Like any business or organization, companies in the power industry must stay active in today’s media environment. Here’s how these businesses can begin to shape public opinion in their favor through deft use of social media.
As consumers everywhere become more interested in sustainability, utility companies must continue to demonstrate their commitment to environmentally friendly practices. To do so, in recent years, they’ve turned to social media to create a line of communication with the general public, raise awareness of sustainable industry practices, and stress their longstanding commitment to environmental protection. As a result, they’ve increased public knowledge of the coal industry’s values and provided an accurate picture of its environmental impact.
With so much baseless scrutiny against power companies today, it’s more important than ever to develop a social media strategy that directly engages consumers and promotes greater awareness of organizational principles. As you work on reinventing your company’s online presence, here are four important tips to maximize the effectiveness of your efforts.
1) Know Your Message
Clarify your company’s mission and stick to it. Make sure that every tweet, Facebook post, blog article, and email blast aligns with your chosen mission. If you have several individuals creating content for your company, create a set of guidelines to ensure consistency across all channels.
2) Open a Dialogue
Facebook and Twitter allow users to search for current topics and buzzwords. Companies can use this feature to see relevant comments in real time and respond to them as needed. Alternatively, posting articles on LinkedIn can foster discussion among fellow industry members. Regardless of which forum you use, promote your brand by observing and responding to investors and industry leaders. By encouraging conversation, you acknowledge recent developments while providing useful information that could influence the public’s perspective.
3) Post Frequently
Active social media feeds keep followers engaged and aware of industry developments. Publish several shareable articles each week that speak to trending topics, consumer feedback, and company goals. Interactive media like polls, questions, videos, and infographics will also enhance the user’s experience.
4) Leverage Accrued Data to Improve Business Practices
In addition to facilitating communication with your customer base, social media collects data that utility companies can use to improve operations and boost morale. According to Deloitte’s 2015 “Tracking the Trends” report, you can leverage social media to keeps employees up-to-date and in-the-know through text messaging platforms and electronic booking systems.
Social media also gathers users’ demographic data, age, geographic location, and other key information, all of which you can use it to better align content and marketing material with the priorities of your audience. By responding actively and visibly to social media feedback and demonstrating that you understand your audience, you’re taking an important step toward building further trust with consumers.
Regardless of your company’s message, Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc. will help you honor your commitment to sustainability with well-tested, environmentally friendly solutions to combat airborne dust. The effective application of dust control products like Soil-Sement®, which have been certified by multiple independent regulatory agencies like the U.S. EPA ETV and Bureau de normalisation de Quebec (BNQ), will control coal dust and minimize emissions without undermining productivity, ensuring that your operations are sustainable and efficient.
