Social Media and Worst-Case Scenarios.

Your company is forward-thinking, so it’s made good use of social media marketing. You’ve got many contacts, and you’ve used them to get your message out. You’ve gone a step further, listening to comments generated by your product, and responding positively.

But then disaster strikes. Your city is shaken by an earthquake, or swept by a hurricane—or maybe both happen in one week! Suddenly business-as-usual isn’t possible. Your employees are trying to cope with the disaster, and might not be able to keep track of fast-breaking news that affects your business.

For that matter, your clients in other cities need to know how the disaster will affect your ability to conduct business. You can’t call everyone individually, so what you need is a way to spread information to many people at once.
It’s a good thing you were smart enough to establish a presence on social media! That presence will be invaluable now, giving you the ability to communicate with all concerned, whether they use computer, smartphone or notebook to access the internet.
The fact that you already have a social media presence is a big plus in this situation. Social media can help you reach your employees and clients during a disaster. If you plan in advance, your company won’t be disabled by lack of communication.

Decide what kind of information you’ll need if a disaster shuts down your business. A list of all employees and their contact information is a must, and you’ll need a similar list for clients. You should include a link to local news agencies and evacuation maps. Add police and fire contact information, and a listing of shelters in different areas of your cities. You may want to include advice to help your employees deal with specific emergencies, too.

When you’ve gathered this information, use social media to create a private group just for emergencies. Let your employees and your clients know where they can locate the group—and make sure that all employees are members of the group. During an emergency, you’ll have their information, and they’ll be able to stay current on how the disaster is affecting your business.