The recent cyclones in northern Queensland and flooding in Brisbane have been a disaster on one hand and a boon for social media and attracting followers on the other.
For the millions of Australians who use social media like Facebook and Twitter many users flocked in droves to sources that were able to advise on important events first hand, including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and energy company Ergon Energy.
There is no doubt what has happened in Queensland so far in 2011 is nothing short of catastrophic – severe flooding in Brisbane as well as two cyclones in northern Queensland has left the state with a massive clean up and rebuilding program.
In a social media sense both brands literally went from zero to hero with in the space of the disaster, and have contributed significantly to a positive shift in brand attitude and advocacy simply by using social media in real and transparent way.
In the space of 10 days Anna Bligh's followers on Facebook ballooned from approximately 1,500 ‘likes’ and being ‘on the nose’ in the electorate to hero status of over more than 7,500 ‘likes’ as of mid February, as well as being back in the political game after record low approval ratings in the polls.
The boon in followers stems from our thirst, and emerging expectation, for timely and personal news as seen through the eyes of people involved in the disaster at the time.
Ergon Energy was another big winner during the disasters. After having no social media presence in place at the start of the year, Ergon Energy now has more ‘likes’ on Facebook than the Premier herself. Ergon Energy went from joining Facebook on 31 January 2011 to having almost 9,000 ‘likes’ 12 days later.
Ergon Energy has quickly become an industry leader in terms of how an organization can use social media channels to disseminate information in times of emergency. Ergon Energy successfully used Facebook and Twitter to assist customers with the recovery from cyclone Anthony that crossed the northern Queensland coast at Bowen on 31 January 2011 and the preparation and recovery from cyclone Yasi that crossed the northern Queensland coast at Tully late on 2 February 2011.
Ergon provided customers with critical preparation information, updates on electricity outages as well as safety and maintenance updates, which kept customers updated in real time, and allowed customers to talk with and share information with others effected by the disaster.
Social media became a critical communication tool, which allowed the Premier and Ergon Energy to manage customer expectations as well as position their brands as reliable and trustworthy in times of disaster.
The success of this open dialogue using social media is tangible with both brands developing a legion of brand advocates who are now willing to defend their brand.
Keep your eye out this year for case studies outlining the success of these social media campaigns; they will be an interesting read.