Why protecting your renewable energy brand’s reputation goes beyond the news

Success produces confidence, confidence relaxes industry, and negligence ruins the reputation which accuracy had raised.
—Ben Jonson

In a time of explosive tweets and scandalous CEOs, one poor partnership could negatively impact your energy company’s credibility. However, your reputation isn’t only about what’s in the news. The Tamarindo Group’s Renewables Reputation Index ranks energy organizations according to:

• Presence at major industry events
• News and social media profiles
• Online presence and search engine rankings

Although building and protecting a reputation isn’t easy, Adam Barber, managing director of the Tamarindo Group, says:

A good corporate profile can repay the effort many times over, by creating opportunities, sealing deals, and providing insurance against corporate hiccups.

Renewable energy professionals who focus on brand safety and reputation-building activities position their organization as an industry leader while safeguarding their future.

Enhance your reputation by attending industry events.

As the ranking criteria shows, top renewable companies support, attend, and speak at industry trade shows and panels.

Doing so demonstrates expertise while providing networking opportunities. Plus, event participation gives energy professionals social proof for use across mediums. Start by:

• Joining local and national organizations
• Demonstrating innovation through your trade booth design and materials
• Signing up for speaking opportunities
• Turning information from the show into a webinar or online event

Direct the conversation about your renewable energy brand.

The best stories are the ones your renewable energy company tells. Jessica Reid with Oracle Data Cloud says:

Brand safety is as much about avoiding sensitive materials as it is ensuring that your brand messaging is surrounded by relevant content.

Protect your reputation by delivering a steady stream of positive content that positions your organization as an industry leader.

• Follow a clear communications plan. Ensure that your message gets to the right people by developing a strategy that addresses both content and distribution.
• Create thought leadership content. White papers and case studies that share valuable information reflects positively on your energy organization.
• Connect with news organizations. Media contacts and social influencers distribute your message on a broader scale than possible using your media alone.

Monitor your energy brand’s online reputation.

Even organizations who avidly protect their reputation face problems. An errant ex-employee may post a negative review on Glassdoor or go off on a social media rampage. If these mentions end up indexed by a search engine, then prospective buyers will take note.

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That’s why the annual Top 100 Global Energy Leaders report by Thomson Reuters uses eight criteria for evaluating renewable energy organizations, including:

• People and social responsibility. Are employees and communities treated fairly?
• Reputation. How do the public and stakeholders view the organization?

Each of these criteria suggests that successful renewable energy corporations protect their brand’s reputation in numerous ways. After all, a decline in status makes it harder to attract new employees and buyers. Manage your reputation by monitoring and responding to:

• Employee review sites. Provide a professional response that acknowledges the complaint while offering a solution so your organization can act on the feedback.
• Social mentions. Catch the good and the bad online and leverage it by responding or sharing the comments.

Promote brand safety to increase web traffic.

If your renewable energy organization is invisible online, then that demonstrates a lack of credibility. Google reports that:

71% of B2B researchers start their research with a generic search.

Each review, social message, and media mention increases awareness and directs buyers to your website. More clicks equals higher credibility with search engines, which results into a better click-through rate and possibly revenue growth. The bottom line is that how, when, where, and with whom you communicate reflects on your brand.

Keep your organization on an upward path by practicing social listening while adding positive content about your renewable energy company across all channels.