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Return on Intelligence

By Jim Gilbert

About Jim

Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing.

Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.

 

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Jim Gilbert's Return on Intelligence: When Disaster Strikes - My 6th Annual Preparedness Guide to Surviving a Disaster

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As we enter the last week of May, there's actually a tropical disturbance brewing in the Atlantic. We've already suffered through earthquakes in major regions and a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thus I felt it was time for my yearly guide to disaster preparation, right in time for hurricane and tornado season.

Much like a four-letter word, disasters happen in all forms just about anywhere, without warning, at any time. So prepare your company and yourself. Here’s a disaster-readiness checklist I suggest you look over carefully. If you think you’re on top of it, compare your list to this one to ensure you have all the bases covered.

  • Have a business survival disaster plan in place. Get your department heads involved as stakeholders. Let your employees know what to do in the event of any emergency.
  • Publish a list of all emergency contact numbers for your key personnel and vendors. Include home and cell phone numbers, as well as home email addresses as alternative ways of contact if main communication channels go down. And don’t forget instant messaging and Skype addresses, as well as text messages.
  • Twitter and Facebook can be effective tools for communicating with your employees, vendors and customers during times of crisis.
  • Designate someone in your company as chief disaster planning officer.
  • Back up your computers and computer systems regularly. Then back up your backups. Most importantly, keep them off-site. I have five backup drives and all my files backed up on DVDs. There are two kinds of computer users: those who have lost data, and those who will lose it. I fall into the first category: Last year one of my backup drives failed with more than 750 gigabytes of data on it. Luckily, while I lost three-quarters of a terabyte of data, I had almost all of it backed up on DVDs. I’m one of the fortunate ones who lost a little, not a lot.
  • Work with your call center so it can operate if a disaster strikes. If you use an external call center, inquire about its disaster plan.
  • If your call center is on-site, consider hiring a backup call-center staff to field calls in case of emergency (this saved one my clients' bacon a few years ago).
  • If you host your own website, have a plan in place in case you lose all power. Find out what your ISP does if it loses all electricity.
  • If your business is in a disaster-prone area, buy a generator.
  • If your business isn’t in a disaster-prone area, contact any vendors that are. Disasters, either natural or man-made, can interrupt your workflow with printers, the Postal Service or any other vendors.
  • Don’t market into disaster-impacted areas because they won’t respond. If you’ve already marketed in a disaster-impacted area, adjust your projections downward.

Bottom line for all this, remember my motto (or is it the Boy Scout motto?): ALWAYS BE PREPARED!

Do you have a disaster plan? Feel free to add to this list by posting a comment below.

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COMMENTS

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Most Recent Comments:
Antone Braga - Posted on May 28, 2010
People automatically disconnect or go into a trance when they hear the mention of insurance. It is now time to pay close attention, you already have a lot at stake. When it comes to your property, what do you expect in case of loss (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, fire, etc.)? The disaster itself is news. What happens after the dust settles is the story: the aftermath shock. Here is something you should know. With a little curiosity, you the insurance policyholder can mitigate that shock.

You can now have access to your basic rights and vital information—even footing, equality—the security of knowing what to expect! The internet reaches far more people than anyone would have ever imagined, though it takes a rare person to pause, to inspect...to grasp the unknown. And yet, much is available gratis! I hope you'll have a look: www.disasterprepared.info
Paul Faust - Posted on May 27, 2010
Great article. One thing to add is to make sure your company has emergency and survival kits that your employees can use if a disaster happens and they need to evacuate or shelter-in-place. I would also encourage them to have kits and supplies for their homes and cars. Your employees are your most important asset and must be personally prepared and safe.

Our site has some great info as well as pre-made kits and supplies.

All the best,

Paul Faust
Founder/COO
http://www.1800prepare.com
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
Antone Braga - Posted on May 28, 2010
People automatically disconnect or go into a trance when they hear the mention of insurance. It is now time to pay close attention, you already have a lot at stake. When it comes to your property, what do you expect in case of loss (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, fire, etc.)? The disaster itself is news. What happens after the dust settles is the story: the aftermath shock. Here is something you should know. With a little curiosity, you the insurance policyholder can mitigate that shock.

You can now have access to your basic rights and vital information—even footing, equality—the security of knowing what to expect! The internet reaches far more people than anyone would have ever imagined, though it takes a rare person to pause, to inspect...to grasp the unknown. And yet, much is available gratis! I hope you'll have a look: www.disasterprepared.info
Paul Faust - Posted on May 27, 2010
Great article. One thing to add is to make sure your company has emergency and survival kits that your employees can use if a disaster happens and they need to evacuate or shelter-in-place. I would also encourage them to have kits and supplies for their homes and cars. Your employees are your most important asset and must be personally prepared and safe.

Our site has some great info as well as pre-made kits and supplies.

All the best,

Paul Faust
Founder/COO
http://www.1800prepare.com