Thursday 17 February 2011

by Duncan Watts
Duncan is a Business Consultant at The 20/20 Group in Cairns.


Social media is an ever-evolving entity, so prior to the onset of Cyclone Yasi I was interested to see how communications via the various social media channels would play out before, during and after the event.

For as long as I had reliable electricity supply and internet access during Yasi’s approach, I trained my marketing eye on several local Facebook and Twitter feeds: Cairns Disaster Coordination Centre, Ergon and Tablelands Regional Council, to name a few.

While I found these feeds useful and informative, they also reinforced some key elements that contribute to successful social media engagement for all businesses.

Here’s how they nailed it:

They planned


From pre-cyclone preparedness information and weather warnings to post-cyclone announcements for green waste collection and school openings, it was apparent that the more informative contributors had established plans and guidelines to ensure relevant and useful communications.

What we can learn

Plan your content. Set a schedule or at least establish guidelines for what you’ll share, so people know what they can expect from you. Without this your social media will lack direction and more than likely fail to resonate with your audience.


They made someone responsible


It sounds simple, but in most cases someone would have been sitting at a computer (or their phone) and taking responsibility for posts and audience interaction.

What we can learn

Regardless of your business’s size, you need someone to take responsibility for your social media – otherwise no one will. This person should be the go-to person for getting your message out, and will probably also seek out and recognise social media opportunities when they arise.


They interacted


My personal favourite post during Cyclone Yasi involved a member of the public going above and beyond to report details of a fault to Ergon, which ended the interaction with something like: “Wow thanks for your diligence - we appreciate it and have reported the fault. Remember everyone to stay away from fallen power lines.”

That was paraphrased, but you get the gist. Genuine interaction, and a graceful ‘thank you ‘. Warm fuzzies for all!

What we can learn

Talk with your customers, not at them. Some interactions will be audience-generated, which should be treated as equally (if not more) important as your pre-planned agenda.


They responded quickly


Natural disasters also call for almost instantaneous responses to audience interactions. Some posts from the local feeds were attracting over 50 responses, and questions were generally answered within 30 minutes.

If this wasn’t going to be possible (i.e. at the end of the day) they told people they were signing off for the night.

What we can learn

Post regularly, and respond to your audience within a reasonable timeframe. Small businesses wouldn’t be expected to respond instantly within social media, but it shouldn’t take more than one business day – it looks like you’re ignoring your customers!


They monitored


Ergon showcased a great example of monitoring and responding to social media during Cyclone Yasi, rectifying any myths with a post entitled ‘Myth buster: …”

While it’s not advisable to remove critical posts (rather, you should respect your audience by responding appropriately), you’re within your rights to remove a post that may contain expletives. Just let the person know that’s why, for example “Hi xx, this post has been deleted due to offensive language”.

What we can learn

Keep an eye on how your content is received, monitor what’s said about your company (try Google Alerts) and make a decision on whether to address it.


Key Elements for Social Media

1. Plan your social media efforts to keep things consistent and on-track.
2. Make someone responsible for your social media, otherwise you’ll forget about it once the initial excitement’s worn off.
3. Talk with your audience, not at them.
4. Respond quickly (and post regularly), otherwise everyone will think you’re ignoring them.
5. Monitor how your social media efforts are received, and change things if necessary.