The devastation occurred shortly after the media shifted its attention from the havoc produced in the Carolinas by Hurricane Florence. For distant observers, it’s hard to comprehend the scope of the damage and suffering resulting from large-scale natural disasters.

However, one thing is clear: businesses and organizations that have been subjected to huge storms are responding by embracing digital marketing to help recover from natural disasters.

In many instances, local chambers of commerce are increasing their digital marketing to encourage tourists to return to regions that have been hit, or nearly hit, by hurricanes. In other instances, businesses are discovering that digital marketing is more resilient than traditional advertising in the days following natural disasters. Charitable organizations are also increasingly turning to digital campaigns to raise funds.

For example, Hilton Head Island in South Carolina was spared the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Florence, but business leaders are worried that the storm is scaring away tourists who aren’t aware that the resort area is open for business, reports The Island Packet.

With that in mind, the Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce is planning a $175,000 campaign consisting primarily of digital advertising. Among other initiatives, the campaign would spend roughly $60,000 on social media and “influencer” visits and another $60,000 on purchasing keywords people use on search engines to push advertising.

It also includes spending $20,000 on real-time photos and videos of the island and for media visits. The campaign is intended to show that Hilton Head is open for business without specifically saying that the area avoided damage from Hurricane Florence.

Puerto Rico is also making a digital marketing push in the aftermath of wide-scale devastation resulting from Hurricane Maria, reports Skift.com.

Puerto Rico residents seeking emergency supplies during the storm had posted an S.O.S. video that went viral. Officials are now countering that message with a new video in which an S.O.S. is washed away.

Officials are also promoting Puerto Rico’s recovery from the storm with #CovertheProgress. Marketers have also conducted a Google audit to find which parts of the island had the most imagery related to hurricane damage.

They then sent filmmakers to those areas to record favorable images and then uploaded the images to maximize the likelihood that they will be viewed during travel related searches. During the first month, the 542 images generated more than 1 million views. Puerto Rico is also developing text services so that traveler can ask hotels for local recommendations, such as places for dining.

Businesses are also finding that digital marketing is a resilient strategy in the aftermath of natural disasters. In September of last year, Hurricane Harvey dropped 48 inches of rain in parts of Texas and inflicted $200 billion in damage.

Among other forms of damage, it knocked out electrical service in large areas throughout the state. The storm put a temporary halt to television, radio, and newspapers. In response, automotive dealer Hyundai of Silsbee in Silsbee, Texas, increased its digital advertising to continue to generate sales leads in the absence of publishing traditional advertisements, reports Dealer Marketing. 

The dealership is located about 100 miles from where the worst of the damage occurred, so it remained open for business. During the first 30 days after the storm, it spent less on advertising, but because of the effectiveness of its digital promotions, its monthly leads increased from its prior monthly average of 250 to 600.

The dealership now allocates 80% of its marketing budget to digital campaigns.

Other businesses are promoting that their technology can help communities recover from natural disasters. In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, MobileCause is emphasizing that its technology can make it easy for charitable organizations to raise funds.

The company provides technology solutions for mobile devices. Its clients include Habitat for Humanity, The American Heart Association and The Salvation Army. In addition to providing a platform for collecting donations that are sent by mobile devices, MobileCause technology can disseminate information on emergency shelters and other services and provide updates on fundraising efforts.