Disaster Info Team

Effective Whole Community Digital Communications Planning

Recommendations from practitioners who have actively participated

in disseminating information during major disasters

Disaster Info Team

Today’s Topics• Determining demographics• Channel creation• Interfacing with government agencies and public sector

stakeholders• Policy development• Embracing the whole community approach (including

second responders, local actors)• Disaster Info Model template• Marketing strategies• Resources and Examples

Disaster Info Team

We’re SocialPercent of online adults who use:

– Facebook: 72% (71%)o 1.65 billion users worldwide; 989 million mobile users dailyo 163 million visit daily (in the US alone)o Fairly gender neutral

– Pinterest: 31% (21%)o 100+ million userso 85% women

– Instagram: 28% (17%)o 400+ million monthly active users

– LinkedIn: 25% (22%)o 443+ million users

– Twitter: 23% (18%)o 310 million monthly active userso 65 million of those in the US

Source: http://www.pewresearch.org/data-trend/media-and-technology/social-networking-use/http://www.statista.com

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We’re Social

Source: http://www.statista.com

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We’re Mobile• Smartphone growth has been in double digit

percentages for several years. – 68% of US citizens have a smartphone– 45% of US citizens have a tablet– 823 million Facebook users are mobile only– 54% log in from mobile only

• Tablet and smartphone growth continues; phone, game console, e-readers flat

• Age demographics:– 86% of those 18 – 29 have a smartphone (US)– 83% of those 30 – 49 have a smartphone (US)

Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/http://expandedramblings.com

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Age Impact• Gen-X (in 2016, age 36-51)

– Best educated: 29% have college degrees– 41+- million

• Millennials (in 2016, age 20-35)– Digital natives: never lived w/o technology– 71+- million

• Gen-X and Millennials don’t read email. They text, share photos & videos, and chat online.

• Fastest growing demographics– Age 55-64 on Twitter– Age 55+ on Facebook

Source: Prior sources, plus http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/

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The Growth of Social Networking

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The Growth of Social & Mobile Worldwide

http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/digital-in-2016?ref=http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/

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Demographics Determine Channels• Determine your audience

– Residents, commuters, local employees, seniors, disabled, tourists, college students, foreign speaking populations, homeless, minors, vulnerable populations

– A sustainable community attempts to reach its entire population

• Determine age groupings for these populations• Determine primary communication methodologies

– Match each audience and age grouping to its primary and secondary communication methods

• Rank needed communication methods and channels– Cover all audiences with at least one channel– Don’t forget traditional methods: paper, bullhorns, radio,

flyers at high-traffic areas, etc

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Preparing a Digital Communications Plan• Discuss, decide and document:

– Where will information originate?– Who may speak for your agency?– How will you control channel creation?– Which social channels will you use? – What will be the process, the flow?– What policies will you implement? What will they say?– How will you engage visitors?– How will you handle records retention?– Do you need to address employee use as part of your plan?– Will you post other than government information?– How will you handle citizen publishers?

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Interfacing with Government Agencies• Be Prepared in Advance

– Meet with government officials, including OEMo Build trust in you and your effortso Stress cooperation, not competitiono Find out how your efforts can be most helpful

– Explain how your efforts will add valueo In any large scale disaster, traditional government communications will be

overwhelmedo Citizen actors can assist and offload gov’t communicators

– Document your strategy and planso Share contact data (yours and theirs)o Collect useful area documentation and links

– Use follow up letters, emails and/or phone calls to keep channels of communication open

– Consider a school board liaison (school board member, school PIO or similar role)

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Interfacing with Government Agencies• Considerations during an event

– Have lots of coffee available– Refer often to official sources in your posts– Interface with unofficial viral sources

o Wade through the noise: monitor social siteso Manage rumors: fact or fiction

– Report rumors and misinformation to gov’t officials for response– Investigate rumors as appropriate on your own– Post official responses on your sites / channels

– Share official sources on unofficial sites– Include officials as editors on your sites / channels– Design your sites / channels to function as alternatives to

official sites if they go down

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Interfacing with Private Sector Stakeholders• Include, at a minimum:

– Chambers of Commerce– Utility companies (public and private)– Economic Development organizations– Faith-based groups– Local and national non-profit organizations (Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions,

Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc)• Have at hand links to their emergency channels• Provide them with links to your channels

– Be sure to include official government channels in your literature– Remember: cooperation, not competition

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Policy Development• Have Policies in Place Before Launch

– Adopt an internal policy to control social channel creation– Adopt “Use” and “Commenting” policies

o Indicate your pages are not forums, but moderated discussions

o Monitor your social channels and handle violationso What others can say on your sites; What you can say and how

to say it on your own sites; What your representatives can / should say on other sites

– Copyright infringement• Update Policies and Rules Frequently

– Inconsistency of application for Terms of Use with government requirements (liability issues, state laws)

– Consistency and compliance with court decisions, legislative changes, and federal gov’t requirements.

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Embracing the Whole Community Approacho People feel invested and empowered in a community-based effort.o People want to help. The whole community approach provides a structure

where they can do so.o Giving people something to do calms them during an event.o FEMA Recognizes and Recommends the Whole Community Approach

– “We fully recognize that a government-centric approach to emergency management is not enough to meet the challenges posed by a catastrophic incident.”

– “When the community is engaged in an authentic dialogue, it becomes empowered to identify its needs and the existing resources that may be used to address them. ”

– “Engaging the whole community and empowering local action will better position stakeholders to plan for and meet the actual needs of a community and strengthen the local capacity to deal with the consequences of all threats and hazards.”

Source: http://www.fema.gov/whole-community

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Second Responders / Public Actors• Second responders are those members of the public who

feel like they have something to offer and want to help.– They don’t know what to do and will, sometimes, do things that

are counter-productive to rescue and recovery efforts.– Important to identify them, keep them engaged, focus their

energies, support official government response efforts.• Have a place for people to register before or during

– Ask for location, skills, equipment so people can be used where they’re needed

– Have a form ready so info can be turned over to an agency or group to vet those offering to help

– Don’t allocate individuals on your own. – Announce volunteer opportunities on your sites / channels.

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Disaster Info Model Template

• Developed after experience with Joplin Tornado

• Provides a defined methodology for the Whole Community Approach

• Advance planning builds trust among all entities

• Pre-planning helps to avoid last minute hijacking of response and recovery efforts by otherwise well-meaning citizens

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Disaster Info Model Template√ Develop a “Whole Community” Communications Plan√ Determine the demographics for the targeted communications area√ Write and adopt policies needed to implement the plan√ Evaluate appropriate social channels, administrators, content publishers, and monitors√ Use a consistent, generic email address for channel registrations√ Determine a work flow, including all stakeholders √ Set up a multi-level, broad based organizational contact list√ Build rapport and trust among public sector, private sector, non-profit and volunteer leaders√ Set up public social channels based on demographics√ Set up private communication channels for group communication√ Develop a Marketing Plan, including cross channel and cross sector marketing√ Become THE trusted source for information

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Marketing Your Strategy• Start out slow. Build momentum before an event.• Consider

– Press releases, church bulletins, flyers– Speaking engagements for local civic groups– Local buy and sell newspapers or websites, – Local community social channels, apps like NextDoor– Official government e-newsletters– Facebook or Google advertising– Cross-marketing with other Twitter, FB, Instagram or G+ channels

• Get friends to write about your site(s) on social media • Act as if you have thousands of followers even if you don’t

Add value and they will come!

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Useful Links• Disaster Info Model Template

– DisasterInfoTeam.org & Stormzero.com

• Resources– https://stormzeroconsulting.wordpress.com/resources/

• Policies – http://archivesocial.com/social-media-resources-for-government– http://www.qld.gov.au/web/social-media/principles/– https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/fact-sheets/nlrb-and-social-media– http://www.govtech.com/social/Can-Louisiana-Public-Agencies-Control-

Employees-Social-Media-Posts.html

• Municipal Certifications– Example: SustainableJersey.com with Action Plans for Developing

Communication Planso Emergency Management & Resilienceo Public Information and Engagement

Disaster Info Team

Contact Information

Carol A. SpencerStormzero, LLC

Rockaway, NJ 07866973-637-0483

Stormzero.comcarol@stormzero.com

Rebecca J. WilliamsDisaster Info Team, LLC

Neosho, MO 64850417-434-0379

DisasterInfoTeam.orgrebecca@stormzero.com