How Brands Can Act Responsibly During a Crisis

It’s been 53 days since Hurricane Helene devastated my hometown of Asheville, but I’ll be right there with you: I showered in a FEMA trailer this morning, so it’s still indeed It is difficult to take care of post rates and conversion optimization.

Lucky for you and me (and my editor’s calendar), I found a story I cared about. And my sense of humor is still (mostly) intact.

It is a clever and beautiful story. The story of how a business owner is using his influence to help his community. And tell the story of how your brand can do the same, if you find yourself in the middle of a crisis.

And don’t worry: we will also examine examples of how businesses of various sizes are chipped in, so there will be plenty for you SMBs and corporate marketers, too.

Making Magic in Times of Trouble

Charla Schlueter sat in front of me carefully shuffling the deck Gathering Magic card. But every time the door next to us opened, he greeted each newcomer with a smile and a first name.

Schlueter is the owner and operator of Gamers’ Haunt, a small game store in Asheville, North Carolina. Since the typhoon, my son and I have been visiting every week to look for things that the store gives away for free: normal.

But we’re not actually at Gamers’ Haunt. It’s not true. We’re sitting in the two-room kung fu studio that allowed Schlueter to host a makeshift shop after a maple tree unceremoniously tore through the roof during a hurricane.

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Despite the change in venue, the studio was packed wall-to-wall with Schlueter’s regular customers. It’s game night and the turnout is huge. They’re here for normalcy, but they’re also here to support Schlueter and his team.

This is the community your social media director will be working with. It is very faithful and constantly involved. And it is anchored by Schlueter unflagging friendliness.

His friendliness is denied by only two things: His manner is genuine impair My son is 9 years old Magic. And how smart he is to use his business influence to help this community.

A Stormy Surprise

We each draw seven cards and start trading stories about how a hurricane blew everything up on their heads.

“After the storm, I did my best to try to track down as many customers as I could and make sure they were OK,” Schlueter said as he arranged his hands.

During that check-in, he and his crew helped customers clear debris from their flooded homes.

“We went to the room, and everything was covered in mud because the whole house was submerged,” he said. But amidst the mud and mud, there was a surprise: The card he bought from Gamers’ Haunt had survived. The box is stored in, designed to protect from careless wear and tear, they are also apparently disaster-proof.

“Of course, we opened the Boulder box, and everything was fine.”

To spread some levity during the tough times, Schlueter shared his findings on the Haunt Gamers Facebook page. That’s when the brand behind the box took notice.

Schlueter lays down his cards.

“After I posted about it, Ultimate Guard approached me and was like ‘Oh, that’s amazing. Do you mind if we show this?’ And I said ‘Absolutely!'”

He turns the card upside down to signal an attack.

“As long as you will share my customer’s GoFundMe with,” he grins.

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If I’ve had enough, I’m good.

Ultimate Guard agreed to share the customer’s GoFundMe with the audience – about 10 times the people that Gamers’ Haunt was able to reach. (As a bonus, they also send out some free swag for customers and stores.)

I asked Schlueter why she didn’t ask him to share his own GoFundMe. After all, the store had to be emptied after the tree hole went into the hurricane without asking.

“I’ve always had this motto, ‘If I’m good enough, I’m good,'” Schlueter said. “At this point, the community has woken up and done a lot of good things for my business.”

To that end, the store’s own GoFundMe has reached its original goal in just two days. And the community gave them more than financial support.

“It’s unbelievable. The six of them brought a table and chairs. I had hordes of people come to help me get supplies out of the store while it was still flooding. I can’t tell you how many customers have come and helped me.

So why did the community rise up for them? Maybe because entire employees know their names. Maybe it’s because the shop is run by people who dig mud for casual acquaintances.

Schlueter thinks it goes deeper.

“It sounds rude, but I firmly believe that if you take care of the community, it will take care of you. And the hurricane proved me right.”

Takeaways from Typhoon

I know building a community is a different exercise for a mom-and-pop shop, but if you scale it up, there’s a lesson here for any brand.

I hope you don’t need these lessons, but you should consider them previous crisis hits.

1. Take care of the community.

When disaster strikes, it’s okay to worry about your own business. Put on your own oxygen mask first. But once you’re safe, your next thought is your community.

After the storm, Schlueter and his team set the deck free Magic cards for those who were lost during the storm.

And while it’s good to do it on an individual level, it’s not just about changing material item. Without a card, community members cannot participate in weekly games.

“If you are lost Magic deck, you lost your community. So I think there’s a lot more to it than just stuff.

2. Use what you have on hand.

As a business owner, Schlueter gets attention from his suppliers, which he uses to bring greater awareness to community needs.

What happened to him is in his hands. Your business may have different resources.

While local restaurants Blunt Pretzels and Bear’s Smokehouse had to close their normal operations after the storm, they were able to simply close their doors. Instead, they partnered with World Central Kitchen to use their kitchen space to serve free hot meals to the public.

Highland Brewing’s main resource is its abundant space, which it donates to relief organizations like Asheville, World Central Kitchen, and Wine To Water. The organization uses the brewery as a central hub and storage area for needed supplies.

3. Patronage is also a resource.

Don’t forget that the money you spend (on day-to-day operations, relief efforts, or even your own recovery) can also be a form of relief.

When Red Fiddle Vittles and Mother Earth Food began offering fresh-cooked meals to shelters, they sourced ingredients from local farmers. That support means the world to small businesses that may otherwise lose the ability to support themselves.

4. You don’t have to fix everything.

After a crisis, the scope of what to do can feel overwhelming to those who want to help.

Take a deep breath. You don’t have to fix everything. Find an area that you can handle and focus on it.

When our schools are closed for weeks, kids need something to work on. (Remember, we also had no electricity during that week.)

Comic Envy, a local favorite comic shop, responded by offering to sell children’s books and comics.

As a parent of a 9-year-old, I tell you that this sale is first appreciated.

5. Don’t treat it like a campaign.

Throughout October, community care stations with showers, washing machines, and potable water are set up in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store.

It was quietly paid for by Pratt & Whitney, an aerospace company with a manufacturing plant in Asheville. There are no signs announcing this. There is no banner stating that it is proudly sponsored. No brand awareness is created.

But word gets around. And the locals remember that.

How You Can Help

While Western North Carolina is out of the news cycle, we still need your attention.

In the days and weeks immediately following the hurricane, an abundance of food, water, clothing, medicine, and love helped us survive.

But as we transition from survival to recovery, the kind of help we need also transitions.

My go-to resources are newsletters and blogs, with huge audiences full of beautiful people like you. So I’ve packed this article with links to some amazing local brands that could use your support. If you are interested in helping out, please click on the link and check out what we have to offer.