Bill inserts have traditionally been a critical communications tactic for utilities. In the past, bill inserts have been a highly efficient form of marketing for many utilities. At a minimum, bill inserts have been a low-cost tactic to reach the majority of a utility’s customer base. According to an article in Electric Light & Power, consumers read around 50% of these inserts.¹

Successful email marketing is a goal for many companies. It is easy to see why email marketing is ramping up, with over 70% of mobile purchasing decisions being influenced by promotional emails.¹ In order to achieve successful email marketing, it is necessary to have an email list
with a large number of prospective customers in the right target market. However, according to HubSpot, only 27% of marketers bought an email list this year.²

Although it might be tempting to buy a ready-made list of email addresses, purchasing email lists is generally a bad idea. The following is a list of potential problems that can be caused by purchasing email lists.

Effective automotive marketing requires an understanding of shopping trends, as well as buyer needs and wants. Auto shopping has evolved over time. The new car buyer is increasingly tech-savvy and research-reliant. Understanding consumer online behavior, can help automotive marketers and dealers be in the right place at the right time.

One of the biggest topics marketers wrestle with is how many emails are too many. Successful email marketing is a balancing act. You must create interesting and useful content, and communicate with your audience often enough to generate engagement, but not too often. One of the most important things to determine in any email marketing plan is the frequency of email. The most successful email marketing campaigns find the perfect balance—contacting potential users often enough that your brand and message are familiar, but not so often that users tune out or are driven away.

Metrics are a useful guide to determine how many emails are too many. The following three metrics are vital in helping you determine just the right frequency for an email marketing initiative.

Small and medium-sized business utility customers can be a tough group to engage and motivate. Many utility companies have gone the extra mile to create programs specifically geared toward them.

The banking industry is constantly evolving. In order to stay competitive, bank marketers need to understand and respond to the most recent trends within the industry, including the move toward online and mobile banking and payment services. 

When decision makers for small and medium-sized businesses need new lighting, new equipment or require the services of a technician or contractor, they often rely on the Internet instead of traditional forms of advertising and marketing to find a resource. Utility and energy companies have an opportunity to be in the right place at the right time and appear in top search results when customers are looking for solutions. Adding useful content can help optimize a website for search engines and capitalize on customer search behavior.

Mobile wallet functionality is expected to double within the next four years, leaving many financial institutions to wonder what their role will be in this newly mobile-driven industry.¹ Are mobile payments a friend or foe? How can banks and other institutions take advantage of marketing for mobile payments?

As technology continues to evolve, more and more services are provided to consumers online, including financial services. Over time, many consumers have come to prefer digital services to traditional banking options. In fact, recent studies have shown that a shift toward digital banking is imminent. For this reason, we believe financial institutions need to get on board with ensuring usage and adoption of digitally-based services if they hope to thrive in this ever-changing industry.

Consumers want mobile payments. Mobile wallet usage has been rising steadily among consumers. For many, it's more convenient than having to use cash or even a credit or debit card. Gartner estimates that mobile payment volume will nearly triple in the next three years.¹ A mobile wallet lets a consumer choose between payment methods on the fly and the ability to control all of their payments through a single device. Banks and financial institutions’ marketing teams that want to take advantage of mobile payments and the mobile wallet trend will need to act fast to capture this growing segment of the market.