SMART | work


Don’t change the


C


channel How cable/internet companies are primed to become future solar players


urrently, in the global economy, things are rapidly evolving where the lines are blurring at an accelerating rate. Tis is especially true


within the energy and telecommunications sectors. Within the energy sector, we see an amazing


(albeit slow at times) transformation towards re- newables, including solar. Te International Energy Association (IEA) last year said solar capacity in 2016 advanced by 50%, (74GW) with China, making up half of all new capacity. On the cable, and telecommunications side con-


tinues to evolve, thanks to smartphones, tablets, and the Internet of Tings. According to Forbes, 34 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020. With the digitization of


Clean Tech Adam Johnston


energy emerging, along with the rise of smart homes, thanks to IoT platforms. We may start to see the lines blur be- yond traditional energy ut i l ities and informa- t ion communicat ion technology companies (ICT- otherwise known as your standard cable and telephone companies) within the energy space. With renewables riding on a digital platform, US solar and telecommuni- cations company teamed


up last year seeing this exciting trend. Last summer, Comcast, the largest US cable com-


pany, signed a 40-month partnership agreement with Sunrun, one of the largest solar installers. Ac- cording to Bloomberg, the partnership came out of a test run in which Comcast customer was keen on purchasing solar energy products. Comcast, during this partnership, will advertise Sunrun services to its Xfinity customers. Xfinity is Comcast division which specializes, in Internet, smart home, mobile phone services. Tis partnership is not something to sneeze at if


you are either a renewable energy analyst or within the telecommunications sector. Consider, there are 27 million Comcast subscribers. In major US cities including Philidelphia and Chicago. “Tere are a plethora of options for monitoring


your solar production and being able to do that from a connected home platform that does much more – smart thermostats, lights, alarms etc – is quite compelling,” said James Sprinz, a New York- based analyst at BNEF, said Bloomberg New Energy Finance Analyst James Sprinz to Bloomberg last August. And if this deal takes off the ground, Comcast


may end up purchasing 10% of Sunrun, according to GreenTech Media. Meanwhile, GTM analyst Allison Mond added


the deal between Comcast and Sunrun might well be a strategy in competing with rival Vivant who is trying to meld two of its operations together to boost the possibilities of smart home services, Vivant Solar, and Vivant Smart Home. With cable companies struggling to maintain


their bases for cable subscriptions, the Comcast/ Sunrun partnership offers a bold idea for cable companies who are looking not only to increase their smartphone services to customers but also find other revenue streams, thanks to declining cable customers. According to USA Today, Comcast alone lost


125,000 cable customers in the third quarter of 2017. Te situation is almost the same in Canada. Accord- ing to the CBC, a record 202,000 cable customer ditched their cable packages, thanks to streaming services like Netflix, and boxes, including Apple TV, and Android Kodi boxes. Customers have made it clear they are tired of over paying for cable services as shown by recent stats show. While it may not occur in the short term, given the infrastructure in place by ICT companies, to offer demand manage- ment services for renewable energy products on the IoT platform, it may not be uncommon in the future for the likes of Canadian companies like Shaw, Bell, and MTS to offer solar products in the future. Adam Johnston is a freelance writer and owns


a part-time social media and cleantech writing business. You can go to his website at www.salay- consulting.com or email him at salayconsulting@ gmail.com.


6 Smart Biz


Te 4 key website marketing metrics you need to track


with your marketing campaigns. When you understand how the actions you're


O


taking online - organic social media engage- ment, sharing blog content, hosting events and webinars, and running targeted paid advertising campaigns - all connect to actions visitors take (or should be taking) on your website, you can begin to understand how and why (or why not) your efforts are yielding the results you need to grow your business. Tis article will cover some of the key mar-


keting metrics for planning and increasing the Return on Investment (ROI) of your digital marketing efforts through your website. Let's get started, shall we? 1. Website Visitors Understanding who is arriving at your website


ne of the critical components involved in understanding how your marketing efforts are translating into real- world actions is connecting your website


visitors go (or don't go) into your website once they've arrived, and track to see what they do along the way. Other metrics to track include: Session Duration Bounce Rate Exit Rate and Exit Pages Review the pages with the highest Bounce Rate


and lowest Session Duration, as well as the Exit Rate and Exit Pages to understand why those pages are leading visitors to bounce away. Are they loading too slowly? Is the page layout confusing or broken? Is the copy lacking in valuable content? By regularly assessing how these pages are per-


Social Media Alyson Shane


is almost as important as what they do when they get there. Take a glance at the following areas for a deeper understanding of who's visiting your website: Audience Analysis Analyzing the age, gender, language, and location and com-


paring your findings to your Buyer Profiles or Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) will let you know right away if your efforts are sending the right kinds of people to your website. For example, if your ICP for your monthly men's shaving kits


are men age 20 - 45 with who live in the Baltimore, MA area and make more than $45,000/yr, and your web traffic is comprised primarily of men age 18 - 24 who live in the Baltimore, MA area and make less than $30,000/yr, then you need to rethink your messaging and paid ad targeting. Additionally, if the majority of your web traffic is coming from


a different target location then you may need to re-think your targeting parameters and re-evaluate your hashtag strategy. Devices, Tech + Interests Understanding the tech your visitors are using to view your


site plays an important role in how long they stay on your page. According to HubSpot, Google drives 95% of all paid search ad clicks on mobile, so make sure that if the majority of your visitors are looking at your website on their mobile devices that your site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly. If not, your Bounce Rate (people who leave your website after


viewing only one page) may suffer as a result. Interests can also be instrumental in understanding if you're


targeting the right people with your marketing material. For example, if your web traffic is the right age group but isn't con- verting, check to see if the "Interests" of the users visiting your website align with your products and services; if not, it's time to revisit your ICP and hone your messaging and targeting. 2. Site Content Real talk: if the content on your website is lackluster then


your visitors aren't going to stick around to see what else you have to say. Page Metrics show you the Most Viewed Pages, Average Time


Spent on each page, and the Least Viewed Pages. By paying attention to these data points over time you can see how deep


forming and strengthening the weak spots on your website you can test and fix them on an ongoing basis to keep your visitors engaged and active on your site. 3. Acquisition How are people finding your website? Once


you understand where your web traffic is coming from you can develop campaigns and strategies to


capitalize on those traffic sources. Some key areas to monitor include: Channels. Show you the sessions brought by social media,


search, email, and more. Source/Medium. Similar to the above, but is specific to the


service or website. Referrals. Where your website was referred from somewhere


else online. If you're running several paid campaigns across multiple digi-


tal channels, compare these findings against your campaigns in order to determine where to focus the majority of your digital marketing advertising budget. 4. Conversions With all these metrics to track it may seem like we're getting


away from matters: website conversions, but that's not the case. In fact, by developing a comprehensive digital marketing


strategy your business is more likely to convert website visitors into customers, and the best way to track your efforts is to set up Conversion Goals. Conversion Goals are exactly what they sound like: they're


the final action you want to visitor to take after arriving on a specific page on your website. Conversion goals can include: Subscribing to your newsletter Registering for an event or webinar Filling out a contact form Making a purchase/completing checkout By attributing a value to each of these conversions (transac-


tion, future lead, etc.) you can determine the "end goal" of your website and track how visitors are responding to your efforts. As you continue to track, test, hone, and continually work on optimizing your website to convert you'll begin to see increases in your goal conversions. By continually honing your website and tracking key metrics


you'll soon have a well-developed understanding of how, where, and why your website visitors are finding your business, and the steps you can take to convert them once they arrive on your site. Do you have any social media or content marketing related


questions for me? Tweet at me at @alysonshane on Twitter or drop me a line at our website, www.starling.social.


Performance evaluations and reducing turnover


E


mployees in today's workforce crave feedback. While this feedback should happen informally on a regular basis, especially in the early stages of employment, formal


performance evaluations are great way to provide feedback that keeps employees engaged and helps them to grow. Gallup surveys has identified nine factors in the workplace that can predict a company's turnover. • Having clear expectations, • having the right equipment to do the job, • having the opportunity to do what you do


best every day, • knowing that someone at work cares, • having someone encourage your develop-


ment, • employees feeling that their opinion counts, • feeling that their work is important, • a belief that coworkers are committed to


excellence, and • having opportunities to develop and grow


at work. Effective performance management addresses


these factors and helps to significantly reduce employee turno- ver. Here are some tips for ensuring that your performance management system is addressing these potential causes of turnover. In any position where targets are a big focus of the role, or


in any company that sees regular change, formal employee evaluations should be completed on a quarterly basis. Tis en- sures that regular feedback is provided and that the employee knows that they are essential to the organization’s bottom line. While evaluations are there to set goals and discuss an


www.smartbizwpg.com


Human Resources Graeme Burke


employee's performance, it is equally important to hear the employee's ideas and give them an opportunity to be heard. Nobody in a company will have a better idea of how to improve the effectiveness of a position more than the employee in the role. Ask questions that will help to garner their ideas such as; is there anything that I can do to help you be the best you can be in this position? Do you have any educational needs that would help you to grow and build your career with us? Evaluations are the perfect time to discuss the


organization’s goals and future. Employees need to know what is in store for the futures so that they can help the company get where they need to be. When setting expectations in any role, it is


crucial that the employer shows that thought has been given to the practicality of the goals. Let's use sales as an example, sales targets can often be seen as a stressor that leads to turnover. However, when the employer breaks down the target into activities such as the number of calls that need to be made, average conversion rate on those


calls, and the number of sales you need to hit per month to be on track for your target, all of a sudden expectations become realistic and the employee can begin to formulate a real plan of attack to go above and beyond expectations. I hope this has provided some insight into creating an ef-


fective performance management strategy. Next month I will be discussing the legalization of marijuana and its effect on the workplace. Graeme Burke is Recruitment Consultant at Te Headhunt- ers. You can contact him at gburke@theheadhunters.ca


April 2018


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