THE CONSULTANT’S GUIDE
to SOCIAL MEDIA
When done correctly, social media can be an effective tool to help you build your
Ambit business. In Ambit Energy’s Consultant’s Guide to Social Media, you’ll find
some DOs & DON’Ts, Q & As, Core Principals and Ambit-specific guidelines, all
designed to help you get the most out of each post.
Here’s your first guideline: statements made through social media channels are
perceived as your opinion. Therefore, be clear these opinions are coming from you.
And here are a few more introductory guidelines. If you are re-stating a fact,
provide supporting validation by linking to the source. Always consider your
audience; posting similar content over and over may be considered spam by some
people, as well as the social channels. Also, ensure your social media channels are
kept current; the key to a good social media campaign is frequent, relevant and
“non-duplicate” updates.

 DOs
Use Social Media To Connect with Your Network.
Social media is a great way to connect with family, friends and business contacts to help grow your business, as
well as the Ambit Energy brand.

Create a Facebook Page to Promote Your Ambit Business.
If you’re planning on sharing Ambit with your friends on Facebook, be sure to create a Business Page that you can
dedicate to your business.

Always Identify Yourself as an Ambit Energy Independent Consultant.
Indicate this in your “Profile Picture,” “Name,” “Basic Info” or “About Me” sections. Statements made through
social media channels are perceived as your opinion. Therefore, be clear these opinions are coming from you.

For Content, Use Positive and Current News Coverage.
Keeping current with Ambit Energy news will make you a resource to your audience. Check Ambit Energy’s
corporate social pages, Google News and the Ambit Energy Newsroom regularly for new, positive news stories
that you can post, tweet or talk about on your social media sites. The more value you provide and the more
positive content consumers see, the more likely they are to do business with you.

DON’Ts
Do Not Use Negative Words.
Using words like “scam” and “rip off,” even in a rebuttal, will only harm our online reputation. Choose to respond
in a positive way. For example, instead of saying, “Ambit Energy isn’t a scam,” say, “Ambit Energy is a great
business opportunity!”

Do Not Use Assets Without the Rights.
If you post information, logos, images or videos, be sure you have the express written permission to do so from
the original owner.

Do Not Mislead.
Do not claim or imply that your Facebook page, Twitter profile, business listing, blog, or website is an official or
Corporate Ambit page. For example, calling a Twitter page “Ambit Energy” or “Ambit Energy Texas” misleads
consumers about the actual author of the feed. For this reason, we ask that you rename any social media account
profiles, websites, or review site listings that use the name “Ambit Energy” and are not followed by “Independent
Consultant.” All Corporate material is protected by copyright laws.

Do Not Post (or Re-Post) Negative News Stories.
Even if your intent is to refute claims in a negative news story, avoid posting it! The more a story is posted, the
more times it will be seen by consumers and rank higher in search engines. Instead, create a new post with a
positive angle or announcement and continually share those stories with your networks.

 Seven Core Social Media Principles
In today’s online world, our personal and private lives can often converge. These guidelines are not intended
to intrude upon your personal, private life, but to help shape your participation in social media if your
contributions and actions can, in any way, be linked to Ambit Energy. Personal participation on fan pages,
forums, review sites, or social groups on topics unrelated to your company’s interests, and which have no
linkage to your company, are considered private. However, speaking as a subject matter expert on a site
where fellow industry members or regulators may also participate would be considered public, and that
participation should adhere to these guidelines.

1. Ethical Conduct.
Ambit Energy Independent Consultants will not conduct activities that are illegal or contrary to Ambit Energy’s
Policies and Procedures and/or related policies.

2. Protection of Confidential, Proprietary and Financial Information.
Ambit Energy Independent Consultants must maintain the confidentiality of information considered company
confidential, including company data, Customer data, partner and/or supplier data, personal associate data,
financial data and any information not generally available to the public.

3. Accurate Information.
Ambit Energy Independent Consultants may not knowingly communicate information that is untrue or deceptive.
Communications should be based on current, accurate, complete and relevant data. Ambit Energy will take all
reasonable steps to assure the validity of information communicated via any channel, but it is the employee’s or
Consultant’s responsibility to ensure accuracy in the first place. Anecdotes and opinions will be identified as such.

4. Disclosing Your Identity.
In external communications on public, industry-related sites (such as energy forums or communities), always
disclose your status as an Independent Consultant. You are encouraged to post a disclaimer, such as: “Thoughts
on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ambit Energy.” Also, if you quote others, disclose
any relationship you have with them. Never give people anything in return for testimonials. Speak only to what
being an Ambit Energy Independent Consultant has meant to you and your family. Defer to company experts
who are officially authorized and trained to speak publicly on the company’s behalf, especially in responding to
negative posts, reviews, or comments.

5. Presume Broad Distribution.
Before you comment, assume there will always be a broad, conspicuous distribution of everything you post. Even
if it’s “only” going to be accessible within your network, consider: “If this were broadcast to the public, would I be
embarrassed, or would my company’s interests be harmed?”

6. Managing Reputation.
When participating in a public manner, you need to care about your reputation and the reputation of Ambit
Energy. Even when providing your personal input or quoting others, recognize that outsiders will naturally seek to
hold both you and the company accountable for what you say.

7. Treat Others Respectfully.
Specifically, how would you feel if this post was said about you? What if someone communicated this to your
boss, Customer, colleague, etc., without giving you an opportunity for input first?

 Content Considerations

In order to appropriately manage social media engagement and make it as efficient as possible, we’ve listed the types
of posts that should be avoided under all circumstances (red light), posts that are always good to go (green light), and
those that require Ambit Energy Corporate approval (yellow light).

 

Inappropriate Topics for Online Discussion

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• “Scam” or “Complaints” related articles, reviews, or discussions
• Lawsuits concerning Ambit Energy
• Private customer or NDA information
• Ambit Energy’s future financial performance
• Employee and personnel changes
• Sweepstakes, games, contests and/or giveaways
• New Market launches before they are announced
publicly by Corporate

 

Seek Approval Before Participating

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Blogger or online media interviews
• Doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on social or web
properties such as blogs, YouTube videos, personal websites,
forums, review websites
• Paid advertising on social or web properties
• If you’d like to use any custom graphics, please email
them to socialmedia@ambitenergy.com for approval.

  

No Review Required

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Non-company related
• “Have a great day!”
• “Happy Holidays!”
• Company announcements, such as new market launches, once
they have been announced publicly through an official press
release by Ambit Energy
• Positive media coverage that mentions Ambit Energy
• Re-tweets or posts with positive Ambit Energy reference

 Social Media FAQs
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What are the most popular social sites I can use to support my Ambit business?
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest are some of the most popular social media sites for
small businesses. But which one is the most useful to put your time and effort into? According to Constant
Contact, 82% of small business owners say that Facebook is the most effective social media platform for their
business. For this reason, we suggest you put the majority of your time into Facebook. If you’re looking to do
more, we suggest Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

How should I name my social media page?
We suggest that you simply use your personal name, along with the Ambit Energy Independent Consultant social
media graphics (found in PowerZone/Business Tools/Advertising Tools/Social Media Content). People like to
connect with fellow individuals and, therefore, using your name is a great way to get the word out about your
Ambit business. If you don’t feel comfortable using only your name, you’re allowed to use a variation of “Ambit
Energy Independent Consultant.” For example, if your name is John Doe, you could use “John Doe’s Ambit Energy
Team” or “John Doe – Ambit Energy Independent Consultant.”

What profile pictures and cover photos should I use for my social media pages?
Approved profile pictures, backgrounds and cover photos can be found in PowerZone (Business Tools
Advertising Tools/Social Media Content). If you’d like to use any custom graphics, please email them to
socialmedia@ambitenergy.com for approval.

I’m not sure if my existing social pages are compliant with Ambit Energy Policies and Procedures.
Who do I contact for approval?
If you have any questions about compliance with Ambit Energy’s Policies and Procedures or Social Media
Guidelines, or if you have content that requires approval, please send an email to socialmedia@ambitenergy.com.

What kind of content should I post on my social pages?
Use positive and current Ambit Energy news coverage, inspirational content, Ambit “Whys” and shared posts
from Corporate websites and social media pages. To make it a little easier on you, we’ve also created 90 days
of pre-approved social media content, available to you in PowerZone (Business Tools/Advertising Tools/Social
Media Content). Overall, the more value you provide and the more positive content your fans and followers see,
the more likely they’re going to do business with you. Keep posts short and sweet; the longer your posts are, the
less engagement you will receive from fans.

How often should I update my social pages?
Although there is no “one size fits all” answer, you can try to reach a happy medium when it comes to posting on
social sites. Keep in mind that too many posts will be seen as spam and infrequent posts will limit the reach of
your page. As a rule, we like to stick with, at least, one post every day and no more than three posts in one day.
Although special circumstances call for exceptions, this is a good rule of thumb. We also recommend that you
vary your posting times; if you space out your posts for the day, you have a better chance of being seen by your
fans and followers. After some time, look at your Facebook insights and see what time that your fans are
engaged the most.

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How can I schedule out my social posts? Is there a way to post to more than one
social site at once?
We understand that it can be time consuming to post and monitor your social pages. The good news is that there
are plenty of valuable tools you can use to help make social media management easier – HootSuite, TweetDeck
and Buffer, to name a few. If you’re posting to multiple social sites at once, be sure to customize your messages
for each channel. You can also direct people from Twitter, YouTube, and Google Plus to your Facebook page.

How can I get more fans and followers on my social pages?

 
 
 
 

The best way to gain more fans (Likes) and followers is to get the word out. Include links to your social pages in
your email signature, add them to your business cards and encourage your downline and Customers to Like and
Follow your pages. Make sure to engage with other people through comments, and Like other pages to help
increase your fan base. Try using Facebook and Twitter search to find other pages and profiles related to your
interests to follow.

 
 
 

On Twitter, you can proactively follow people. That said, make sure you are only following real people who would,
ideally, follow you back. It’s a good rule to keep your follow rate (average of people you are following to your
followers) to a 10/1 ratio (100 following to 10 followers).

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I would like to combat negative reviews and comments. How do I do this?

 
 

If you ever see words like “scam” or “rip-off” on your social pages, only respond in a positive manner. Even if your
intent is to defend Ambit, the more a story is posted, the more it is seen by consumers and will rank higher on
search engines.

 
 
 
 

This policy also includes Consultant-made videos. Even if your video is refuting “scam” or “rip-off” claims,
if it contains any of these negative words in the title or description, it’s fueling the story on search engines. From
a consumer perspective, oftentimes they don’t even watch the video; they just see the negative words and make
their own assumptions.

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How can I feature my business on Ambit Energy’s corporate social pages?

 
 
 

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The best way to be featured on Ambit Energy’s social pages is to share a win with us! We love sharing photos and
retweeting success stories. We do ask that you refrain from posting your phone number or links to your Ambit
website on our Corporate social pages. We like Consultant engagement on the Corporate pages to be focused on
positive comments, helpful advice and wins.

How do I use hashtags (#) in my posts?
According to Twitter, “The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet.” If you use
a hashtag in a public account, anyone who searches for that hashtag may find your post. Because it looks like
spam, it’s best not to use more than 2 hashtags per post. The platforms that currently allow for the use of
searchable hashtags are: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest.

How can I upload Ambit Energy’s videos onto my YouTube Channel?
On YouTube, we ask that you add Ambit Energy videos to your list of favorites instead of uploading. Uploading
Ambit Energy videos directly onto your YouTube channel violates our Policies and Procedures.

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How do I create a shorter link to my Ambit Energy Website?
Are you trying to squeeze a link into a tweet or social post? There are many free sites you can use to shorten the
link to your Ambit Energy website such as– bitly.com, goo.gl and ow.ly, to name a few.

Can I link to a website I created on my social media pages?
We do allow Consultants to link to websites they’ve created. However, all websites used to promote an Ambit
Energy business must be sent to marketingteam@ambitenergy.com for approval. Make sure it’s clearly stated
that the page is owned by an Ambit Energy Independent Consultant. Approved logos can be found in PowerZone
(Business Tools/Advertising Tools/Ambit Energy Content/Independent Consultant Logos).

I just signed on several new Customers want to let my fans and followers know.
How do I announce this on my social pages?
You’re allowed to use social media sites to announce milestones regarding your Ambit Energy business –
followers love to hear about wins! That said, due to legal guidelines, private Customer information may not be
announced on social media sites.

Am I allowed to purchase paid advertising on Facebook or promote my tweets on Twitter?
Like paid advertising on Google, we highly discourage the purchase of paid advertising on Facebook or promoted
tweets on Twitter. Not only can it be expensive, it typically doesn’t make sense for Ambit Energy Consultants.

Find Ambit Energy’s Corporate pages on ww2.ambitenergy.com/community
Don’t forget to Like and Follow us!

For more in-depth guidelines go to:
PowerZone/Business Tools/Advertising Tools/Social Media Content
For questions contact socialmedia@ambitenergy.com