How do you use Social Media...

• Do you measure up?
• Do you know how to measure it?
• Do you know how to use it?

Check out this infographic. If you want to know more about how to make social media be a successful tool in your business...send me a tweet @MonteMartin with your phone number and I'll get right back to you...with a phone call...because the oldies but goodies still work for more indepth communication.

Disaster Preparedness: The connection to football

Pre-season football training is a large phase of any team's plan with the goal of developing optimum strength and power for the season.

Similar to building a winning team before football season, having a well-thought out and practiced disaster preparedness plan helps ensure businesses and local governments have the strength and power to successfully recover in the event of an emergency.

I'm still deployed in Alabama, assisting in the response and recovery following April's storms and 63 tornadoes. Looking forward to September, National Preparedness Month, we are working on a statewide Chamber of Commerce campaign to push out businesses across the state. Is your business or government agency ready if a disaster comes? Have you had a nagging feeling that maybe it isn't?

Off yesterday (finally a Sunday off), I did my weekly shopping and picked up a copy of "O" magazine. This months feature is about intuition. I found the following quote interesting to ponder: Intuition is knowing, without knowing. It's instinctively, knowing something that you don't know how you know.

Have you ever had that feeling you should do something, though at the time it isn't perfectly clear why? A  great example about disaster preparedness happened to one Alabama mayor.

Interviewed this past June, Tuscaloosa Mayor Maddox said he'd thought a lot about what could happen in the event of a disaster. He focused mostly on homeland security as thousands of Alabama fans pouring into Tuscaloosa for football games on select Saturday's during the fall. Never in his dreams did he imagine that listening to and then following through with a gut feeling about getting his city staff trained in Incident Command would become a real-life disaster in the form of the worst tornadoes to ever hit the state of Alabama.

Mayor Walter Maddox and his staff took Incident Command System training at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) one year before the April 27 tornadoes hit the Alabama city of some 180,000.

The exercise scenario that that city officials were presented with in training was almost identical to the real-life storms that devastated much of the university town. The actual tornado took almost the same path - off by maybe a quarter mile the width of the storm as what was practiced in training. Much of what they envisioned would be destroyed - the Emergency Operations Center, the communication tower, the police department and the fire department.

Though taking the class at EMI is a very valuable experience, but budgetary constraints right now are making off-site training a challenge for governments and businesses due to the economy.

Even if you don't go to EMI, training is available online for free beginning with IS-100.b - Introduction to Incident Command System to more advanced and specialized classes for different types of businesses, organizations and governments.

I have taken these classes, written disaster preparedness plans, been trained to work in for all types of disasters and worked on the ground in crisis management, disaster response and recovery for the private sector as well as for local and federal governments.

To my coastal friends...this is hurricane season! Don't wait until a hurricane is on the way to write a plan. It is too late then.

And remember that regardless of where you live, emergencies of any kind can and will happen. It is a matter of when not if.

Let me know how I can help you and your business get ready today!

Social Media: Managing Bears

Listening. Watching. Hungry?

The world of communication is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Instead of being more comfortable with the plethora of media and marketing opportunities, clients are telling me they are more confused than ever. One guy told me last week he thinks of marketing today as a big bear.

One of my favorite lines from the Wizard of Oz sums it up nicely, “Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

The old familiars - advertising, promotions, public relations, and other marketing tools are still on the map, but the growth and integration of online marketing, both part and partial, has changed the more familiar marketing trek. It has become more complex, yet a more adventurous expedition which can land us in a more exotic and grander locale.

In some ways, the guy was correct. With the addition of social media to the marketing mix, it can seem to be a bit more of a wild and unwieldy animal. In terms of being social, many businesses to think only of the soft side of marketing, you know, going to tradeshows, placing a pretty ad, cozying up to audiences as if they are a favorite old Teddy Bear. With the integration of sales and marketing tactics, the practice has become more complex. And if the approach is wrong, it can mean coming face-to-face with Ursus arctos horribilis, aka a Grizzly Bear.

The type of bear you cross, depends on the hour, day, or even what else is happening in the world at the moment. One thing is certain, both no matter the marketing tactics, they require patience, planning, monitoring and the ability to track in one direction or another. A successful campaign, especially addressing the large landscape of social is identified with "The Art of the Hunt."

• What is the potential? 
• Where is the largest group?
• How do we ensure capture?

Like the animal-human response mechanism, social media requires attention and interaction or it will die. You must play with it, nurture it, verbally respond and exercise monitoring techniques to measure weight, function, energy and even proliferation. Social media can be unpredictable, but there are proactive techniques, tips and training so you know what to do should the beast go buck wild.

• Do you need basic training?
• Could you use directions?
• Can you make it grow?

From a half day intro session to developing and implementing a campaign, contact me at 407-341-9866 for training and guidance. Wherever you are in regard to the social media zoo – planning a visit soon; strolling along amused and confused; or being gobbled up as prey – together we can tame the darn beast, I mean Teddy Bear.

Disaster Preparedness: Getting Personal

“Compared to other disasters, how does this one compare?”

I have been asked this interview question numerous times. My answer to reporters goes something like this: “Whether there is two inches of water your home or flooding covers a rooftop, disasters affect and impact individuals. The month before I graduated from college, my family's experienced a large house fire. I may work for FEMA, but believe me when I say that when disaster hits, it is personal, individual and comparison doesn't matter.”

No one was at home when our house fire started. A neighbor spotted smoke and called the fire department. My mom, on her way home for lunch, followed the fire trucks to our house already engulfed in flames. We were all in shock. In addition to the damage to the house, the fire ruined or burned many things. My great-great aunt’s antique crystal candlesticks melted. Mom’s wedding crystal and china burst into tiny pieces. Her beautiful handmade draperies burned. Paintings were ruined from water or smoke. My prom dresses were destroyed, my dolls turned brown from the heat, and smoke blackened the covers and pages of our books. My brother lost collectibles and the furniture in his room. Dad’s workshop burned to the ground as it was the first area struck by fire.

Fortunately, everyone, including our dog was safe. Our family had planned and practiced what to do in case of fire or tornadoes. My brother and I knew how to tie sheets together if we needed to climb out a second-story window. We knew which tree to stand under in order to account for everyone's safety. 

My parents had homeowners insurance. The insurance agent was onsite within hours and quickly hired a company to clean up the water and fire damage. The burned structural areas were reframed. Scorched living spaces were reconstructed. Insurance reimbursed my parents when they purchased new décor, furniture, clothes and replaced the molten appliances. Insurance funds covered a rental house during the months our home was being put back together.

In the midst of that situation, I would never have imagined how our house catching on fire might positively impact my future. I now know that fire was a pivital experience that helped prepare me for my work in emergency response and recovery.

I'm not very patient when driving on I-4 because I detest bumper-to-bumper traffic. Yet, as a disaster survivor shares their story, a heavenly amount of patience kicks in and my heart goes out to them. My ears are wide open to listen and between each deep breath, silent pauses and tears, I hear myself saying, "I've been there. I'm so sorry. I hear you. I understand. I'm here for you. People are here to help." I listen, encourage, share how they may recieve federal, state or local assistance, and occasionly we pray together.

Though I or the team aren't handing out money or fixing problems on the spot, once people learn help may soon be on its way negativity and tears become expressions of "Thank you," "You will be blessed you for what you do," and in the South, "God bless yall." I can say, this audible and visual feedback keeps me going the next day, sustains my faith and answers the call of my purpose.

Thanks to my mother, I learned how to plan (she's a big time list maker). I'm also strategic, creative, positive, an obsessed learner, and good at thinking on my feet - all valuable skills in the midst of a crisis. Extensive emergency management training and disaster field work are what I bring to government agencies, nonprofits and private industry when the time comes to plan, set up practice drills or manage crisis issues.

If you need help to create or update your plan, contact me at 407-341-9866 or at mmonte@hotmail.com.

Disaster Preparedness: Are you ready?

Disaster Preparedness Kit
produced for the Kentucky
Department of Emergency Management

Resolve To Be Ready

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) recently kicked off a national campaign to encourage all Americans to resolve to be Ready in 2011.

I work in the world of emergency response and recovery. Each time I return home from a deployment, I feel blessed to have been able to contribute and do my part to help people in need. It would be amazing if humankind could prevent emergencies and crisis issues. Since avoidance is a futile fancy, the best we can do is prepare.

Geologists have peeled back Earth’s topographic cloak and validated that Mother Nature’s wrath has existed on Earth since the beginning of time. Hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, polar shifts and even giant meteors have scraped, scorched, covered, shifted and altered our planet. In recent years the media has played out numerous tragedies rooted in human calamity, carelessness or intention to harm that cannot be protected by borders on a map.

When disaster strikes, it affects individuals, families, businesses and communities. Though FEMA and the agency’s employees play a huge role in the nation's emergency management team, disasters begin and end on the local level. It is for this reason Americans should step up to get ready because in a disaster-related event, prepared individuals and businesses are a huge asset to critical response and long-term recovery.

You should be confident that your emergency plan is solid, flexible and be sure your emergency kit is fully stocked. Without adequate preparation, a future disaster could mean that you, your family and your business must compete with thousands of vulnerable residents for food, water and critical resources including medical treatment and shelter.

In addition to disaster response and recovery training and hands-on experience under FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, I’ve assisted businesses, municipalities and organizations develop and update crisis plans and train employees should they come face-to-face with a worse-case scenario.

Are you prepared for emergencies? If not, I can help you Get Ready in 2011. Contact me to learn more.

Crisis Management: Training And Drills

Plan. Prepare. Practice.

The fact that training and drills needs to happen is not a debate, but for governments, costs in an uncertain economy are an issue. As well, for many companies and government agencies, exercises are scripted plays of cut and past scenarios that are practiced over and over again.

Check out this April 2, 2010 article in The Washington Post, "National disaster exercises, called too costly and scripted, may be scaled back."

As a child, I learned to tuck and cover in tornado drills, how to stand in a door frame during an earthquake, and even way back then, we had a family plan of how to escape our two-story house and a specific location for our family to meet if we had a house fire. We practiced, and yes, we experienced them all for real, even a major house fire.

The measures our family put in place to plan, prepare and practice were small in comparison to larger state or national drills and training, but they saved us when it counted most! Whether a single family or a large agency, it is crucial to have drills and training. Scenarios should be as real as possible because they can save lives. Scenarios also should be goal oriented, measurable and practiced in a way that promotes communication, coordination and collaboration.

Having been involved in local, state and federal drills, some were for fluff, to receive a pat on the back for a “job well done” and only because they were mandatory. In one drill, I observed face-to-face communication and decision makers not being able to agree on next steps. I have been involved in training scenarios where if the situation were real, citizens may have been severely affected because people could not make decisions or made bad decisions.

During one particular training drill, upper management was not pleased with unsolicited feedback from those of us responsible for the ESF#15 function (comprised of county-wide communication folks) as we stood together (four of us at the desk during the exercise) to explain the potential ramifications of their directions and decisions. Fortunately, it was only a drill. After that particular drill, management decided to involve ESF#15 more closely in strategic planning, execution of drill exercises and asked for help in reviewing the entire operation for ways to tighten up. None of us should be afraid to make mistakes, and from our mistakes, learn from them the first time. After all, moms and coaches always say, “Practice makes perfect.”

Speaking as a communications professional, whether in public relations or public affairs, looking at all angles of a situation is ingrained in our thought process. As well, we are used to accountability when planning through objectives, strategy, goals, tactics and measurement. I believe it is our responsibility to encourage and work with management or government leaders to explain the rationale for implementing the same processes employed every day doing business should be used for crisis training and management. Most business and government people understand SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Those four things can be used to measure performance in training exercises or drills. We can only find the error of our ways, discover weaknesses and adjust when necessary if training exercises and drills are executed with thought, built-in realism and include a mechanism to capture and measure performance. If we don’t insist upon it, then as communication professionals, we are the ones left to clean up the mess!

Stepping back to be sure processes and procedures are in place is sometimes necessary to ensure effective crisis planning, preparedness or practice is in place for a family as well as at the federal government level. No matter the actual hard cost or methods used to practice and train (live or simulated), successfully having implemented those three steps are priceless in a real disaster because people’s lives are at stake.

Does your company or organization have a current crisis plan in place? Do you know if your crisis plan is workable? Have you practiced your plan? Confused about crisis planning and management? Contact me to learn more.

Social Media: Twittering About Twitter?

Termed, micro blogging, Twitter is a great resource for expressing a personal brand, thought leadership and corporate brand.

Nielsen recently released staggering statistics about Twitter:

• It is the fastest growing community site increasing 1382% in visits in February 2009 versus February 2008;
• The majority of the user base (42%) is between the ages of 35-49;

Here are helpful tips for tweeters:

• Check out and consider using a hash tag when appropriate as it is a way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic. #(insert topic)
• Change your bio often to reflect a description of a project, not just about you or the reason for your twitter page;
• Include a photo or logo to connect you or your brand to your tweeple for page personalization;
• Monitor your followers. Just because you have lots of them doesn't mean they are desirable followers. Check a few followers and see who they are and what they do ; - ) Let me know what you learn! (you can change your settings to accept or reject new followers); and
• Share the "love"birdies. Retweet! Copy and paste the original tweet, then put RT @ (insert originator’s username) at the beginning of the tweet and share the best links, tweets and gems with your followers. 

Still twittering about Twitter? Not sure how to use it for your business? Contact me today to turn up your Tweet volume and tune into Twitter.

Crisis Management: The Ambush Interview

A reporter sticks a microphone or camera in your face. What do you do?

Avoid these common mistakes:

1. Never ever say, "No comment."
2. Don't do the duck...i.e. acting like the reporter, camera or microphone are not there by continuing to go on about your business or leaving the area without saying a word.
3. Garbling an answer or blurting something out to satisfy the reporter quickly. In all likelyhood, even if you know your topic and the answers to their questions, you will look and/or sound ambushed and surprised.
4. Don't ask the reporter to call your office to schedule an appointment.
5. Don't say, "If you give me a list of your questions, I'll be happy to look at them and get back to you."

Keep in mind that the camera is rolling! Anything you say or anything you do can be put on TV! The only way a to engage with a reporter in this situation is the following:

1. The CEO should, stop, smile, look the reporter in the eyes (not at the camera).
2. Politely say, "Thanks for your interest in interviewing me. I would be more than happy to speak with you, but right now I am about to...step into a meeting, leave to pick up my child from school, file a report, meet with my staff, rehearse for an important presentation, etc. (something credible and real).
3. Now, let's set something up for (later this afternoon, this evening, or in the morning-the CEO inserts time of day to allow for prep time).
4. This way, we can sit down, and I can be sure to have plenty of time to answer all of your questions.
5. As well, I'll be happy to stop by your office/station if that is convenient or you may drop by my office."

Remember, a reporter is a person and they appreciate being directly spoken to and politeness counts! Never brush off a reporter! They have an assigned story to do and the CEO (good or bad) has a story to tell. How the ambush is handled can turn a story from bad to worse and bad to much better, maybe even decent.

As a spokesperson, you'd be surprised how many times they have asked me to stop by their station when I offered. Reporters are usually on a deadline and I have found that by offering to do the interview at their station, you are meeting them more than halfway when an interview is put off for a later time. Plus, sometimes it is in the company's best interest to not have reporters roaming around the office and an interview disrupting the workplace. By going to the station, the location is actually more neutral.

There is also something to the fact of the reporter/station playing host to the CEO vs. the other way around. As the host, the reporter may not be as agressive or "in-your-face" with questions...Note: May not...

So, the interview is set for later. Now what?

1. The CEO calls the communications team to advise them of the scheduled interview.
2. The PR person should call the reporter and ask, "If there are any specific questions or areas of interest for the interview because I may be able to provide backgrounders, bios, or fact sheets that will be helpful for the interview."
3. It is fine to email information to the reporter, especially if the background materials are technical or detailed in nature.
4. Staff gathers other appropriate information for the CEO including key messages, talking points, FAQs, backgrounders, fact sheets and answers to hard-hitting questions.
5. Then, if needed, the CEO has time to review the materials before the well-prepared and relaxed interview.

For more information about how to come across as a success on camera and nailing that interview, contact me to set up media training for your CEO, staff or key management.

Crisis PR: Preparedness Can Help Prevent Panic

To take a quote from FEMA...
"Are you ready?"



Watch this 1976 public service announcement that actually ran on national television.

How does it make you feel?
Does the message provoke or prevent panic?
Is it rational and real or reactionary?

Fast forward 33 years.

The swine flu emerges again.

Now as the swine flu, a.k.a. H1N1, swept across our globe, a country was shut down, stories about pigs consumed the 24-hour news cycle, and the panic played out on the world stage when the Vice President "gave his personal opinion" about the pandemic.

Yep...it is true that in the world of communications, if it bleeds, it leads. The media devoured the drama of his quote and then they went on and on about every aspect of the what if's, why not's and how come's of H1N1. Many reporters and media types hypothesized and proselytized and then repeated it again and again about the pandemic to the point of what I saw as fear mongering.

Anyone in a leadership position as well as the media are held to a high standard to tell the truth, share advice and also serve for comfort in a time of crisis. Certainly any representative of the White House should know more about dangerous situations or things that might hurt U.S. citizens. I can tell you thought with my background in crisis communications and issues management, I cringed when I heard the V.P. Biden's comments. He told the truth...or did he?

In retrospect, we now know there seemed to be a missing link called education about H1N1 (or even better a black hole) and it went all the way to the White House. That meant the creeping pandemic was allowed to become its own pandemic of speculation instead of known facts.

Maybe the CDC didn't have all the facts? Maybe the U.S. doesn't have a strong interoperable disaster plan with Mexico? Maybe this experience was a dress rehearsal for the U.S. and its health organizations and government agencies to get in gear before we are faced with a much stronger version of H1N1 or worse?

Fortunately, knowledge is power and someone at the Centers for Disease Control sat up and took notice. The CDC began pushing out news release after news release. As their public relations efforts kicked in and crisis management began to play out, most responsible media outlets and journalists began to consciously report the facts.

The Drs. dedicated a one-hour episode to the topic. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported on the virus from Mexico City. And White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued an apology for Vice President Biden's comments that he wouldn't recommend taking a commercial flight or riding in a subway car because swine flu can spread in confirmed places. And the V.P. gaffed again on the Today Show as he tried to clarify his earlier comment. Once again, the White House put out a statement almost making it look like Matt Lauer set him up to answer the question to get a fear answer.

From all of this, know that when facing a crisis, the truth should always be primary. But with managing the message, the truth should be facts presented so that everyone understands them.

So are you ready? If not, you can get ready and get tips about preparing for any kind of disaster by checking out http://www.ready.gov/, http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/#stay_healthy, http://www.hhs.gov/ and http://www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm.

As always, feel free to contact me with questions, to speak to your group or if you need a hand with your crisis plan or help handling any type of public relations issue. Hopefully you won't need the training, a plan or me, but it is always better to plan an escape route proactively than being in the middle of the street and using the "wish I may, wish I might form of crisis management" and hoping that the oncoming bus won't hit you...or at least not too hard.