This document discusses using social media and online tools to market energy efficiency programs. It provides an overview of the Energy Center of Wisconsin's (ECW) use of webinars, websites, email marketing and social media like Twitter and Facebook to educate customers. ECW has found success using these channels to reach broad audiences about topics like plug loads and building energy modeling. The document also covers best practices utilities can use for social media, including setting goals and measuring success, being transparent, and designating support teams.

1. Marketing Energy Efficiency:
Social Media, Online Education and
Communicating with Utilities
Featuring ECW & E Source
Marketing Energy Efficiency Webinar Series
December 6, 2011

2. Accelerating energy
efficiency—online
December 6, 2011
Andrea Minniear Cherney
Energy Center of Wisconsin

3. What I’ll cover today
A bit about the Energy
b t th E
Center
Who we are, what we do
Our audience
Communication challenges
we face
Tools and strategies we
use

5. what we do
Innovative education is part of our mission.

6. People don’t want to read technical reports.

7. Slashed budgets for training and
travel
Less time for learning
L ti f l i
Lots competing for your attention

8. Something for everyone
High level look at key
g y
findings
Executive-level webinars
Data i
D t visualization
li ti
Modeling tools
Online case studies

10. ecw.org/plugloadwebinar

11. ecw.org/plugload

12. Online tools
ecw.org/boecalc

13. ecw.org/wbmi

14. Communication tools
Segmented email
g
marketing
Websites and
social media
Video webinars
Audience breakdown for a
typical webinar ►

15. Segmented email marketing
Event notices ►
E-newsletters
Energy news alerts
News releases

17. Social media
Not much
demand from
customers (yet)
Twitter and
Facebook
Energy news
alerts
Event notices
Webinar
recordings
Research results
(coming soon)

19. our reach in 2011
Hybrid geothermal webinar viewers (Sept 2011)

20. our reach in 2011
Our current reach with video webinars
All U.S. states plus…

21. Website shares, clicks, viral lift

22. Contact me
Andrea Minniear Cherney
Senior Project Manager,
S i P j tM
Communications
Energy Center of Wisconsin
aminniear@ecw.org
www.ecw.org

23. Utility Social Media:
Let’s Get Social w/ EE
Matthew Burks
Senior Product Manager, Mass Markets
Utility Communicators Service (UCS)
www.esource.com December 6th, 2011

24. Photo Credit: Photo credit: Blyzz
via Flickr
2

25. What is Web 2.0?
“Web 2.0” is an umbrella term that is used to refer
to a new era of Web-enabled applications
that are built around user-generated or user-
manipulated content, such as wikis, blogs,
podcasts, and social networking sites.
Pew Internet &
American Life Project
3

26. What is Web 2.0?
Receive
Hunt
www.google.com
(May 2001)
www.AOL.com
(April 1997)
Do / create
www.facebook.com
(January 2006)
4

27. Cutting Through the Confusion
Most Used:
The Top 5
•
1. Twitter
Twitter
•
2. YouTube
YouTube
•
3. Facebook
Facebook
•
4. LinkedIn
Linked In
•
5. Flickr
Flickr
5

28. Top Players
Social Networking Site – Interaction & Content Sharing
SNS / Status-Updating Site – 140 Characters or Less
Professional Networking Site
Video Sharing
Image Sharing
6

29. Internet Activities By Generation
Popularity of internet
activities among internet
users in each generation.
Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/Infographics/2010/Generations-2010-Summary.aspx
7

30. The Bad News
Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVp7b5gzqU&featur
8 e=related

31. Web 2.0 Reality
Your Service Territory?
9

32. Web 2.0 Reality
Impacts You!
10

34. A New Customer Relationship

40. Web 2.0 Bad & Good News
• There are A LOT of conversations!
• Distributed
• Mobile
• Empowered and enabled
• Happening In Real Time
• Most importantly, you can’t control the conversation…
BUT, you can influence it!
18

41. Web 2.0 Reality
The world is rapidly changing and
integrating these channels regardless of
what you do!
19

42. Shiny Object
Social media doesn’t change
what you say!
20

43. Shiny Object
Social is not a strategy!
21

44. Shiny Object
What is “success” to you?
22

45. Use Importance of Social
Important:
•Outages/crisis
•Communicating w/ media
•Product promotion
•Energy efficiency/safety tips
•Promote workshops & events
Confidential – do not distribute

46. Goals
High Importance
•Increase Customer Satisfaction
•Increase awareness of programs, products
and services
•Increase enrollment in or sales of programs,
products and services
•Improve relationships with news outlets
•Engage utility customers to improve
relationship
•More effectively communicate with media
Confidential – do not distribute

47. Current Social Media Activities
•Big three dominate:
•74% - Twitter
•65% - Facebook
•71% - YouTube
•Flickr (15%) and LinkedIn (48%) on the rise
•More moving towards corporate blogs
•More moving towards local communities and blogs
Confidential – do not distribute

49. A New Customer Relationship?

53. Key Lessons Learned
1. Social media is a cultural shift for utilities.
2. Be patient, prepared, honest, and transparent.
3. Social media is an additional communication channel—it does not
replace existing channels.
4. Building an internal support team from multiple departments is critical.
5. Have a clear goal, strategy, and backup plan as well as the
commitment/resource(s) to carry it out.
6. Experiment and measure. What works for one utility may not work for
you.
7. Not everyone wants to be helped – some just want to vent. You can’t
please everyone.
8. Don’t underestimate the amount of time social can take, especially
during a crisis.
9. Communicate internally – have a plan, follow it, and let others know
what you’re doing.
31

54. Photo Credit: Photo credit: Blyzz
via Flickr
32

55. For More Information
Matthew Burks
Senior Product Manager,
Mass Markets & Customer Experience
303-345-9173
@EsourceMatt
Matthew_burks@esource.com
Confidential – do not distribute