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Examples of Utility Content That Have Social Media Value

Posted by Sheera Eby on December 18, 2014

Fast Company1 has published the numbers: Social media is the No. 1 activity on the Internet. Even though social media continues to grow in importance, many utilities are still struggling with the best role for it within their marketing mix. It’s difficult for many utilities to make the connections that will engage customers. Social media for utilities is often limited to notifying customers of outages or potential weather patterns and general corporate information. While that’s a good start, utilities can capitalize on customers’ innate interest in useful, practical and even educational information. This is, after all, the Information Age, and users’ desire for self-serve solutions aligns to content marketing.

 



Assistance finding a contractor
The foundation of social media for utilities is content that fulfills your customers’ need for information. When you hit that mark, your posts get liked, favored and shared, giving a brand more exposure. Articles that give tips on issues customers deal with daily, such as “Questions to ask a contractor,”2 can grab the attention of consumers or business owners who are currently seeking assistance. This type of content allows a utility to be in the right place at the right time. Additionally, contractor-related content allows utilities to capitalize on search behavior and one of the most searched terms related to utility services. This is also the type of content that gets shared over and over, and it solidifies the utility’s position as a thought leader within their footprint.

 

 

Providing general energy efficiency tips
Many utilities have initiatives focused on energy efficiency. Content marketing, including blogs and downloadable content, can be effective at supporting energy efficiency programs. For example, blog posts can support specific product areas or more general guidance on supporting energy efficiency planning and implementation for businesses. Topics such as “How to budget for energy efficiency” and “The steps in developing an energy efficiency plan for your business”3 are prime content that can be featured in social media. This type of content can be posted to social media outlets and can often be repurposed in different formats. Both strategies keep content in front of an audience and continue to drive engagement, which are goals for many utility marketers. For example, a blog article can feature energy efficiency tips and be promoted in a utility’s social media outlets, such as Twitter or LinkedIn. Then this same content can be repurposed as an infographic, rich with facts, figures and images.

 

 

Feature specific products
Engaging customers is the name of the game in utility marketing. Providing answers to customers’ questions, such as “What are the best commercial lighting products?”4 provides value in multiple ways. First, this content can be promoted via social media to attract new followers and generate engagement. Second, the content can be in the right place at the right time. In this example, the content title asks a question, but a follow-up question, such as “Why are these commercial lighting products best for your business?” The social media post then keeps the conversation going.

 

 

Driving education around products that have rebates
Many utilities have energy efficiency incentives and rebates that require marketing communications support. Saving money is important to business and residential customers alike, yet most people aren't aware of rebates and incentives when they are in the process of shopping for a piece of new equipment or an appliance. Content marketing for utilities that has a primary focus of education on energy efficiency products or programs can also co-promote rebates or incentives. Additionally, this form of content marketing for utilities is hashtag-friendly. According to Forbes,5 using hashtags makes it easy for your fans and followers to share and track promotions, incentives and items with rebates attached. A bonus with hashtags is that they’re an instant ice-breaker, a natural start to a social media conversation.There are so many facets to social media for utilities that marketers can harness to be successful at the utility marketing game. 

 

Sources:

Topics: Content Marketing, Utility Industry

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