From Guest Blogger Heather Legg: How is Social Media Impacting the Green Energy Push?

Social media has a lot more uses than just posting cute pics of you and your besties on a fun night out.

The impact it can have on the green energy push is pretty huge, and many companies are using their social media forums to do this. Because social media can reach so many, it’s a perfect venue for anything in the social realm, green energy being one of these.

So how can companies, organizations and individuals use social media to promote green energy?

1. Promote yourself with social media – If you are the social media director of a company proactive in the green energy movement, let your followers know what you’re doing. For the most part, people are happy to see companies striving to a more efficient means of using energy, even if they are not strong activists themselves. By putting your energy saving means out there on your social media, your followers and customers will see what you’re doing. It may even draw in more customers.

For instance, a restaurant that prioritizes sustainability and local fare should tout this on their social media. Those patrons who value this will see it and perhaps try the restaurant. You can promote yourself and share these values at the same time.

2. Share tips with social media – As a business that values the green energy push, use social media to share what you are doing, and maybe your followers will parrot your ideas. Social media is an excellent forum for sharing and gaining new ideas, don’t be afraid to share yours even if they aren’t exactly 100% relevant to your business or organization.

For instance, maybe you run a daycare center but you have just collected and distributed hundreds of gently used paperback books to a nearby school; share this achievement on your social media. Though it’s not related directly to your daycare center, you can share how your organization found and reused all of these books, not only reusing instead of tossing out valuable material in a green manner, but helping another organization at the same time. Perhaps some of your followers will take this same idea on.

3. Invite with social media – Whether you are literally using social media to invite your followers to an event related to the green energy movement, or you are figuratively inviting them to take on a challenge pushing green energy, you can reach a lot of people this way. It’s a way to not only invite initially, but also you can invite discussion of new ideas and concepts.

For instance, a PR business may take a challenge on about the green movement and using their social media, they can invite their followers to take on the same or similar challenge. People can share their successes (and failures) as they go.

Social media is an odd kind of blessing.

Though you do hear frightening or disheartening stories about it, you can also use it to better the place you live instead. Take your social media and use it for what you believe in, you may be surprised how fast your word can spread.

What have you done on social media to help the green cause?

About the Author: Heather Legg is a writer who covers topics related to small business and social media, as well as how to remove personal information.