The U.S. utility and energy sector is in the middle of a rapid transformation due to smart technology and distribution generation, increased data and more empowered customers.

Love it or hate it, social media has taken a lead role in utility communications.

Utility social media accounts represent a fast, nimble communication channel, able to transform utilities from slow-moving, reactive behemoths to proactive, responsive communicators.

Tailoring effective marketing communications for basic things that customers need, versus things that they might want, has always been a challenge. Take energy, for example. The electricity and gas services that Utility A provides don’t work any better or worse than those of Utility B, so customers have traditionally not cared who they got them from.

Some marketing awards shows are based on style points. They’re a magnet for multimillion-dollar TV spots and big household brands.

Do different types of content lead to different types of engagement? You bet they do. Not every piece of content is created equal, and they shouldn’t be.

There is one question that continually dogs utility marketers: How can we establish ourselves as an industry thought leader for energy information?

One utility in California recently drove thousands of views to its website, invigorated interest in energy management and rose to the top of search engine rankings in just four months. How? Content marketing.

Utility marketers face a unique challenge in that they generally must work harder than other industries to engage small and medium-sized business customers. These business owners and managers are focused on their own daily operations and tend to forget about their utility services until a problem arises or a bill arrives. As a result, they often miss out on programs that can help them manage their energy and optimize efficiencies.

For utility marketers, envisioning a campaign for services that people can neither see nor touch can be difficult. But it is doable and the results can be impressive with a little support from content marketing.

Successful content marketing starts with a plan, strategy and a deliberate set of actions. However, many
companies report that they don’t have a defined plan for content marketing. Effective content marketing for utilities is driven by frequent posting to blog sites about topics that are keyword-driven and centered on issues that interest both business and residential utility customers. Utility marketing should also take advantage of social media as an additional channel for reaching customers with content that casts the utility as a thought leader.

The same questions are posed over and over at utilities and energy providers across the country. You can hear them in conference rooms, on status calls and in offices as energy marketers struggle with similar challenges.


“How can we get our small and medium business customers engaged?”