Ever wondered what is the use of an Electric Cooperative even being on Social Media? Isn’t that just a time waster and where people go to post funny pictures of cats?
Actually, with a bit of effort and with the right strategy, Social Media might be really great for your Electric Cooperative to leverage. Not convinced? How about this…
1. Keeps Your Cooperative Top of Mind
Your members thinking about you and you staying in their recent memory is a good thing!
Ever felt dismayed at member participation? Whether it is voting, surveys, attendance, giveaways, or using the tools you’ve built for them, all of these can get better activity if they are being reminded you exist.
2. Communicate Important News / Alerts with Your Co-Op Members
Nothing beats email or a phone call but why not use all the tools possible? It doesn’t take much time or effort to share a relevant alert or important news on Social Media.
Dealing with an outage? Give a quick alert and share the details to reassure people you are all over it, what caused it, and what remediation looks like.
3. Drum up Interaction and Co-Op Participation
Want people to sign up for a contest / giveaway? Looking to increase participation in a new program or initiative like members purchasing smart thermostats?
Hit them with the info where they are already spending their time! Using places like Facebook and Twitter can help reinforce your messages and be part of a holistic approach to increasing adoption of new technology or encouraging certain behaviors. Read our post on what specific Social Media tools should your Co-Op use.
4. Highlight Your Co-Op Heroes
This actually ties in with what we’ve written about how to look better online with positive co-op reviews.
People are far more understanding of when things go wrong if your co-op shows some humanity (real people, real faces).
DO: highlight your heroes and people working at all levels of the Co-Op. Your member-owners and your employees have a lot in common. Build those connections in peoples’ minds.
