Severe weather events are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, posing significant risks to communities. As highlighted in Motorola Solutions’ 2023 Natural Disaster and Severe Weather Preparedness Survey Report, an overwhelming majority of the public is experiencing growing concern around these events. In fact, 86% of respondents are concerned about the increasing intensity and frequency of natural disasters.
To effectively engage your community and ensure their safety, understanding their communication preferences is crucial. Our survey reveals that when asked about their personal communication preferences during severe weather or a natural disaster, respondents ranked text/SMS notifications (35%) as the top choice. Furthermore, SMS/text messages were identified as the top “source of truth” (34%) during such events. This clearly indicates that highlighting Rave Alert’s ability to deliver alerts via text message is a critical point to emphasize to your community.
Here are actionable community engagement strategies, drawing from these key insights:
- Emphasize Public Concern and Willingness: Your marketing materials should acknowledge the public’s growing concern about severe weather and their increasing willingness to sign up for emergency notifications. Use statistics, like the “86% of respondents are concerned about the increasing intensity and frequency of natural disasters” mentioned above to resonate with your audience. Leverage media partners to share this messaging; we have a sample press release to support that outreach.
- Highlight Ease of Use and Reliability: Promote the ease with which community members can sign up for Rave Alert and the reliability of receiving timely information directly from their local authorities. Here is a video on the sign-up process that can be reshared in community meetings.
- Focus on Preferred Communication Methods: Clearly communicate that Rave Alert utilizes text/SMS messaging, which is the public’s preferred method for receiving emergency updates.
- Showcase the Types of Alerts: Briefly mention the types of severe weather alerts delivered (Tornado Warnings, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, Flash Flood Warnings, etc.) to demonstrate the value of signing up. Check out our severe weather flyers for specific scenarios.
- Promote the Safety Benefits: Emphasize how receiving timely alerts through Rave Alert can help community members take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families. This can include storm shelter locations, unexpected road closures, and evacuation orders.
- Utilize Multiple Communication Channels for Promotion: Promote Rave Alert sign-ups through various channels, including your agency’s website, social media, public information sessions, and even targeted mailings or flyers. Feel free to use these graphics to support your social media strategy.
By focusing your community engagement strategies and marketing materials on these key aspects of Rave Alert, you can effectively tap into the public’s existing concerns and preferences to drive greater adoption of Rave Alert and enhance community safety.
