It’s been 53 days since Hurricane Helene devastated my hometown of Asheville, but I’ll make it up to you: I showered in a FEMA trailer this morning, so it’s still really it’s hard to worry about shipping rates and conversion optimization.
Lucky for you and me (and my editorial calendar), I found a story I cared about. And my sense of humor is still (mostly) intact.
It’s a story about cleverness and kindness. The story of how one business owner used her influence to help her community. And 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’ll also check out examples of how businesses of all sizes have gotten involved, so there’s plenty for you SMEs and marketers too.
Making magic in times of trouble
Charla Schlueter sits in front of me meticulously shuffling the deck Magic the Gathering cards. However, every time the door next to us opens, she greets each newcomer with a smile and their name.
Schlueter is the owner and operator Gamers’ Haunta small game store in Asheville, North Carolina. Ever since the hurricane hit, my son and I have been coming in weekly in search of something the store gives away for free: normalcy.
But we’re not actually in Gamers’ Haunt. It’s not right. We’re sitting in a two-room kung fu studio that graciously allowed Schlueter to host a makeshift shop after a pine tree crashed through her roof during a hurricane.
Despite the change in space, the studio is packed wall-to-wall with regular Schlueter customers. The evening is a game and the turnout is great. They’re here for a bit of normality, but they’re also here to support Schlueter and her team.
This is the kind of community your SOCIAL MEDIA director would commit crimes against. He is fiercely loyal and consistently engaged. And it’s anchored by Schlueter’s unwavering kindness.
Her kindness is belied by only two things: the way she is absolute to destroy my 9 year old inside Magic. And the acumen with which she uses her business influence to help this community.
A stormy surprise
We each draw seven cards and start swapping stories about how the hurricane turned everything upside down.
“After the storm, I did my best to try to find as many customers as I could to see how they were doing and make sure they were good,” Schluter tells me as he adjusts his arm.
During one such call, she and her crew helped a customer clear the wreckage from his flooded home.
“We go to his room and it’s all covered in mud because the whole house was flooded,” she says. However, among the muck and muck, there was a surprise: the cards he bought at Gamers’ Haunt survived. The boxes in which they were stored, designed to protect against wear and tear, were apparently also disaster-proof.
“Sure, we opened the Boulder boxes and they’re perfectly fine.”
To spread some levity during the tough time, Schlueter shared the discovery on the Gamers’ Haunt Facebook page. Then the brand behind the boxes noticed.
Schlueter lays down the card.
“When I posted about it, Ultimate Guard came up to me and said ‘Oh, that’s amazing. Do you mind if we share this?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely!'”
She turns the card sideways to signal her attack.
“As long as you share my client’s GoFundMe with him,” he smiles.
If I have enough, I’m good.
The Ultimate Guard agreed to share GoFundMe customer with its audience — about 10 times the number of people Gamers’ Haunt could otherwise reach. (As a bonus, they also send some free money to both the customer and the store.)
I asked Schlueter why she didn’t request that they share her own GoFundMe. After all, the store had to be destroyed after the hole in the tree let the hurricane go without asking.
“I’ve always had a motto: ‘If I have enough, I’m good,'” says Schlueter. “At this point, the community has stepped up and done a lot of wonderful things for my business.”
To that end, the store’s own GoFundMe reached its original goal in just over two days. And the community gave her more than financial support.
“It was amazing. Six people brought tables and chairs. I had hordes of people come to help me get the stock out of the store while it was still flooding. I can’t even tell you the number of customers who came and helped me.”
So why did the community rise up for them? Maybe that’s why everything of the employees, he knows them by name. Maybe because the shop is run by people who shovel mud for casual acquaintances.
Schlueter thinks it’s something deeper.
“It sounds corny, but I’m a big believer that if you take care of the community, it will take care of you. And the hurricane proved me right.”
Typhoon takeout
I realize that building a community is a different exercise for a mom-and-pop shop, but if you zoom out, there are lessons here for brands of any size.
I sincerely hope you never need these lessons, but you should consider them before a crisis is coming.
1. Take care of your community.
When disaster strikes, it’s okay to worry about your business. First put on your oxygen mask. But once you’re sure, your next thought should be your community.
After the storm, Schlueter and her team created free decks Magic cards for people who lost theirs during the storm.
And while it’s kind to do so on an individual level, it’s not just about swapping MATERIALS goods. Without their cards, community members cannot join the weekly games.
“If you lose your Magic decks, you’re losing your community. So I think there’s a lot more to it than just the stuff.”
2. Use what’s on hand.
As a business owner, Schlueter gained attention from suppliers, which she used to raise awareness of the needs of her community.
That’s what she happened to have on hand. Your business may have different resources.
When local restaurants Blunt pretzels and Bear’s Smokehouse had to stop normal operations after the storm, they could have simply closed their doors. Instead, they partnered with World Central Kitchen to use their kitchen space to offer free hot meals to the community.
Highland BrewingThe company’s main resource was the abundance of space they offered to charities such as Beloved Asheville, World Central Kitchen and Wine To Water. These organizations used the brewery as both a central hub and warehouse for the vast amount of supplies they needed.
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 Food of Mother Earth started offering freshly cooked meals to shelters, sourced ingredients from local farmers. That support means the world to small businesses that may have lost the ability to support themselves.
4. You don’t have to fix everything.
In the aftermath of a crisis, the scale of what needs to be addressed can seem overwhelming to those who want to help.
Take a deep breath. You don’t have to fix everything. Find an area you can tackle and focus on it.
When our schools were closed for a few weeks, the kids needed something to occupy their time. (Mind you, we didn’t even have electricity during those weeks.)
Comic Envylocal favorite comic book store, responded by offering a clearance sale of children’s books and comics.
As a parent of a 9 year old, I can tell you that the sale was greatly appreciated.
5. Don’t treat it like a campaign.
During October, a community care station with showers, washing machines and drinking water was 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 facility in Asheville. There were no signs announcing this. There are no banners stating that it is proudly sponsored. No brand awareness was created.
But word is going around. And the locals remember these things.
How you can help
Although Western North Carolina has fallen out of the news cycle, we still need your attention.
In the days and weeks immediately following the hurricane, an outpouring of food, water, clothing, medicine and love helped us simply survive.
But as we move from survival to recovery, the kind of help we need also changes.
The resource I have at hand is a newsletter and a blog, with a large audience full of wonderful people like you. So I’ve filled this article with links to amazing local brands that could use your support. If you feel called to help, consider clicking the link and checking out what they have to offer.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-brands-can-act-responsibly-during-a-crisis
