1. Create awareness for your company's solar programs by generating free news stories in newspapers, magazines, vertical trade publications, business journals, internet news portals, and broadcast media outlets that explain the features and benefits of solar programs, which utilize biofuel, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectricity, solar, wave and wind power to generate power without burning fossil fuels and significantly reduce the amount of harmful carbon emissions into the Earth's atmosphere.



2. Generate consumer interest in solar by generating news stories that demonstrate how customers can install solar technology such as solar panels and take advantage of Net Metering programs to reduce the power their home consumes and begin a market transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Utilities should partner with energy consultants that can provide energy audits and recommend the best solar products for residential customers that want to reduce the monthly energy bills and do their part to stop global warming. PR programs should publicize the benefits of solar power, the list of vendors that can help consumers make the transition and specify where to get rebates and state and federal tax credits to help consumers pay for the solar power technology.



3. Generate commercial business interest in solar power by generating news stories that demonstrate how customers can install solar technology such as solar panels and take advantage of Net Metering programs to reduce the power their business consumes and begin a market transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Utilities should partner with energy consultants that can provide energy audits and recommend the best solar products for commercial customers that want to reduce the monthly energy bills and do their part to stop global warming. PR programs should publicize the benefits of solar, the list of vendors that can help commercial customers make the transition and specify where to get rebates and state and federal tax credits to help businesses pay for the solar technology.



4. Generate better community relations by generating news stories on how the company goes the extra mile to help low income and fixed income senior citizen customers afford and install solar products and services recommended by the company's solar programs.



5. Drive readers to solar and/or consumer-related websites containing education forums on best use solar practices, free customer premises evaluation forms, contractor business lead forms and other lead generation processes to promote, educate and convert more customers to utilize more energy efficient products, services and consumption patterns.

1. The first step is to make sure that all executives or spokespersons are media trained, which teaches them how to understand a reporter's news beat, understand the media outlet's editorial environment and help them understand how to present information, facts and figures that the reporter can use to write a positive feature story on the company's solar program. Executives will also learn how to stay on topic during interviews and how to redirect or bridge to another topic if a reporter tries to get them to discuss a topic they are not prepared to discuss.



2. The second step is to build a message map. A message map is a graphic representation of all possible topics that could be covered during an interview. The message map is a series of big circles with the main points on inside and all the sub-topics on the outside displayed on lines attached to the main circle. There are multiple circles with their own message points, but they are all connected. At the end of an interview reporters usually will ask if there was anything that they forgot to ask or cover during the interview. A message map makes it easy for an executive to scan all the topics and add one or more important topics at the end of the interview. Many times this will lead to a follow up story.



3. The third step is to build a FAQ Sheet. Each message map is supported by a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet. The FAQ sheet contains every question that a reporter might ask, complete with a polished answer. The FAQ sheet is a used for two purposes. One is to make sure all responses from execs are consistent. The second purpose is to lead reporters down a topic path that executives want to pursue. FAQ Sheets are evolving documents that are updated after every single interview. There are usually two FAQ Sheets. A public FAQ sheet contains positive discussion points that are shared with reporters. A private FAQ sheet contains negative discussion points and is not made public. The private fact sheet provides executives with company approved statements on hard-to-answer subject matters, and then provides a bridge (escape route) to another positive discussion point that the executive does want to cover during the interview.



4. The fourth step is to build a media relations database. Once executives are media trained and the message map/FAQ sheet is prepared, Front Page builds a giant database of every reporter that covers energy related topics. We begin building relationships between executives and reporters, one industry at a time. Company execs are positioned as subject matter experts that are available for positive stories on the energy industry. The more reporters that know what topics an executive can discuss, the more stories they will be quoted. Reporters always search backwards to see what has been written and who was quoted. One quote leads to two more stories, then four and so on. Reporters talk to many important people and are very good resources for facilitating new business relationships. The more reporters an executive knows, the more access they will have to other executives in the industry, which can be very good for developing new business deals and career moves. If you manage the public relations for your company, our media relations expertise will make your job very easy.



5. The fifth step is giving news scoops to leading publications. One way that we build relationships with reporters is by offering them scoops on stories. We can offer reporters stories a week before they hit the newswire. This allows reporters to write a big feature story that shows up on the front page (this is how we got our company name). We share the scoop with a different publication each week. Once reporters realize they can get the story ahead of time, it trains them to call us on a weekly basis to see what stories we have ready for them. It also encourages them to call us when they are working on other energy stories because they know us and want to return the favor for us giving them the scoop.



6. The sixth step is to build events that interest the press. Another successful strategy we use to generate news stories is to hold energy technology days. Energy Technology days show off the latest and greatest energy technology such as the latest ways to add energy star appliances or new energy production capabilities to homes and businesses. Energy Technology days are very similar to tradeshows except the entire focus of the show is squarely on one company. These events are very successful. We set up 5-6 related presentations, followed by a Q&A session. After the presentations, which are loaded with potential news story material, we hold a big luncheon and use a seating chart to sit people together by subject matter. For example, if a company wants to market solar power technology to large business such as hotels, hospitals, schools, shopping malls, etc., we would sit executives, reporters, industry analysts, customers and vendors, together by topic. This gives reporters everything they need to complete a phenomenal feature article. They have executives for quotes, analysts for third party verification, customers for testimonials and vendors for product details. A typical event might have 10 tables with 5 reporters. These events generate a massive amount of positive press because we make it easy for reporters to get access to everyone they need to talk to for a story at one event. They are extremely effective at generating the exposure for their Renewable Energy programs. They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars less than attending one tradeshow. No travel expenses, no floor space rentals, no drayage costs, and senior executives only need to spend three hours at the event. Their directors and senior managers do the majority of the work for the event.



7. The most important strategy of all is building relationships. Just like in sales, it is important to build good relationships with the people who buy your products. The same is true of reporters. The better the relationship is, the more stories they will write. To create these types of relationships, utilities need an aggressive PR firm that proactively calls every single reporter in the industry that covers energy and makes friends with them. That is what we do and why we have been so successful with our clients. If you want more exposure for your pet projects, please call us at (480) 218-4441.



8. The last step is building a news story clip portfolio. Clip books are used to show clients the value of our work and their return on investment. We use a clipping service to track, clip and send us a copy of every story that we get published. We then compile a cost/benefit analysis measurement sheet that details the article headline, publication name, publication circulation, and the number of gross impressions (number of people that read the story). We also compute the amount of money that would have been spent with advertising dollars to buy the same amount of press we received for free. These books are awesome for Marketing Directors because they will show upper management that they reduced their advertising budget by millions of dollars, but reached three to five times more readers through free publicity.

The Solar Marketing/PR Programs Targeting Residential New Home Construction publicity campaign will market solar training to builder superintendents as well as the features and benefits that builders can offer new home buyers seeking to buy energy efficient homes that also produce free, clean green energy.