Customer Engagement Archives - Page 18 of 19

3 Great Content Marketing Ideas for Energy Utilities

If it feels like you’re being bombarded with advertisements, well, that’s because you are. The average consumer is exposed to upwards of 5,000 ads every day … and growing. You’re probably pretty good at tuning out most of those messages. Of course, your customers are good at tuning out messages, too.

That’s why content marketing can be so effective. With this approach, you build long-term satisfaction by providing customers with information that actually interests them — instead of bombarding them with ads they don’t care about.

Do your messages cut through the clutter to reach customers? Here are three great content marketing ideas from other industries that energy utilities can apply to their own content strategy.

1. Makeup.com

Screen capture of Makeup-dot-com content marketing example

At first glance, Makeup.com looks like it’s produced by a glossy fashion magazine. The robust website is filled with makeup product reviews, how-to’s, expert tips and helpful videos.

In fact, the site is owned by cosmetics giant L’Oreal. Yet there’s one thing you won’t find on Makeup.com — blatant sales messages. Ads would be a turnoff and easy to tune out. Instead, L’Oreal attracts customers by offering advice and information that interests them. And, not coincidentally, it helps them use more makeup.

What utilities can do: Help customers, don’t sell to them. Provide content that helps them take control of their energy use, such as efficiency tips or smart home technology advice. When they’re ready, these informed customers will be more open to your program promotions or other marketing messages.

2. Learn from Experience

Screen shot of Farmers Insurance content marketing example

Farmers Insurance is known for their quirky TV commercials featuring actor J.K. Simmons reenacting actual, elaborate mishaps. Farmers’ content hub, Learn from Experience, plays off this theme with entertaining and useful articles drawn from real-life examples.

But this content isn’t about insurance. Instead, it’s about all the things that people need to insure, from cars and homes to life-changing events like weddings and births.

What utilities can do: Energy is critical to customers’ daily lives. Yet their questions and interests may not always be specific to energy use. Look for energy-adjacent topics to build content around. For example, instead of focusing on the energy-saving benefits of a smart thermostat, show customers how the technology also makes their lives more comfortable and convenient.

3. I Love You, Colonel Sanders!

Screen shot of KFC content marketing game I Love You Colonel Sanders

An anime-style dating simulator that’s finger-licking good? I Love You, Colonel Sanders! puts gamers in the role of a culinary student who wants to date their classmate, Colonel Sanders. If it works out, he might even ask you to be his business partner and open a chain of chicken joints.

If you’re wondering what this has to do with selling fast food, the answer is, not much. And yet, the free video game — created by Kentucky Fried Chicken and distributed on the Steam online game platform — has received more than 8,000 positive reviews and generated lots of buzz. In other words, KFC built strong connections around a memorable interactive experience and got customers talking about the brand.

What utilities can do: Make it fun! Educational content doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, interactive games and quizzes aren’t just more engaging, they’re more memorable as well. Customers are much more likely to absorb and retain information when it’s presented as entertaining content.

Every day, as more digital clutter invades our lives, it gets harder to reach customers with truly important messages. By learning from these content marketing ideas and developing your own strategy, your energy utility doesn’t need to push its messages on customers. Instead, customers will come to you to seek out information and advice that interests them.

Looking for new ideas to power your utility’s content strategy? Find out how Questline Digital can help.

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Make Them Laugh: Engage Utility Customers With Humor

Using humor as part of a marketing campaign is a tried-and-true way to make a memorable connection with your audience.

The Super Bowl is one of the most expensive and high-profile marketing events of the year. (It’s also a football game.) USA Today estimates that “one-quarter of Americans watch the Super Bowl for commercials alone” and that these commercials are largely made up of two main emotions: sentimental or silly. Inevitably the big game is followed by days of conversations and video sharing — not about exciting touchdowns or missed passes, but about hilarious ads.

Why is this such a universal phenomenon? Simply put, humor works. We remember the Super Bowl commercials that make us laugh, and we want to talk about them with our friends.

Energy utilities can benefit from this same appeal. While an outrageous Super Bowl ad might be off-brand for most utilities, a little laughter can still be effective — and appropriate — for making energy content more engaging and memorable.

Learn the main reasons why humor is an effective marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and customer engagement.

Humor creates rapport with your audience

Non-offensive jokes can easily establish likeability and trust. Most great speeches often begin with a joke. Humor not only humanizes your energy utility, but also creates a connection with your customers. Humor works best when it is based upon shared experiences. For example, Questline Digital’s article “Go Green, Save Energy and Feel Smug” establishes a universal emotion of pride and triumph while also highlighting energy efficiency in an unexpected way.

Humor helps trigger memory

Scene from humorous video series Dont Do It Dave

A goal of content marketing is to create brand recognition in customers’ minds. Studies show that consumers are most likely to remember information (and where they received it) that they perceive as humorous. For example, Questline Digital’s video series “Don’t Do It Dave!” demonstrates the importance of household safety in a way that is fun and memorable. It’s far more likely to prompt corrective customer behavior than dry, serious content.

There are pitfalls, of course, with this approach. In fact, several well-known marketing campaigns have experienced backlash over a poorly executed punchline or pun. By taking advantage of content that has been previously shared and well-received you can avoid this danger.

Remember, when done well, humorous content is a fun and unique way to engage with customers. Make sure your energy utility is using humor in a way that fits your brand and customers’ interests, and you will surely see customer satisfaction increase.

Power your content strategy with the entertaining videos and social posts in Questline Digital’s Content Catalog.

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Webinar: Coronavirus Communications Success Stories

Over the past few months, Questline Digital has worked with our energy utility partners on a variety of coronavirus-related communications. On May 21, Questline Digital President Dave Reim held the fifth town hall forum to share these “tales from the trenches” to help other utilities develop their marketing and content strategy.

In this webinar, Questline Digital’s energy utility and marketing experts discussed what communications strategies, platforms and cadence were most effective during the pandemic. They also shared re-engagement strategies for programs, initiatives and services for energy utilities to implement in the coming months.

Evolving messages

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, messages to energy utility customers have evolved — from initial safety and reliability-related alerts to payment assistance program promotions. As Questline Digital Account Supervisor Julia Halterman explained, many energy utilities sent out initial coronavirus messages to business and residential customers in an alert or letter-style format. However, as our energy utility partners have demonstrated, proactive communications during uncertain times extend above and beyond an alert.

For example, a major Northeast investor-owned utility sent out communications centered around its awareness and action toward maintaining continuity amid COVID-19. The utility then began weekly communications from the president, lending credibility to future messaging. In April, the utility’s messaging transitioned to saving energy, managing bills and payment assistance programs, among other topics. Based on the high levels of engagement, it is clear that customers want thoughtful and responsive communications from their energy utility.

The right time for promotions

In just a few short months, the world has completely changed and “business as usual” is no longer the case. As a result, some utilities halted their program promotions, instead focusing on COVID-19 messages and newsletter communications. As society transitions to a new normal, the question remains: When and how should utilities re-implement their program promotions?

According to Questline Digital Account Director Nina Cummins, now is the time to restart promotions because customers want to hear from you. Questline Digital’s team of experts recommends changing up typical promotional messaging to fit the current situation. For example, emphasize the “convenient” and “contactless” benefits of paperless billing.

When easing back into marketing efforts, energy utilities should determine what programs are most helpful for both parties. According to Cummins, there is a fine balance of internal program goals, remaining profitable and being sympathetic to your customers who are facing difficult times. Consider promoting these programs that are beneficial to utilities and customers:

Energy efficiency programs
Time-of-use plans
Smart thermostats
Appliance recycling
Home energy assessments

In addition to program promotions, our engagement experts recommend continuing customer onboarding campaigns. For example, Questline Digital’s Welcome Series is experiencing five times the benchmark click-through rate. Keep in mind, some of our clients have paused energy efficiency messaging within Welcome Series to remain empathetic to customers.

Helping customers in need

With an unemployment rate of 14.7%, your customers need your help during this difficult time. Questline Digital Account Director Josh Platt discussed a national Electric Power Research Institute survey gauging consumer views on energy utilities during COVID-19. The survey found customer actions are not in line with customer expectations. Customers are using electricity more than ever before and expecting greater utility assistance. However, few respondents reached out to their utility for help — illustrating the importance of proactive communications.

One of our clients, a major investor-owned utility in the Southeast, sent out a payment reminder email to inform customers they temporarily suspended disconnects for non-payment. This email, sent to more than 86,000 customers, provided an option to make partial payments and linked to the utility’s COVID-19 resource page (the second most visited page on the utility’s website). The email experienced extraordinary engagement rates with a 41% open rate, 12.7% CTOR and 5,850 total clicks.

Newsletters are necessary

Throughout the pandemic, customers have been eager to hear from their energy utility — evident in the high engagement of our clients’ email newsletters. Brian Lindamood, Questline Digital’s VP of Marketing & Content Strategy, discussed how customers are not only reading articles, but clicking on links and program promotions within eNewsletters.

A regular and reassuring touchpoint, eNewsletters provide both residential and business customers valuable and relevant content. Content examples range from work-from-home tips to saving energy during business downtime. For example, at the beginning of the pandemic, one of our energy utility partners was quick to replace their entire March eNewsletter with coronavirus content, including energy efficiency, reliability and health and safety topics. The open rate of 37% was more than double their usual open rate.

As these communications success stories showcase, energy utilities have many opportunities at their disposal to reach customers. It behooves utilities to use a variety of communication touchpoints — from one-off emails to program promotions to eNewsletters — to provide important coronavirus-related information to their customers.

To learn more, download Questline Digital’s eBook, “How COVID-19 Transformed Customer Communications.”

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Newsletters Boost Customer Engagement During COVID-19

The coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated just how critical customer engagement is for energy utilities — in good times and bad. Under normal circumstances, ongoing engagement helps promote safety, smart energy use and program participation.

But during an emergency, as with the current global pandemic, your relationship with customers really pays off. Now this engaged audience is easy to reach and they are ready and eager to hear from you. You can share vital health and safety information — at the moment they need it most — thanks to your long-term commitment to customer engagement.

eNewsletters connect during a crisis

This pattern is especially clear with email newsletters. A monthly eNewsletter provides a regular touchpoint, a reliable way for utilities to remind customers that you want to help them improve their energy use and make their lives more comfortable.

During the coronavirus outbreak, being a reliable part of customers’ lives has taken on new meaning. And customers have responded by engaging with eNewsletters at unprecedented rates.

In March, the eNewsletters Questline Digital deploys for energy utilities delivered a 36.7% average open rate. That’s 65% higher than the same month last year. Engagement with eNewsletter content, measured by click-through rate and click-to-open rate, also reached four-year highs. Even clicks on promotional links have been elevated during the outbreak.

The content customers are looking for

As with any content marketing strategy, an email newsletter should cover topics that interest customers and reflect their needs. In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak that meant articles about customers’ immediate health and safety concerns, as well as reassurances of the security and reliability of their energy supply.

That theme comes through in this list of Questline Digital’s top-performing content in March:

Coronavirus Action Plan: Protecting Your Power
Do’s and Don’ts: Coronavirus Prevention
6 Ways to Make Your Home Office Energy Efficient
Business Downtime: Steps to Saving Energy and Money
5 Simple Steps to Social Distancing

Customers’ initial concerns are now shifting to longer-term needs as they settle into a stay-at-home lifestyle in April and beyond. This is a good time to remind customers that they can take control of their energy use through simple efficiency measures. Not only are they spending a lot more time at home, and possibly using more energy, they might have some time to tackle simple improvement projects as well.

This also applies to customers’ home offices. They want to improve their work-from-home setups, including using technology like smart power strips to control their energy use. They also are looking for advice on avoiding scams and protecting their home computers from cyberattacks.

Many business customers are grappling with unexpected shutdowns, leaving their companies partially or completely closed. These customers are looking for content that will help them reduce their energy use — and their expenses — until they can reopen.

Customers are also open to program promotions that are relevant to their concerns — as long as the messaging is sensitive to the current climate. For example, the convenience and safety of hands-free paperless billing or online account access, or the potential savings of an energy efficiency program, supports the stay-at-home lifestyle and can help them reduce their energy bills.

Continue engaging with customers throughout the crisis

Customers trust their energy provider. You are a reliable source for safety information and customers look to you for helpful advice on reducing their energy use. Your monthly eNewsletter is the right vehicle to continue sharing that content throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

Learn how an eNewsletter solution from Questline Digital will build customer engagement for your energy utility.

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Webinar: Beyond COVID-19 Crisis Communications

For energy utilities, ongoing communications will be key to helping residential and business customers navigate the COVID-19 crisis.

On April 16, Questline Digital President Dave Reim hosted the third coronavirus town hall forum and led a discussion on what utilities should be communicating to their customers beyond crisis communications. Questline Digital’s team of industry experts discussed messaging strategies from energy utilities that have been most successful with their communication efforts during the pandemic.

What our data shows about COVID-19 crisis communications

Since mid-March, Questline Digital has assisted our energy utilities partners with the deployment of more than 100 separate email campaigns, reaching over 50 million energy utility customers. According to our performance metrics, the average open rate for coronavirus-related messages is 40.4% — which is nearly 50% higher than the Questline Digital benchmark.

This data demonstrates that customers want to hear from their utility on important topics like billing assistance programs, safety information and COVID-19 business resources. We are seeing an email cadence of one to two emails each week per audience (residential and business). These emails are focused around the following topics:

Safety and reliability
Corporate messages
Energy efficiency
Income challenges
What’s recent/new

Messaging that matters

Questline Digital Account Director Nina Cummins emphasized how safety and reliability messages resonate with customers who want reassurance that their power will remain on. To put customers’ minds at ease, utilities should communicate emergency and business continuity plans, the importance of serving critical infrastructure, rescheduling non-essential in-home services and other reliability-related topics.

Following safety messaging, Questline Digital Account Director Joshua Platt explained how many energy utilities are sending corporate messages, often in the form of president or CEO letters. These messages focus on how the utility is helping their employees, customers and community, such as donations/contributions, business resources and scam alerts.

Finding solutions

Susan Kownacki, Questline Digital’s VP of Account Services, reiterated the economic toll of COVID-19 with millions of Americans losing their jobs. Many utilities have been proactive about creating COVID-19-specific solutions and communicating them to customers on multiple channels, including email, websites and social media.

These solutions include suspension of service disconnections for non-payment and waiving late payment charges. Utilities should also reinforce the assistance tools and resources they already have in place for economically challenged customers, including:

Budget or level billing
Online payment extension
Other financial assistance online

eNewsletters are essential

In addition to email communications, eNewsletters are an important platform to reach customers during this challenging time. Brian Lindamood, Questline Digital’s VP of Marketing and Content Strategy, covered topics to include in your eNewsletter, such as saving energy at home, business downtime and bill payment/financial assistance.

In the coming weeks, it makes sense to shift your content from immediate health and safety topics to more ongoing, stay-at-home concerns. For example, customers are concerned about the increased energy use associated with work from home. When crafting COVID-19 messages, think about answers to these questions:

What are your customers most concerned about during the pandemic?
How is your utility and employees dealing with the changes?
How are lineworkers staying safe and keeping social distance?
How can your utility help customers with valuable resources and tips?

To learn more about engagement during the crisis download Questline Digital’s ebook, “How COVID-19 Transformed Customer Communications.”

Download Now