How the Energy Industry Can Use Digital Marketing to Connect with Its Audiences on a Deeper Level
When you think of brands with a deep connection to their audiences, you might not initially think of energy companies. Retail and consumer packaged good (CPG) brands like Apple, Nike and Coca-Cola might first spring to mind. However, the energy industry has just as much to gain from cultivating an authentic relationship with its customers, and it can follow a similar playbook as other CPG and retail brands when it comes to digital marketing.
The energy to connect
While it’s true that energy companies don’t have as many competitors as CPG or retail products, they still have competition, and the goal with any company should be to develop a positive relationship with their target audience. Here are a few ways this industry can use digital marketing to connect with its audience on a deeper level:
Thought leadership –The conversation about energy usage has become a worldwide topic, with nations taking innovative steps to meet sustainability goals. Producing forward-thinking thought leadership pieces about the industry and related trends that look years into the future and address climate change should be part of every energy company’s strategy. For instance, Beyond Fifteen client, James McPhail, founder and CEO at Enersponse, was featured in Authority Magazine speaking about how technology will make an important positive impact on the environment. This publication reaches 90M unique viewers per month, giving him an ideal platform to share his ideas, and it has a high domain authority that helps his company get found via organic SEO.
Social Media Advertising – Targeted advertising on LinkedIn helps ensure your message reaches the right audience at the right time, especially for B2B companies. For example, you can build an audience around job specific titles, roles, industries or even companies. In one month, we helped Sunworks, a solar integrator, increase engagement on its LinkedIn channel by 81% and impressions by 1.7K%.
Engage with audiences – When it comes to energy, audiences are galvanized in a way that they haven’t been in a long time. They want to know more about their energy provider and how the industry is moving forward. Therefore, creating and sharing content that address these issues and prompting followers to ask questions can help companies provide even more relevant content.
Educate and inform – Not many people know much about their energy company or where their energy comes from. Digital marketing platforms such as websites are a wonderful way to educate and inform the audience. For example, San Diego Community Power does a great job of showing how it can deliver renewable energy through the local provider.
Create personalized experiences – Personalization is key for all marketing. Eighty percent of consumers said that they would be more likely to purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences, and 72 percent indicated that they will only respond to personalized marketing messages. It’s no different for energy companies—personalization efforts should be a priority.
Power up digital marketing
When it comes down to connecting with an audience, energy companies can use the same digital marketing and content marketing tactics as CPG and retail brands. The goal should be to develop a deeper relationship by connecting through proven marketing strategies.
Want to learn more about how our PR agency can help your business create a deeper connection with your target audience through digital marketing? Give us a call to connect with one of our branding experts!