Social Media Communications Planning

SMX Communications PlanningPresented by: Cat Graham

Social Media Exercise Communications Planning


Overview: InternalOverview: ExternalCommunications Plan MatrixTen Tips for SMX

Communications Planning


Internal Communications Planning

Overview Description of Event: Timing and location of eventType of event Agency and Partners Internal Communications Instructions on how participants can collaborate and share info, What information can be shared, where, when andWhat information is embargoed.

Example: Before exercise – no mention of this exercise should be made in any public channels prior to xx/xx/xxA public announcement will be made by (Lead agency), Organization announcing the exercise and a link will be provided to share among social networksCollaborative partners or team members are encouraged to explore and discuss with each other any potential collaborations for the exercise but do not discuss the exercise in public channels such as social media including youtube, facebook, twitter.


External Communications Planning

Public Service AnnouncementsWho to follow and amplifyWhat events are happening when External Communications PIO or Lead Agency – General Public AwarenessInstructions on what team members may or may not discuss publicly, press releases, hashtags, etcWhat information is embargoed.Plan for the unexpected - which agency will respond to unexpected dialogues

Example: The following are sample messages that could be shared in social mediaDuring the live exercise – do not use live social media to send or respond to exercise injects.Team members are encouraged to mention the exercise and the fact that they are participating in the exercise

If the public asks if it may participate, or someone from the public sends a message simulating an inject, here is a suggested response (insert suggested response) Thank you @name for your interest in supporting the exercise today. Read more about #hashtag @ URL.com


#QuackAttack: Type: Workshop Game & Crowd Engagement Goal: Highlight the capabilities of social media and train participants how to utilize various platforms and techniques.Location: 28th Annual Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference, May 11 – 16, 2014 at the Rosen Centre Hotel and Orange County Convention Center Orlando, Florida.Overview: #QuackAttack was a joint effort between the Governor’s Hurricane Conference, Humanity Road, and the Center for Disaster Risk Policy (CDRP) at Florida State University. Attendees were emergency management professionals at local, county and state level. As participants maneuvered through the trade floor, dubbed “Duckville”, they were encouraged to tweet situational awareness on the location of ducks and to assess the relevancy and usefulness of emerging tweets.

#ZombieEMNZ: Type: Workshop & Crowd Simulation Goal: Social Media training for emergency managers that included a one-hour live exerciseLocation: EMNZ Zombie Apocalypse, February 28, 201312th Annual Emergency Management New Zealand Management Workshop.Overview: The scenario provided an opportunity for the emergency management participants to demonstrate their ability to search for new information via the Internet, to use available tools and to verify the user. Participants were given the scenario, a Zombie attack in Wellington, and asked to find missing puzzle pieces hidden in social media to solve a puzzle to save lives. Humanity Road provided planning support in the form of exercise components and graphics. We also provided surge support by role-playing as zombies and locals impacted by zombies tweeting under the hashtag #ZombieEMNZ.

Case example: ZombieEMNZ – Releasing content takes time, the exercise was so short, some of the content didn’t populate fast enough across social media.

Case Example: Quack Attack – unplanned event - a conference attendee kidnapped a duck, and simulated a hostage situation.


Communications Plan Matrix

A communications plan may include a matrix of injects, relevant tweets associated with the event, times, and durations for each inject, or phase. Below is a an example from EuroExercise24


Here are ten tips to consider in your own SMX program:1. Keep it simple – consider one or two goals for your drill or workshop and build on it each year.2. Keep it short – SMX events work best when they take place in one day.3. Research and engage emerging technology & social media operational partners, take advantage of their expertise.4. Avoid using real disaster scenarios that could be confused as a real world emergency.5. Never use terrorism as an inject for a public social media exercise.6. Include all local emergency planning partners in social media planning and reporting.7. Ensure basic Social Media competency level of participants and assign an exercise hashtag.8. Remember Social Media is a fishbowl, so include county and state name in public messaging. 9. Dialogues are visible by all parties in Twitter so it’s a good idea to use hashtags and standard exercise terms for

your partners. It helps to clearly track the discussion, and indicate the start and end of your exercise (i.e. #Startex and #Endex, create an event hashtag (#QuackAttack)

10. Tell the public how they can engage, share instructions and invite them to participate if possible.

Ten Tips for Good SMX Communications