In the world of energy, many companies struggle to compete with the biggest suppliers. A recent study has shown that in 2019, there was a 40% increase in failed electricity supply businesses. With more and more competitors being added to the market, offering better deals and benefits for customers, how can energy companies stand out from the crowd?
We need to take a step back and look at methods that energy companies can market themselves to increase traffic.
Blogs
Blogs are a great way to get a message across to customers. They can be informative and easy to read. Blogs are easy to create and are very cost-effective. Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is a fantastic way to drive customers to your website, using keywords that match the energy industry.
Energy companies can create blogs related to the industry, such as ways to save energy, tips on how to insulate your home and much more.
Podcasts
Each month, podcasts reach over 100 million Americans. They are becoming more popular each year, with platforms such as Spotify investing millions into podcasts. There is a huge gap in the market for an energy company to take over the podcast genre. Podcasts are great for building relationships with customers and can be another method for advertising your brand. Making energy companies relatable and friendly is never a bad thing.
The possibilities are endless when thinking about podcast ideas for an energy company. You could talk about current events and how they’ll shape the energy industry, have special guests talking about the energy market and others.
Social Media
We all know the power of social media and how it can elevate your business. Being unique to other energy companies is the key to increasing traffic to your company. You won’t stand out if your social media game is weak. Utilising each social media platform is also key, the more channels to market on, the better. Below are some key statistics from different social media platforms.
| In 2020, there were 2.6 billion monthly active Facebook users. Over 100 million of these people use Facebook Watch daily. | |
| Instagram provides the second-highest ROI among other social media channels. | |
| Each day there are on average 166 million active users on Twitter. | |
| The 2nd most popular social media platform used by businesses is LinkedIn. | |
| TikTok | UK users average 41 minutes per day on TikTok, with over 3.7 users. |
| Pinterest currently has over 459 million global active monthly. | |
| In 2019, there were more than 199 million posts created on Reddit. |
Sources: Source 1, Source 2, Source 3
FAQ Sections
Energy companies aren’t making the most of their FAQ sections. From our research, we found that even the biggest energy companies lack a good FAQ section. They can be an easy way to drive traffic from search engines to your website. Throw in keywords that people are usually looking for and you can divert customers towards your energy company.
A good place to start with an FAQ section is to think about common questions related to the energy industry. This could be; what to do if there is a gas leak or how can I reduce electricity usage.
Videos
In recent times, videos have taken over the marketing industry, with it becoming the most commonly used format in content marketing. YouTube is huge right now and again, energy companies are failing to use this platform to market their brand. Very few use videos and then they do, they’re usually lacklustre. Utilising this inexpensive method of marketing can boost sales by 64%, with 40% of customers being more likely to purchase a product after watching a video.
Videos are such a versatile tool for energy companies. You can give demonstrations on how to read your gas meter, something that is more valuable than words on a blog post. Being able to see the action being done can be beneficial to customers.
Webinars
Many big companies look big and unapproachable. With webinars, you can create a friendlier look for your company, putting a face to the brand. Having face to face conversations, you’ll build relationships with customers and improve business. Plus, speaking with customers gives you the feedback you may not have received before.
Energy companies can host monthly webinars, allowing customers to join and ask questions. There could be specialist topics, for example in the winter there could be a feature on ways to warm your home to fight the colder weather.
Press Releases
Press releases build a bit of hype around your business, plus, you can tell the story in your own words, rather than it coming from elsewhere. Not only this, but press releases help to create stronger rapport with journalists that may be looking for great stories to share with their readers. No matter what the press release is, for example; an award, new website or a new product, having a proper press release will produce the best story.
Energy companies need to be creative when it comes to press releases. They could take a leaf out of many sports teams on social media and how they announce new signings. Creating buzz through unique marketing can beat the competition to customers.
Media Kits
Smaller energy companies may not have utilised media kits before. They are a document containing information about your business which is tailored towards journalists and reporters. It gives them access to what your business is, such as logos, brand colours and marketing materials. This makes it easy for them to feature your business on their platform. It looks professional when approaching a company and can open doors to better marketing opportunities.