Knowing customers are more eager than ever to find pertinent business location information during times of crisis, such as natural disasters like hurricanes, it’s imperative for every business, irrespective of industry, to convey accurate information where customers turn to most: the internet. To weather the storm to your best ability your business must protect your local listings, enhance your digital presence across all your locations, and keep a pulse on customer feedback.
Natural disasters strike at inopportune moments, causing catastrophe for businesses and consumers alike. Being prepared is half the battle, a delicate balance of being transparent while also walking the tightrope of keeping your local business afloat.
Such was the case for many business locations based in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia amid the two back-to-back hurricanes that swept certain areas unexpectedly. Over 2.3 million businesses and homes were left without power, and therefore completely shut down.
Aside from the physical challenges of Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, local businesses were also affected in the digital landscape. While some of the damage was unexpected, leaving marketers and SEOs alike scrambling to survive the storm, others had warning of Hurricane Milton’s likely damaging effects.
Customers in need of crucial supplies desperately scrolled their mobile devices and desktops for businesses in their near vicinity to solve their needs. Some of these businesses took preemptive measures, closing their doors well before chaos struck for the safety of their employees. Others took a bit longer to close shop, waiting until the hurricanes were predicted to be at their worst before shutting down operations.
In this post, we’ll provide a comprehensive, step-by-step action plan for surviving and keeping your business thriving during and after natural disasters, ensuring your business weathers the storm and protects your local digital presence.
The calm before the storm
Prior to Hurricane Milton creating mass destruction, many businesses were unsuspecting of its road to ruin.
In fact, many weren’t aware at all of where the storm would hit, causing confusion among businesses and consumers as to whether or not they’d be affected. In turn, businesses weren’t able to update their local business presence—local landing pages, local listings—before the hurricane swept through. Customers were left to wonder if businesses were in fact still open or if they were closed, breeding chaos and confusion. Not knowing where to turn to for help during an unexpected natural disaster can lead to poor customer experiences and negative brand perception—much of which was expressed in the form of customer reviews post-hurricane.
Had these businesses created a crisis communication plan prior to the hurricane’s devastating effects , customers would’ve been less likely to feel neglected and unimportant.
Steps to take before the storm
We recommend taking the following steps before disaster has an opportunity to arise.
- Create a plan: Every location matters, making it crucial to develop a communications plan that details how you’ll communicate with your employees and customers at any time, even during natural disaster events.
- Establish responsibilities: Disasters deserve more detail. Ensure every employee is well-versed in who to communicate with during crises, contact information for key employees in each department, messaging guidelines, and a plan for how to update your online presence (listings and pages) when unexpected events like storms strike.
- Update your online business information: Be there for your customers when it matters most. Ensure that your contact information (such as address, hours, phone number, and attributes) are updated anywhere customers can find you such as search engines, online directories, and your website. A local search marketing partner can help you make these changes on the fly, eliminating the hefty burden of work on your team.
Protecting your digital presence during the storm
Your first inclination when the storm hits, is likely to worry about your business. However, it’s important to shift your mindset towards what moves your business forward most: your customers.
Maintaining open lines of communication with your customers is critical. That’s why you must shift your attention to where they prefer to communicate with you most. Your customers will likely flock to your local listings, website, social media channels, chat support, reviews, and email to get the information they need.
Steps to take during the storm
A well-rounded digital crisis plan is necessary to mitigate customer concerns, build trust, and create great customer experiences.
Take the following steps to stay connected, responsive, and resilient when the hurricane hurdles your direction.
- Update your listings in real-time: Undoubtedly, customers will want to hear from your business as confusion and fear begins to spread. Update your local listings across platforms like Google Business Profile, Apple, Yelp, niche industry-specific directories, and more to keep customers informed. Mark your business as temporarily closed to avoid customers driving to your location only to find it’s not open. This will help manage customer expectations while also avoiding unnecessary foot traffic. A local marketing partner can help you make changes in a hurry, ensuring every business location gets the assistance it needs.
- Perfect your local pages: Your webpages serve as a free advertisement for your business’ services. They’re also another place customers often look when trying to gauge whether they should visit your closest physical location or purchase online. Update each of your location landing pages’ hours of operation, closures, reopening times, and highlight the best way for customers to contact the individual location.
- Spread the word on social: In addition to your website, customers will likely find their way to your Facebook Business Page and other social accounts to gather more information. Use your social channels as a form of quick communication to update your customers on store closures, changes in hours, out of stock products, and other essential updates.
- Automate your emails: Customers may also email or use a chatbot to get the latest from your business. Turn on automatic email communication to inform your customers of any changes in business hours, delays, closures, or when you plan to reopen. Segment your lists and create more personalized messaging to improve your tone and delivery during times when customer emotions are likely heightened.
Assessing the aftermath
After your business survives the storm, it’s time to assess the aftermath. There were likely repercussions after any type of natural disaster to your digital presence.
Taking swift action can help ease the post-storm tension, improving your online brand reputation and building authority with your customer base. This won’t be just evaluating physical damage—it’s also about checking how your local listings, digital presence, and customer communication fared during the crisis.
Steps to take after the storm
Take a leap in the right direction by proactively managing your listings, online reputation, and web pages right when the storm passes to better serve your customers.
We’ll outline below our top strategies for surpassing the post-storm aftermath as smoothly as possible.
Revisit your local listings
In the case of a natural disaster, it’s likely your business had to update pertinent information to better inform customers of your service offerings. After the event passes, it’s important to revisit this information to ensure it’s reflected correctly.
Be sure to check your website and local listings to arm your customers with accurate post-storm information such as updated hours, removing temporary closures, and more.
Communicate with customers
Your customers will be eager and ready to hear from you after the storm passes. They’ll want to know if your location was affected, if you’re able and ready to serve their needs again, and if they should drive to your physical storefront.
Transparency is key. Share updates on your website, social media, and by email informing them of the current state of your business.
Create a Google Post to share these updates in a way that’s highly visible to local searchers.
Whether you’ve fully reopened your business or are taking gradual steps to get there, make this clear to avoid any confusion or frustrations.
Respond to reviews
Despite your best efforts, customers may still voice their opinions through online reviews. After the storm, it’s important to keep a pulse on positive and negative feedback left by your customers on platforms like Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and more.
Respond to every review, prioritizing responding to negative reviews first. Ensure your responses convey empathy and address concerns to the best of your ability.
Monitor your local search engine optimization (SEO)
If your business sits in an area that’s been affected by a natural disaster, like Hurricane Milton and Helene, you may see fluctuations in SEO conversion metrics such as driving directions, clicks to call, website traffic, and more.
Consider how these stark shifts may impact your SEO efforts and act accordingly.
For example, customers may be searching for terms related to disaster recovery or searching for specific products to help them repair their homes. Adjust your keywords accordingly to target popular keyword terms and phrases customers are searching for now.
Analyze your response efforts
When the storm dissipates, assess how your response efforts went. Keep the following questions in mind:
- Was your team able and ready to make changes to your listings quickly?
- Would it have been helpful to have a local marketing partner make those changes on your behalf?
- Were you able to communicate any changes to your services and products quickly?
- Have you mined for common themes in your reviews to improve your response should a hurricane occur again?
- Were there any missed opportunities for improved communication?
Consider how you’d respond to each of those questions to assess where to enhance your efforts in the future.
Recovery mode: bouncing back after
The road to recovery looks different for many businesses—some left unscathed while others were completely devastated. Whether your business has a long or short road to recovery one thing is certain: following these steps can help pave a clearer path to protecting your business’ digital presence.
Keep your customers informed, respond to their questions and concerns swiftly, and maintain accurate information in all the places they can find you. By doing so, your business will be better poised to bounce back quickly, proving to your key stakeholders, employees, and customers that you’re a force to be reckoned with, even in the face of challenges.
How Rio SEO helped its clients weather the storm
Rio SEO serves a vast array of industries—from financial services to healthcare. During Hurricane Helene and Milton, many of our customers needed to quickly communicate changes. Over 10,000 locations and 26 Rio SEO customers received quick updates and rapid response times to accommodate these changes during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Rio SEO’s client services teams worked around the clock to ensure every affected business was able to quickly change their business information to ensure customers weren’t left out to dry. The results: happier customers, fewer negative reviews, more accurate listing and web pages information, and improved customer safety.
If you’re not already leaving your listings with a trusted local marketing partner, consider taking a leap of faith. Additionally, if your current partner isn’t stepping up to the plate when you need the most, it may be time to consider a switch.
A partner, like Rio SEO, can help your business prepare, communicate and take action more quickly and efficiently. Set your business up for success with a team that acts as an extension of your business—during global health pandemics, hurricanes, and more.
