Utilities are a need, not a want. Most people don’t think about their utility and the utility’s services except when something doesn’t work (e.g., the lights don’t go on) or when they receive a bill. This means that it can be hard to get customers to engage in energy management and energy-efficiency initiatives, or other programs that require active participation. This is one of the key reasons that utility marketing can be such a challenge.

However, there is a movement of customers becoming more knowledgeable about how they use energy. New codes that require businesses to install equipment that complies with energy reduction standards, consumer interest in greening and general environmental awareness are all contributing to increased engagement around energy management. This movement is opening the door to a new way of engaging customers using content marketing for utilities.

Utility and energy marketers, like most marketers, are constantly considering how to find the optimal balance between traditional and new media forms. With the shift from traditional forms of media, digital marketing budgets have increased. According to Gartner, 25% of the average marketing budget is spent on digital marketing, with almost half of the budget dollars going toward content creation and management.¹

Many banks, financial institutions and other financial service companies are faced with the challenge of building their brand. They are working to create differentiation in a market that is often commoditized in the customer’s mind. Financial institutions are challenged with creating more transactions and growing revenue, as well as diversifying their product portfolios, and ensuring their institution is offering and supporting current channels for banking and bill pay.

Many marketers believe they are actively engaging in content marketing. I often hear marketers say, “We have a lot of pages on our website describing our services,” or “We have a number of case studies.” Content marketing is a strategically and analytically driven process of driving website traffic and converting that traffic to leads.

Content marketing can be a key driver in ensuring that your company’s website ranks better through search engines. Content marketing includes ebooks, downloads, blog articles, checklists, videos and web pages. This is the optimal type of content that will support SEO/keyword analytics. Content development requires specialized techniques to maximize the necessity for quality and quantity. Simple web pages that simply deliver streamlined copy, around 200 to 300 words, don’t qualify as content marketing, and don’t necessarily have a strong positive impact on search engine optimization.

Many utilities are faced with a number of challenges. How do we get more customers to use our online tools for managing their bills, account information or understanding their energy usage? How do we educate and engage our customers in energy management? How do we engage customers to provide email addresses if they aren’t engaged with an online tool? How can we leverage communications to solidify our position in the marketplace?

Content marketing is a hot topic in marketing right now. According to MarketingProfs, B2B content marketing is seen as an increasingly effective strategy. More than 82% of survey respondents are planning to increase their content production over the next 12 months.¹