1.Social Media Marketing for Solar ProfessionalsPRESENTED BYSTEPHANIE POWERSHAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAGERSTOWN, MD SAPOWERS@HAGERSTOWNCC.EDU 240-500-2490

2. Agenda 21st Century Marketing Where does social media fit? Specific Opportunities for the Solar Industry Strategies and Best Practices Questions/Discussion/Idea Sharing 3. What is Marketing? Marketing is everything you do to promote yourbusiness, from the moment you conceive of it to the point at which customers buy your product or serviceand begin to patronize your business on a regular basis. The key words to remember are EVERYTHING andREGULAR BASIS.-Jay Conrad LevinsonAuthor of the Guerrilla Marketing series 4. A New Economy Old EconomyNew EconomyOrganized by productsOrganized by customer segmentsFocused on transaction value Focused on the lifetime customer valueShareholderStakeholderImage credit: xedos4Marketing by marketing dept. Marketing by EVERYONECustomer acquisition Customer retentionOverpromise, under-deliver Under-promise, over-deliver 5. Why the Change? Varied media Transparency Access to information Improved consumer data Targeted messaging More data Technology Information sharing Consumer intelligence What else? 6. Where Does Social Media Fit?What is social media? SocialCommunity Interactive User experience User-centered Relationship building Two-way communication Sharing Information sharing Others? Web or mobile basedImage credit: jscreationzs 7. How Can this Work for Business? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Customer Service Qualified Leads Public Relations Targeted Marketing 8. How Does this Work for Solar Business? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyDSCHct6S I&feature=player_embedded 9. Where do I Start?Determine a Realistic Level of Use Consider your companys Level of expertise &experience Available time &resourcesImage credit: jannoon028 Expected outcomes 10. Step 1: Listen Google alerts - http://www.google.com/alerts Twitter discussions Custom feeds in HootSuite.com Your company Industry topics Hashtags # Facebook Delete & report spam! Respond to questions Claim your business on Foursquare,Gowalla, Yelp, Google Places, etc. 11. Step 2: Join the Conversation Determine which networks are right for yourbusiness www.google.com/adplanner Determine your goals for each platform/campaign -http://socialmediatoday.com/node/424216 Customer service Leads Promotion Web traffic Awareness Set up tracking tools & evaluate success HootSuite analytics TwitSprout Website referral numbers Google analytics Klout score 12. Step 3: Become an Industry Expert Get involved in industry-related conversations Track Twitter for questions respond with expert info, NOTproduct/service promotion Answer LinkedIn questions and get involved in groups Content, Content, Content! Blog Video Testimonials 13. Strategies & Best Practices Inbound links Link back to your website often Shareable Content Use social plugins Post frequently Use your strategy! Start & participate in conversations Promote your partners 14. Strategies & Best Practices Contd Respond in a timelymanner -www.facebook.com/sungevity 15. Facebook-Specific SEO Strategies Choose your Facebook page name carefully Create a custom URL Example: www.facebook.com/nike Use your keywords in About section Other Info items of importance Address important for location-specific companies Company Overview, Mission, Products Keywords! Photo captions Keywords! 16. Censorship, Integrity & Crisis Management DO NOT delete negative comments DO set guidelines for deletingspam, profanity, slander, etc. Example: www.facebook.com/libraryofcongress DO have a crisis management plan http://www.mackcollier.com/social-media-crisis-management/ 17. Articles of Interest How to Develop a Social Media Content Strategy -http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-develop-a-social-media-content-strategy/ The Ultimate Glossary: 120 Social Media MarketingTerms Explained -http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/6126/The-Ultimate-Glossary-120-Social-Media-Marketing-Terms-Explained.aspx 18. Articles of Interest Top 10 Marketing Trends for 2012 -http://www.business2community.com/marketing/top-ten-marketing-trends-for-2012-0112545 Social Media and Web Innovations on the Rise forSolar Industry -http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/print/article/2011/07/social-media-and-web-innovations-on-the-rise-for-solar-industry 19. Resources Management tools YouTube Channelswww.hootsuite.com SocialMedia Today www.tweetdeck.com Social Media Examiner www.ping.fm Industry Experts Blogs Mack Collier Mashable www.mashable.com www.mackcollier.com HubSpot www.hubspot.com Chris Brogan Facebook Pages Resources Tab www.chrisbrogan.com www.facebook.com/facebookpages Scott Stratten LinkedIn Groupswww.unmarketing.com Social Media Today Fans of Mashable eMarketing Association Network