In times of natural disasters, it’s essential to remain sensitive to what your prospects may be experiencing. Sending automated marketing messages while people are going through OR dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane, wildfire, or other disaster can come across as insensitive, leading to unsubscribes or even losing the potential relationship altogether. To help you navigate these situations, here are some practical tips for managing your automated messaging and staying mindful of your prospects’ circumstances.
Tips for Managing Your Messaging During Natural Disasters:
-
Create an Affected Group Using Filters and Custom Lists
Use Bonzo's filter options to search by location, such as the affected state or region. Save the group as a custom list and pin it at the top of your navigation bar for easy access, allowing you to quickly manage communications with prospects in impacted areas.Resource: Tagging, Filtering, Creating Custom Lists
-
Delete Next Messages in the Conversation View
For those in affected areas, manually work through the custom list and delete the next scheduled messages from each prospect's conversation view. This action tells Bonzo to skip the next message but keeps the prospect in the campaign, ensuring they don’t receive a potentially untimely message.
-
Move Prospects Out of Campaigns
Using the Quick Action Toolbar, you can move prospects out of existing campaigns entirely or shift them to a one-day campaign with an empathetic message. For example, you can send a message like, "If you are affected by [disaster], I hope you and your family stay safe." Alternatively, you can send a one-time broadcast to the affected group with a thoughtful message.Resource: Quick Action Toolbar
-
Temporarily Stop Campaigns in Affected Areas
If you have a large number of prospects in impacted regions, consider pausing automated campaigns altogether. This allows you to reassess your messaging strategy without risking the chance of sending inappropriate communications. To stop an active campaign, toggle the status off in your Campaigns tab.
-
Use Empathetic Messaging
If you choose to send any messages, ensure they are empathetic and relevant to the situation. A simple acknowledgment of the disaster and well wishes can go a long way in maintaining trust and showing you care about your prospects beyond just business. -
Monitor Weather and News Alerts
Stay updated on developing disasters and use this information to proactively adjust your messaging strategy. By anticipating potential impacts on your prospects, you can take timely action to avoid sending untimely or irrelevant communications.
Being mindful of automated messaging during natural disasters is crucial to maintaining empathy and trust with your prospects. By creating custom lists, adjusting or pausing campaigns, and sending thoughtful messages when appropriate, you can avoid appearing insensitive and ensure your communication aligns with what your prospects may be going through. Taking these steps can protect your relationships and show that you genuinely care, even in challenging times.