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4 social media trends that utilities should know about

Posted by Sheera Eby on November 25, 2014

It is almost impossible to escape the hold that social media has on society today. From hashtags to pins and tweets, the lingo is all around us. However, utilities often have a challenge at driving engagement. Social media is one communication tactic many utilities have embraced, but they are still determining the best way to use it in their marketing plans.

 

 

The concept of social media has been growing for the past few years, but in 2014, it has virtually exploded. HubSpot recently reported that 95% of marketers who use social media for at least six hours each week have experienced increased exposure for the business.1 In addition, nearly half of those same marketers have seen the benefit of reduced marketing expenses. No matter what the purpose of your business, these benefits are impossible to ignore.

Utilities are a need, not a want. Most people don’t think about their utility and the utility’s services except when something doesn’t work (e.g., the lights don’t go on) or when they receive a bill. This article will explore trends that are happening in social media in general and how utilities can apply those trends to enhance their social media plans.

 

1. Service-Oriented Communications Resonate
J.D. Power and Associates reported that 67% of consumers have used a company’s social media profile as a means of service-oriented communications.2 This is good news for utilities. Customers expect their utility to provide services related information. Since such a large number of utility customers are already using social media, the key is to determine what information will be perceived as valuable and align with these expectations. Sales-oriented messages typically don’t play as well in social media, with the exception of retail and a handful of specific industries. Utilities typically have a greater balance of communications that are not sales-oriented, which play well in social media outlets. It’s important to consider constructing posts in a useful, service-oriented and informational tone.

 

2. Written Content Rules
According to SocialMediaExaminer, original written content is the most important form of social media content.3 Content marketing is still a new technique, and relatively underutilized by many utilities. Content marketing involves creating useful, relevant and highly sharable content. When done methodically, content marketing can help nudge people through the multiple steps of the sales funnel. Content marketing can delivered in any number of formats but is fundamentally built on principles of blogging, downloadable content supported on landing pages and behaviorally driven trigger emails that drive conversions. The content can include a myriad of topics, such as factors that influence energy usage, considerations before calling a contractor for a repair or planning a facility upgrade.

 

3. A Focus on Images
What’s the fastest growing social media website? The answer may surprise you. According to a 2014 Techcrunch article, Instagram is the fastest growing major social media network.4 In fact, over the past two years, Pinterest and Instagram have seen huge jumps in growth. Consider different types of images you can share with your followers, especially those that can use a lead generator to drive customers to additional content. For example, highlight photos of a completed energy efficiency project for a business, and then lead the user to learn more about the measures that were involved in that initiative. According to stats from Mobilemarketer.com, 83% of Pinterest users would rather follow a brand than an individual. So take advantage—after all, these networks will only continue to grow.

 

4. LinkedIn Is THE Network for Business-to-Business Marketing5
According to LinkedIn, the site is the largest professional network in the world—with over 332 million users. Utilities can effectively use LinkedIn to reach small, medium and even large business decision makers. LinkedIn should be considered a critical social outlet for sharing content developed for a utility’s business customer base. Posts aren’t the end-game. The goal of using LinkedIn is the same as other social networks: sharing relevant content designed for the specific audience. The key is to deliver content that is customized for different social networks and the associated audiences. It’s critical to ensure utility content is written specifically for business decision makers and, where possible, even consider a vertical industry focus. It’s important to recognize that LinkedIn was originally developed as a person-to-person network, not a company-to-individual network. As a result, the most successful LinkedIn programs are those that garner employee participation. Consider how to get front line employees, subject matter experts and others to share posts and extend the reach of your utility’s social media efforts.

 

The most important thing to remember in regard to social media is that these “trends” are likely not going anywhere anytime soon. A few years back, social media for utilities seemed to be a fad. Looking at it today, you will see that it has turned from a way to boost business into a necessity. Keep on top of what’s happening in social media, as it moves quickly.

 

 

 

Sources:

Topics: Utility Industry

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