Helping Mindanao electric cooperatives navigate social media, address online bashing and crisis and foster community engagement

In Mindanao, blackouts occur, on average, no less than 10 times per month. More often than not, these blackouts also last for a very long time – sometimes, for hours on end! Needless to say, this is extremely exasperating because not only are households affected but businesses as well. Customers get really irate and the tendency is that they turn to social media and express their anger and disappointment towards the Mindanao electric cooperatives that are expected to provide reliable power to the communities. People post not only complaints online but memes, harsh words and even threats!

Electric cooperatives or ECs, on the other hand, fully acknowledge the fact that they need to learn how to address the crisis situations fast. They understand that in this age of social media, they should know how to efficiently communicate the basic W’s – what, why, when, where and who – and the H – how. In the case of a brownout in Mindanao, for example, the EC should know what caused it, when it started, why it started, where the cause can be traced from, who is in charge of addressing or fixing it and how it can be fixed. And the EC should be able to communicate that to their member-consumer-owners (MCOs) as fast, as clearly, as politely (and with a whole lot of empathy, professionalism and patience) as possible.

Seeing such need for the Mindanao ECs to learn this, I was tapped by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), in partnership with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the Association of Mindanao Electric Cooperatives (AMRECO) to serve as resource speaker for a 2-day Learning Session and Workshop on Harnessing Social Media for Customer Engagement and Excelling in Crisis Communication Strategies in Davao City. The event was funded by the European Union through the Access to Sustainable Energy Programme (EU-ASEP).

The workshop participants were information officers as well as social media managers of Mindanao electric cooperatives. To say that it was truly an honor to speak before them and share my knowledge was truly an understatement. These were my people! I was also so thrilled since this was after my 8-town social media and digital marketing workshops around Mindanao. I wanted to teach more people. Wish granted!

During the 2-day event, I taught them how to create a doable, sustainable and effective social media strategy, develop a crisis communications plan fit for social media, and shared tried-and-tested techniques on how to abate the anger and frustration among the MCOs and instead, make them online champions. This way, ECs can effectively foster community engagement and strengthen public trust and confidence on the Mindanao electric cooperatives’ services and programs.

With the right strategies, social media can help ECs manage online criticism, address crisis situations, effectively communicate goals and find and nurture online organic champions that can help them achieve those very goals.

Because, here’s the deal and a solid fact: SOMETIMES it’s not the ECs fault. It may be a TransCo fault or an NGCP fault. Either way, people immediately think of ECs because they’re at the “forefront,” they serve as the “face.” Ergo, MCOs can’t help but blame them.

Take the case of Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative (BUSECO). BUSECO serves Malaybalay City and Valencia City, the two component cities in the Province of Bukidnon. Malaybalay is the capital and in recent weeks, have suffered several unscheduled blackouts. These have resulted in numerous complaints and satirical posts. There’s even a page called BUSECO Memes now, making fun of the EC. The posts can be a source of light entertainment, yes, but in the long run, the page can actually be used to help BUSECO in letting the public know about the situation, the steps being taken to resolve the issue and the estimated restoration time. That’s what I meant about finding and developing online champions. At the heart of that would be an organic, unpaid, voluntary movement to somehow help MCOs understand and for the ECs to step up their game in terms of service.

I reminded the ECs of these steps that they can incorporate in their digital plans:

1. Do a social media audit. Do you use the proper digital channels? Who handles those channels? If an EC has a social media team, how do they ensure that the updates are not just timely and relevant but are empathetic, polite, consistent and clear as well? How do you make complex information about power sources, blackouts and energy transmissions, for instance, more accessible and more understandable?
2. How do you ensure that the EC is only sharing verified, factual information? What online interactions do you provide your MCOs to show that the EC is committed to customer service? If the EC is working on renewable energy projects to increase efficiency or expand energy sources, how do you share the information, project milestones and expected benefits to your online audience?
3. Building and sustaining a strong sense of online community is essential for ECs. How are you building that digital nation? Do you plan to host virtual town halls, livestream Q and A sessions etc?

Social media can be a double-edged sword. While it provides a platform for disgruntled customers to voice their frustrations, these criticisms can be turned into opportunities for positive engagement. When faced with negative comments or online bashing, ECs should respond promptly, politely and professionally. There’s no other way around it.

Social media plays a crucial role in building reputation for ECs and, as a result, to the overall well-being and unity of the communities these ECs serve.

My sincerest gratitude to the organizers of the workshop and to all of the participants. May we always use social media for social good!

I would also like to sincerely thank Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian (who was then Chairman of the Committee on Energy) for the vote of confidence!

Senator Win Gatchalian’s video message where he mentioned me:

Here’s a quick video recap:

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A post shared by Maria Irene Aserios (@mindanaoan)

Here’s a post from the Mindanao Development Authority Official FB page:

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Mindanaoan Irene

Mindanaoan is a multi-awarded blogger, content creator, seasoned social media strategist and publicist with undeniably successful track record. 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (for global leaders) alumnus and O visa grantee (for people with extraordinary skills and who have risen to the top of their field). Avid traveler and a proud relief operations volunteer. Regular resource person for social media, blogging and content creation. Available for work and travel – [email protected]

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