Since the Sonoma Fires, I have received so many questions about marketing that I wanted to make sure I answered every one. These two questions from my Social Media Q&A with Kerry Rego were so good, I wanted to add them here so others could learn from them as well.

From a Solar Company: In the weeks immediately following the firestorm, we wanted to let people know that we are available to help with insurance claims, system repairs, and/or cost estimates if they are planning to rebuild. How can we make people aware of these services we offer without sounding opportunistic in response to their loss?

I was so excited when I read this question because this is what everybody’s thinking.

How do we continue marketing our brand when it’s not business as usual?

And if we have something that can actually help people how do we let them know without sounding like you’re taking advantage?

Marketing in a small community should always be about transparency, especially during a crisis. My recommendation would be to email every single one of your 20 customers who lost their homes and let them know you’re here to help. Without selling them anything.

I would also create a blog post about how your business can help. Making the blog content bite-size chunks to make it easy to read (trust me -- we are all overwhelmed right now), like a blog post titled " The top five tips for homeowners after a fire" where you would help them  with tips on dealing with insurance claims, system repairs and cost estimates after a disaster. Once again this is in place to sell just provide useful information.

Because of who we are as a business (a solar installation company) and who we are as people (environmentally aware clean energy advocates!) - we want to advocate for energy efficiency guidelines and on-site renewable energy as things that are prioritized and maybe even incentivized in rebuilding guidelines.

How do we advocate for that (either in person at City Council meetings, or online via Facebook posts or blog posts) without coming across as if we want to manipulate the process to our own benefit?

Here is another example of how being transparent can help you. Being of value to people is different than selling to them.

The brands that I remember most during the Sonoma Fires are the ones that were helping, versus selling.

Let me tell you it was pretty obvious. When an eyeglass place is doing a sponsored Facebook post saying 25% off for all fire victims so they can purchase glasses, it feels disingenuous. I get that they were trying to do something nice maybe. But it came across extremely insensitive.

I have a friend who owns a hair salon in Santa Rosa. She was giving away free blowouts (hair washing and styling) to people who were displaced from the fires. She wasn’t asking for anything but she was letting people know that she was doing what she could do to help out.

You are part of this community as well. So being at City Council meetings is important and maybe you go to listen versus giving your opinion there where people might see that as manipulating the process for your own benefit. And maybe you come out of the meetings with notes and write up a blog post about it on your website. And share that.

Right now it is all about giving something of value.

We are a non-profit that runs a day service program for homeless women and children. We had to cancel our annual fundraiser scheduled for October due to the fires. November and December are traditionally our biggest fundraising months, but several of our volunteer fundraisers are not feeling comfortable asking for money for us in light of the devastating fires. Our participants’ needs are as great as ever. Can you suggest an approach for our fundraisers that would make them more comfortable asking for support?

After a natural disaster like the fires that are local, or even something like a shooting, or a hurricane that hasn’t directly affected our community, you really have two choices: you can choose business as usual, or you can choose to pause your fundraising.  The two weeks during the fire were definitely NOT business as usual.

My thought is that during the time when you couldn’t fundraiser - THAT is the time to plan. Plan a crisis communication plan if you don’t already have one, and plan for hitting the ground running for when you start back up.

Everyone has been affected by the Sonoma Fires

For you guys - the women you serve have been affected by the fires. There are currently fewer homes and jobs in the area, so it is harder for everyone to get by.  So, I would craft the message to be truthful with your donors about how the fires have affected the women you are helping.

Reach out to your big donors letting them know what you are doing. Ask for feedback because they are your biggest support system and they will be truthful to you.

If something like this ever happens again (deep breath) locally - then you can come back to your crisis management plan. And, remember - YOUR cause is worthy of the funding. The one thing that we have seen from these fires is the generosity of this community.