September marks the halfway point of hurricane season, but that doesn’t mean we can relax. Preparing for major storms is an ordeal on many levels. We worry about our families, our homes, and our vehicles as storm threats appear. But it’s more than the standard worries for a business owner. Double up all of those property concerns and add the worries about customers and getting back on your feet. In our field we often ask our clients one simple question, is your marketing ready for a hurricane?
Communicating with your clients in the event of a natural disaster can seem like a lot, but it’s a simple matter of preparation. Follow these three tips to help start your planning today.
Know Your Team
Who will be handling your marketing and communication? Do you have someone on your team who handles it? What are their plans in the event of an evacuation? When a natural disaster is on its way you have a lot of communication to get out for your customers. It’s vital to know who will be putting out that information and to make sure that the flow of communication is unbroken. We often help our clients by providing a team focused on just this issue so we know how important it is.
Know Your Message
What’s the most important information for your customers to know? What services will change? Will operating times be the same? Or will there be new procedures in place as a result of the storm? When are you closing? When will you reopen?
There’s a lot of information you may need to communicate with your clients. Knowing what that is and when it needs to be shared is vital to a business’ hurricane response. Even if there isn’t massive damage, those are lost days of business and you need to make sure people know you’re open and operating. Take the time while things are good to know what you want to say and when you need to say it.
Know Your Audience
Are you speaking to new customers or existing ones? The messages for these different groups can be very different when dealing with crisis communications. Taking a moment to figure out who needs to know what can help streamline communication and ensure business operations face minimal impact.
Your Stingray Branding Team
As a business owner, a lot of things are on your plate. But not everything needs to be. Preparing your business for a potential natural disaster is something we can help you with. Our team of experts loves working with people just like you, helping the demystify the complexities of marketing, and putting a talented team to work for you. If you have questions about your marketing, or it’s time to take it to the next level, contact us today!
