media-driven news cycle. Customers at the checkout counter may listen sympathetically about the challenges of running a small business, but they will forget unless they hear that message again and again on a variety of platforms in a variety of ways. They need to hear an ad on their commute, see your social media posts, and read your story in the press.

Business leaders must invest in a messaging strategy to remind the public of the value they bring to communities, or the anti-business hostility will only get worse. Small business owners and entrepreneurs on the ground are the first line of defense against hostile thought leaders; perhaps their grassroots efforts will give corporations the courage to speak out and defend the market economy that has made America the most prosperous nation in human history.

This piece was originally published by Real Clear Markets.

The situation was so bad that Southwest CEO Gary Kelly took take time away from growing his company to staunch the bleeding with appearances on Good Morning America and CNBC, and a public apology to customers.  

Today, every mistake can turn into millions of dollars of damage to a company’s bottom line or brand. In 2018, one Starbucks manager’s decision in Philly became a shutdown for every Starbucks store in America. Chick-fil-A angered conservatives when it stopped donating to The Salvation Army (donations which angered the left). Delta angered all sides when it ping-ponged about Georgia’s voting law. Burger King’s effort to promote female chefs ran into a Twitter mob that forced the multi-national corporation into a full retreat.

But as quick as the public is to judge and attack – we also have short attention spans. United is #3 in the trusted airline survey, despite its CEO blaming a customer when the customer was assaulted on a flight. The company recovered millions of dollars in stock losses within days. Chick-fil-A continues to thrive, including by earning the most revenue per location in the fast-food industry.

Businesses need to recognize that they may be attacked at any time. You may not actually do anything wrong – but when it bleeds, it leads in a social media-driven news cycle. Therefore, businesses should engage in a proactive marketing and branding strategy to build customer trust that will keep revenue coming during and after a crisis.

First, put value to customers before customer values. No liberal goes to Starbucks for accountants, and no conservative goes to Chick-fil-A for mechanics. Most people make purchasing decisions based upon quality, customer service, price, reputation, and/or convenience. Focusing on universal needs and timeless values allows company executives to focus on growth while creating a bastion for crises. Putting value to customers before customer values also protects you from getting the “wrong” answer as values change.

Second, build brand trust well before crises arrive. United, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks held onto core customer markets even during the worst of their crises. This starts with a surround-sound marketing strategy which includes:

• Getting press which your target markets trust. This will help drive sales, giving you a bigger customer base and more revenue to overcome crisis-related dips. It will also help people see the good about you before and during a crisis. Quality press includes first-person interviews and op-eds by your spokesperson, a profile about your company or leadership, and inclusion in wide-scope articles, podcast segments, and TV clips.
• Turning press into website, social media, and newsletter collateral. In the short term, this will improve your marketing outcomes. In the long run, it will build a digital foundation for trust.
• Building relationships with influencers, such as media voices, industry leaders, and community leaders. Getting these people on your side before a crisis means they will hear you out and may have your back when times are tough.

Third, don’t panic during a crisis. A well-prepared company has customer trust, a positive digital brand, and a limited target market. Silence can be your friend; never punch down or respond to irrelevant haters. The public has a short attention span, so stay focused on what you do best, quickly own up to mistakes, and accurately deflect falsehoods through trusted media.

The bad news about owning a business today is that critics can turn one bad event into a groundswell of opposition. The good news is that the new rules of business branding have a time-tested solution: be the best at what you do, and build trust through company culture, and effective marketing and branding. Your company will grow faster, avoid and deflect critics more often, and bounce back from true crises more quickly.

This piece was originally published by Dustin Siggins at Inside Sources.