Objectives

1. Develop and implement plans to improve website content and increase website traffic by 100% by December 2013. Specific improvements to include: Develop Resource Partnership page to list companies, businesses, municipalities, organizations that are Resource Partners of SHA to provide knowledgeable and reliable resources to homeowners and consumers interested in hardening their homes; sponsorship page to list significant sponsors with links to sponsor pages; update with current issues weekly to keep content fresh with links to articles, Facebook and Twitter accounts; Better organize and improve existing content
2. Increase Smart Home America’s professional network on Linked In to include a minimum of 100 Resource Partners, Industry professionals, supporting partners and others and post weekly updates with information on resilience, with links to pertinent articles or other important information.
3. Increase the number of community followers on Facebook and Twitter by 100% and provide weekly posts to maintain interest and information flow.

Methodology

To increase the electronic communication capacity of Smart Home America, the current website and social media accounts will be assessed and an action plan will be developed with the oversight and input of the primary investigator.

Relative to Objective 1. To develop and implement plans to improve website content and increase website traffic by 100% Smart Home America will:

• Link Resource Partners and sponsor websites to SHA website and allow SHA logo and link for the reciprocal
• Set-up tracking of all visits to SHA website to maintain a count of visits in relation to the annual goal
• Utilize social media topics and updates to drive more traffic to SHA website
• Encourage website visits in all traditional media exposure and on all SHA signage
• Designate and update a section of SHA homepage with new and relevant information weekly
• Develop a Resource Partner page per service area by state
• Develop an insurance information page for “best practices”, for frequently asked questions about insurance coverage and for insurance mitigation discounts availability per state

Relative to Objective 2. To increase SHA’s professional network on Linked In to 100…” Smart Home America will:

• Invite Resource Partners, Sponsors, industry professionals and associates of these groups to join SHA on Linked In
• Provide weekly updates with pertinent and informative articles or topics on themes related to the mission of SHA.

Relative to Objective 3. To increase the number of followers on Facebook and Twitter by 100%” Smart Home America will:

• Include website address in press releases and other media coverage
• Include Facebook statuses and “tweets” on the sidebar of Home Page on the website
• Run quarterly campaigns to increase FB likes and followers on Twitter
• Develop a weekly “Did you know” campaign to further the message of disaster preparedness
• Interact on any comments or communications to encourage further involvement and input
• Track effectiveness of campaigns to increase followers and participation

Rationale

Smart Home America has been successful at communicating the message of building stronger more resilient communities across the Gulf Coast. However, there is an increasing need in both the general public and from building industry professionals, for more information related to resilient and FORTIFIED construction and mitigation. In order to keep up with this growing need, Smart Home America must increase their communication capacity.

The project funding will allow Smart Home America a broader reach and to more effectively reach all the stakeholder groups, including homeowners, elected officials at all levels, the design community, builders and industry professionals, suppliers, realtors and appraisers and others. Electronic communication in the form of website, and social media is one of the most popular and effective means to provide education and outreach. Having links to partner organizations and resources will allow users to have instant connections with the information they need.