Innovation and Outreach

Innovation and Outreach
by Kelly Frankenfeld, President of Energy Resources

Recently Attended - ESource Utility Marketing Conference; Accelerating Innovation for Energy Efficiency

Marketing energy efficiency is challenging for utilities. 

Reaching customers with terrific solutions and messages with a compelling call to action is tough enough. Add to that mix a counter intuitive offering - meaning a utility asking their customers to use less of what they offer - and additional market and consumer barriers come into play. In that mix is also the proliferation of information and oft confused but eager consumers, evolving technologies and more academic, technical and political interests than in the past.

So we attend conferences like this one to:

·   Learn about initiatives and innovation in the consulting, academic, and peer utility communities.

·   Challenge ourselves to think differently.

·   Hear and discuss innovative marketing that will insure utilities are relevant in people's lives in the future - in what is offered and how customers are engaged.

This year’s ESource Utility Marketing Conference was encouraging if not necessarily insightful. There were terrific people who face similar challenges with great passion and commitment. Their messages highlighted the importance and value of innovation and measurable, consumer behavior change.   

A few of the points that were reinforced:

·   Be proactive with customers. Go to them. Outreach, education and online solutions will continue to be important as utilities empower customers. If utilities want to be trusted resources, they need to go to customers, be proactive and be a part of customers' communities -- online and at work, home, school, etc.

·   Continue and expand investments in social marketing - be more assertive in the marketplace.

·   Get attention, be startling, go viral. Make messages interesting and relevant.

·   Continue to learn more about psychology and change behavior. Impact and measure behavior change.

There are magic solutions or potions. To get beyond the “noise” and challenges, energy efficiency marketing is about understanding your customers and being willing to engage them where they are.