The worst of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey are now over, but major marketing disruptions continue.
We issued a Special Alert about what to do when Hurricane Harvey hit the Southwest.
Now our prayers … and marketing strategy recommendations … extend to Florida and states up north such as Georgia.
Every marketer must be aware that Hurricane Harvey and Irma will have a profound and prolonged impact on your current response rates and long-range response rates.
Both hurricanes have lashed their respective areas with winds and rain of biblical proportions.
Businesses are devastated, lives are shattered and an economic disruption of historic proportions will have an impact on your clients, prospects, and their businesses in these areas.
Do not market in these impacted areas … probably for months … at least until January.
Here are 7 things you should do now:
Strategy #1: Stop Marketing in the Impacted Areas: You should be omitting all direct mail, electronic marketing and digital marketing in Hurricane Irma’s path. Three weeks ago, I stopped all marketing in the impacted areas, as I alerted you to do. Don’t waste money in these areas: the attention and ability to respond to your offer is badly crippled and will ruin your response.
Strategy #2: Suspend Direct Mail Marketing: I stopped all my clients’ mail into the areas If you are doing any mailing, make sure you omit any zip codes in the Houston, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia areas. Personally, I would not send mail to Texas, Louisiana or Florida areas for 60 days, and greater Houston for 12 months. It won’t be delivered. Nobody will respond. It will be a complete waste.
Strategy #3: Suspend Digital Advertising: On all digital media – Google, Facebook, TrueView, etc. – suspend all marketing in those areas. In fact, I recommend suspending any marketing in the next several days as peoples’ attention and concern is focused, not on buying your product or service, but on the news and drama taking place in the lower United States.
Strategy #4: Suspend Electronic Advertising: I have told all my clients, no TV or radio in the impacted areas for now.
Strategy #5: Donate to Charities Aiding Flood Victims: I recommend donating to Samaritan’s Purse, which is on the ground now helping those in a way that government, with all of its great servants now helping, are not able to do. To contribute, CLICK HERE.
Strategy #6: If Your Business Is Donating: You may want to 1) Tell your customers a portion of their sales is going to help the victims, and 2) Offer a matching donation.
Strategy #7: Please Pray: Let’s pray and help those whose lives are shattered in these areas. It’s been awesome to watch people in the disaster area … people who are hurting, people who are feeling personal loss, reaching out and aiding others. That’s exactly the American spirit and that’s what is happening as strangers help strangers. All of us need to keep them in prayer and do what we can to help.
What do you think? Write me at [email protected]