Unless you own a local Home Depot or bottled water company, there isn’t much for a South Florida business to look forward to when a disastrous hurricane plows through your neighborhood. Business owners in Homestead remember their stores and offices being flattened by Hurricane Andrew in the Nineties, while Wilma left thousands without power for weeks.

Businesses almost always have some type of insurance against natural disasters, like Hurricane Irma. However, many businesses in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and the rest of the Sunshine State do not have enough coverage to fix all the property damage and interruption of business.

When business owners find themselves homeless, they may not be overly concerned with their customers’ digital marketing work. Of course, a client of yours living in Chicago who is relying on your team to run his pay per click and Organic Ranking campaign throughout the Midwest won’t often feel the same. How long do you think that company will wait for you to open your office up before it calls one of your competitors in the Windy City? That is why it is essential to get you ready for the worst.

First and foremost, formulating a hurricane recovery plan for your Florida business will help ensure the safety of every employee. It will also minimize the time that everyone will be out of work, and delay your clients’ products or service. No one wants to suffer property damage or an economic loss. Dealing with annoying insurance companies won’t be such a headache and you may even be able to save a few bucks on your premiums.

Make sure that every person at your business has a checklist of how to prepare for Hurricane Irma. The list should include everything from emergency phone numbers to how to properly shut down and store their computers. Folks should also have some sort of disastrous hurricane plan, including the best ways to exit the building and the most secure places inside the building. Maybe take some time this week to go over the best procedures before the disaster hits. Every owner should review the specifics of his or her lease, if not property insurance, with a landlord or insurance agent. From a generator to masking tape, what emergency supplies do you need? Who will pay for new phones if there is a horrible flood? How long will it take before you can open your doors for business again?

It would be smart to choose one person, such as the CEO or office manager, to coordinate who does what in hurricane preparations. Make a roster with emergency contact information. Create a line of communication for every member of the team to stay up to date with status reports. That way, every team member can account for another, confirming every individual’s safety before, during, and after Hurricane Irma.

Make sure all your important files are backed up multiple times. Have them on more than one computer, as well as an external hard drive. Perhaps rely on an online storage system, like Dropbox too. You can even depend on CDs, DVDs, and flash drives to hold vital information, from bank account numbers to employees contact information.

If your Florida business does get whacked by Hurricane Irma, you do not have to lose all your clients’ digital marketing accounts. Schedule their posts online, whether it’s on a company’s website or on its social media pages. Stay on top of their pay per click and Organic Ranking campaigns, despite any natural disasters, by calling Icon Website Design today at 800-558-1017.