(ThyBlackMan.com) Businesses don’t operate in isolation, separated from the rest of the community – they work in tandem with it. Companies, therefore, need to ensure that they have excellent public relations. If they don’t, they open up all kinds of legal and regulatory risks, some of which could be a fundamental threat to their operations. Merritt Group is one of many firms who can combat the negativity, and actually help promote your business the positive way. Public relations when dealing with the public must be taken seriously.
Managers of firms in the B2B sector don’t consider public relations a great deal. Their clients are other businesses, not customers, and so what the community thinks about their operations seems a little irrelevant.
So long as they serve their customers, all is well, right?
Not so fast. As anyone who has been in business for a long time will tell you, that’s not the way that the world works. You can’t leach chemicals into a local river that poisons the inhabitants of a local town without expecting some backlash. It is inevitable.
Even B2B companies, therefore, need to think carefully about their public relations. They need to develop strategies that convince local communities that they operate in their best interests. It should be clear to the general population that they’re not at risk. Firms must make it evident that they’re doing everything that they can to limit and mitigate the fallout of their operations.
So, if you’re a B2B business, what should you be doing to make sure that your public relations remain good? How can you avoid regulatory and legal action? 
Create A Detailed Hazard Response Plan And Publicize It
If you operate a business that deals with hazardous substances, then putting adequate material safety data sheet (MSDS) management in place is vital. You need to make sure that if you suffer a chemical spill, you’re able to keep your staff and members of the local community safe. The worst thing you can do is have no plan at all and then just react to a developing problem for the first time. You must consult with professionals ahead of time to ensure that you can use their resources in the event of a disaster.
Once you have a system in place, publicize it so that everyone in the community knows that you take their health and wellbeing seriously. Distribute information on your website or post information in the local paper. Talk to the local government about the steps that you’ve taken so far.
Emphasize Your Commitment To Your Employees
Regardless of where your firm sits in the structure of production, it is always important to treat your employees well. The general public is scathing of firms that do not implement reasonable working conditions for their employees. So even if you do not sell directly to end-users, you may find that your brand suffers.
Companies in the B2B sector still need to attract the best talent. They must source the top people to carry out their operations effectively. If word gets around that you treat your colleagues poorly, it can mean that you struggle to find the people you need.
Remember: highly talented people can quickly go elsewhere for work. They don’t have to stick with you. Thus, if word gets out that you treat colleagues with contempt, then you’re going to feel the pain.
Avoid Sourcing From Companies With Poor Ethical Track Records
Your company might have excellent ethical standards and a noble mission. But if you source inputs from a firm that doesn’t apply the same standards of care in its operations, then it can reflect poorly on your brand.
Take Apple Computers, for instance. While the US-based company provides excellent care and wellbeing for its domestic employees, its suppliers do not. Foxconn – a company that makes computer chips for the iPhone – had to install netting around the perimeter of its factory to stop employees from jumping to their deaths and killing themselves.
Apple, of course, is a B2C company. Still, the principle remains – if you use unscrupulous companies that do not implement high labor standards, then you’re asking for trouble. Eventually, somebody will find out, and your brand will suffer.
Where possible, put pressure on your suppliers to improve their approach. Insist that they enhance health and safety, and threaten to take business elsewhere if they do not.
Reduce Fear Of New Technologies
While people do not fear the robot revolution just yet, make no mistake that it is coming. For that reason, firms in the secondary sector need to begin planning for a potential PR nightmare right now. It is entirely possible that we could see mass panic about the impact of technology on jobs and livelihoods going forward.
Staff Writer; Doug Jackson