It is pretty obvious that an eighth grader and a first grader have much different needs when it comes to education, so why aren’t utilities making this distinction when producing kids outreach materials? Stormwater utilities across the country are including include kids in their outreach efforts, and much of the material tends to focus on 4^th-8^th grade. This makes perfect sense because in about 4^th grade, kids are ready to start grasping concepts related to cause and effect as it relates to stormwater pollution; pet waste left here washes into to storm drain over there, pollution enters waterways down there, wildlife affected, here is how I can help.

Though stormwater utilities are doing a great job including kids in their education programs, there is one opportunity that is often overlooked, 1^st through 3^rd graders. Setting the stage for future discussions that include pollution and water quality are vital. These young elementary school kids need to first understand the role water plays in our life, before they can begin to understand how pollution gets into the water, how our actions effect water quality, and how we can all become the solution to pollution.

The City of El Centro, California decided to address the issue in their jurisdiction by developing two kids’ activity booklets, one for 1^st-3^rd graders and one for 4^th-5^th graders. They both address stormwater and drought issues, are fun, colorful and engaging, but they each approach the issues from an age-appropriate point of view to make the greatest impact.

The 1^st-3^rd grade booklet:

• Introduces water as a vital resource for life
• Shows how we are connected to waterways through storm drains
• Provides basic pollution concepts
• Includes a variety of simple, fun and engaging games and activities

The 4^th-5^th grade booklet:

• Introduces water as a vital resource for life
• Shows how we are connected to waterways through storm drains
• Provides more in depth discussion about pollution sources
• Empowers students to become part of the solution in their own neighborhood
• Includes a variety of fun and engaging games and activities

 

When utilities think of communication and outreach, they typically think of their customer list. Those customers are the people that pay the bill monthly and are always adults. Therefore, it’s natural to create outreach targeted to adults and the current, paying customers you have.

I challenge you here to think differently. Have you considered focusing on kids? Some may immediately answer no, or maybe you’ve considered it but think that budgets aren’t available or are just unsure of how to go about it.

If presented correctly, reaching kids becomes a 2 in 1 outreach opportunity. How so? Well, if we, as professionals, can reach kids in an engaging and inspiring way, then those kids will go home and practice what they’ve learned. They will also happily tell their parents about it. Plus, parents may be more likely to listen to their kids and what they’ve learned than read the information on your website or in a bill.

Here’s a perfect example of how it works. Recycling programs are integrated into schools around the country. I can speak from experience that these programs not only educate kids on how to reduce, reuse and recycle, they also educate parents. How does this work? I lived it first hand through my children. Starting in Kindergarten they would learn what could be recycled and how to do it. Then, when they were at home, they would happily remind me when seeing me do it incorrectly at home. Kids are thrilled to share what they’ve learned at school; they also aren’t shy about correcting at the same time. It’s usually parents correcting and teaching kids, so when kids know something their parents don’t, the absolutely LOVE it.

There are many ways to go about reaching kids once you decide to do so. Providing age appropriate materials is critical to success. Also, focusing on content that kids can relate to is vital. When I say ‘relate’, I am referring to content that affects them. Kids, in preschool even, can recycle newspaper and cardboard. They can separate glass from plastics and paper. Kids can do these things and therefore the they get excited about being able to make an impact. Teaching 1st-2nd grade kids about hazardous waste disposal and oil running into storm drains is harder to get across because it is something they can’t do themselves or really even fix. So, picking content that allows kids to be impactful is important. Kids can help pick up dog waste and report if sprinklers are running on sidewalks rather than gardens and grass. Also, messages must be simple. All kids are different and like different types of activities. Some kids like to color, some kids like mazes, while other kids like seek and finds. Therefore, offer a variety so you get a wider reach of kids taking part in the activities.

As utility professionals, you may be inclined to want everyone, no matter the age to learn 10 things or everything about a topic, but we must be realistic. The goal should be more like 1 or 2 things for kids, at least to start.

To narrow it down a bit, keep in mind these 5 tips for kids activities and outreach:

1. What is the 1 thing you want kids to learn? Focus on that message

2. Provide a variety of activities to appeal to a variety of kids

3. Choose age appropriate materials

4. Keep it simple

5. Provide tips or actions to take

Hopefully you mind is opened to the opportunity of reaching kids and starting to create change in a younger demographic. Although some adults won’t change their ways, kids are learning so let’s teach them right from the beginning!

 

Scenario: You just invested a ton of time and money into developing, what you think, a really great stormwater behavior change program. You took all the necessary steps during development, including thoroughly researching your target audience and setting measurable goals and objectives. You worked with a team of your co-workers to develop a great marketing strategy to reach your behavior change goals. You then designed your materials according to your marketing strategy, printed, distributed, posted and shared your materials according to your well thought out plan. You then followed the steps of your evaluation plan to see how the materials were working, only to find out the tagline you thought was perfect, is actually offensive to your audience and the electronic materials you created haven’t even been viewed once because your audience doesn’t use the web as much as they reported in the initial research.

The Solution: The Testing Phase. Putting your stormwater program outreach materials, taglines or messages to the test, in front of a small portion of your target audience, BEFORE any major production or material distribution has occurred, can (1) save you a ton of money, (2) allow you to make any necessary changes before launching and (3) provide you with confidence that your materials are destined for success.

Most behavior change programs typically need a little tweaking to get just right, so make sure you take the time to find as many of those little tweaks before you invest rate payers’ dollars on production of materials that are not going to inspire the behavior change you spent so much time planning for.

Take advantage of our online test panels, matched to your specific target audience, for your next behavior change program. Are the messages clear? Is the tagline effective? Are the materials appropriate? Let us help you find the answers!

 

As a communicator and marketer for your utility, you likely hear the common phrases of target market, demographics etc. If you aren’t hearing and considering these terms, you should be. The only ‘thing’ your customers have in common, is that they are, ‘your customers’. Therefore, how you communicate to them, what will grab their attention and resonate with them is all based on demographics and psychographics of each individual. There is a reason that knowing who you aim to reach with an outreach message is so important.

Digging into generational differences can also help you reach certain customers therefore getting more sign up for programs, greater response to or greater understanding of changes with their service, bills etc. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here; let’s consider what experts in the area are saying about Millennials; a huge portion of your current customers. Then, we can apply it to your outreach programs.

So, let’s consider what we know. Who are millennials and why are they important?

–Range in age from 21-39 (Born between 1977 and 1995)

–Fastest Growing Generation and Largest (80 Million)

–Greatest lifetime value of any customer

–Very loyal once they choose a brand, service or company

–Most likely to refer a friend

–Socially Conscientious (like to have purchases go to greater good)

–They have impact on other generations; Generation X and Baby Boomers are starting to shop and buy similarly to millennials

This generation is unique because they are actually split with two distinct chosen paths. One group follows the tradition of getting a job, getting married, having kids etc. The other path lacks the ability to connect and is more ‘entitled’. The two paths lack empathy for each other and are strong believers in the path they choose. They end up choosing this path around age 30. No matter the path, they communicate the ‘same’. They are Tech dependent, which is different from tech savvy, because they depend on technology versus being savvy to figure it out. They respond to online market surveys, not phone surveys. In general, a phone survey will not generate results from this large demographic group.

From these basic facts about this generation, we, as utility communicators need to reach out to these customers. Here are some factors to keep in mind when developing outreach intended for this age group. Focusing on communication preferences will provide a wider and more successful reach into this market.

1. Text: Their number 1 form of preferred communication is via text, so make sure to have an outage update system available via text for any water or electric issues
2. Email: The less words the better and when we say less, we mean it! Only the subject line of an email is what they want in order to get the main message
3. Communicate through social Media: Have you heard of snackable content? Well it’s hot in social media outlets from LinkedIn and Instagram to Twitter and Facebook. Engaging and fun graphics with simple messaging allow viewers to see the communication quickly and immediately engage with the content.
4. They prefer phone over in person communication, but they are lower on the preference list below text, emails and social media.
5. Keep it simple: When I say simple, I mean simple. It doesn’t mean a graphic and paragraph of text. It means the graphic tells the entire story or there are 3 words of text. Billboard style, text, FB, twitter style. Short and sweet. If it is in print, needs to follow these rules as well.

Each generation is sophisticated in its characteristics and differences from each other. Millennials are no exception. Hopefully these tips and info help you reach Millennials if that is your intended market and to better understand why knowing your intended target is so important to outreach success.

NOTE: Much of our data and information written come from The Center For Generational Kinetics; www.GenHQ.com.

 

The City of Monmouth (OR) may be small in terms of population (about 10,000) but it’s big in terms of trees. They line virtually every street, blanket every park and since 2009, the City’s five-member Tree Advisory Board and local volunteers have planted more than 200 on public land.

To help reduce the impact of leaves on the City’s stormwater system, rivers and wetlands, the Public Works Department promotes its Residential Leaf Pickup program each October with an educational outreach program involving a brochure that Goldstreet Designs helps to produce.

Featuring a different cover photo each year, typically a child playing with leaves, the brochure combines seasonal images and colors with basic information such as leaf pickup dates. It also offers guidance on proper collection and placement of leaf piles, reminders (such as leaves only, no other yard debris) and educates the reader on the impacts of stormwater runoff and how citizens can help reduce it. “With the support of our community,” noted Russ Cooper, Monmouth Public Works Director, “we appreciate being able to continue this valuable service for our residents.”

So that it reaches every household, the brochure is bulk mailed. “As a university town, our population is transient from year to year,” Mr. Cooper noted, “so it’s important to deliver our brochure to every address.” Additionally, the brochure can be viewed online, single copies are available at the City office and City employees hand them out to landscaping crews and whenever they come across a citizen who may be in violation of the City’s leaf policies. “We stop to explain why we need their help in the program,” said Mr. Cooper. “They immediately recognize the brochure and tend to comply with little effort on our part. We enjoy interacting with our community. It’s worth the effort.”

The Public Works Department continuously monitors the program to assure its value. “We know that our outreach efforts are effective because our need for enforcement has declined year by year,” concluded Mr. Cooper.

-By Denise Rucci

 

Adapted from “7 Places to Get Free, Personalized Creative Content (That You’re Totally Wasting)” by Jana Quinn, with permission from the marvelous team at Quality Logo Products.

There comes a point in every creative content writer’s career where you find yourself staring at a flashing cursor and begging every deity you can think of for inspiration. Writing for a business was supposed to be a lot easier than penning the great American novel, so why do you feel like Kathy Bates is about to chop off your legs?

“You can type 112 words per minute,” your boss says. “How can it take you four hours to write a 750-word blog post?”

Like fiction writers, coming up with an idea is often the most challenging part. While you enjoy the freedom to write content that’s engaging and covers a wide range of topics, the vastness of possibilities can be overwhelming.

But what if I told you there was a magical place where you could get free creative content specifically tailored to your company? This place has people that know the ins and outs of your industry as a whole and your own company’s way of doing things, and they can provide insight no “marketing guru,” “content wizard,” or “promotional ninja” with a crappy splash page can do.

What if I told you this magical place was within walking distance?

Get Connected with Web Development

A company website is often the face of a business, and who has a better handle on that fresh first impression than the web development team? Blog inspiration or social media content can be inspired by the successes and failures. Perhaps your team can share previous versions of the company’s website front pages over the years; the web development team will likely have screenshots or even saved copies of previous versions of the site. The QLP staff has heard rumors that companies do occasionally update their sites from time to time.

Questions to ask:

• What was most recently changed on our site, and how has that affected the way we do business (e.g., conversion rates, customer service requests, customer profiles)?
• What feature of the site has had the most surprising response?
• What designs were rejected, and why didn’t they make the final cut?
• What change to the site has had the biggest impact on our bottom line?
• What’s in store for the next website update?

Shoot the Breeze with the Sales Staff

Whether your business is done exclusively online and over the phone like QLP or the site is only set up to direct people to brick and mortar stores, there’s no doubt that the sales staff has more interaction with the customers than any other department. Getting the inside scoop on customer concerns and compliments help you write a more effective FAQ and give you more targeted information for sales blast emails.

Questions to ask:

• What questions do customers ask the most, and do we have that information available on our site or other marketing literature?
• What do customers seem to be the most surprised by regarding our company’s policies and offerings?
• How would you describe the “typical” customer in terms of their needs, concerns, values, and trusted sources of information?
• What, if any, of our policies (e.g., no online chat support) are deal breakers for customer loyalty?
• What seems to be the most confusing part of the ordering process for customers?

Snag an Exclusive from Customer Service

Customer service offers a unique perspective to the company-customer relationship; they almost exclusively deal with negative experiences. Even well-run companies with quality products and comprehensive websites run into snags now and then, and this trusty team is in charge of straightening everything out.

Customer service representatives are critical for content creation inspiration, because they know better than anyone else where communication has broken down. Whether the instructions for product manuals need to be rewritten for clarity or the returns process is too confusing for the average customer, this department offers a strong point of reference for where content is sorely needed.

Questions to ask:

• What is the most common complaint, and do we have any protocols in place for preventing this issue from cropping up in the future?
• What is the preferred method of communicating with customer service representatives (i.e., live chat, email, phone)?
• What do customers seem to primarily want out of a customer service interaction – a solution to the problem, discount, public apology?
• How can the sales staff, web development team, or content creators provide customers information that would reduce the amount of extra assistance needed?
• What policies (e.g., no returns after 30 days) have been dealbreakers for repeat business, and what alternatives have been explored?

Chat Up Accounting

Although accounting may have limited interaction with the public, they are still managing the blood that runs through the veins of the company – cold, hard cash. They crunch the numbers often while deadlines are crunching them. Their management of funds often drives the speed and efficiency of daily operations, both internal and external.

Questions to ask:

• What is the most common error in the payment process on the customer’s end?
• What mistake or procedural redundancy most often causes a delay in transactions?
• What are the fastest ways to get the most common accounting slip-ups solved?
• Which salespeople and customers are most proficient at smooth transactions, and what do they do different from those who struggle?
• To whom should the customer contact in order to fix financial faults – customer service or accounting?

Get the Low Down from Data Entry

If any department gets the “thankless job” award, it’s data entry. They’re often only noticed when something goes wrong, which can be pretty disheartening. It’s a surprise they’re often overlooked considering they likely have the best grasp of the breadth of company product and service offerings and have to manage endless streams of data.

Data entry staff members know which specs have been updated recently and often can be among the first to know after the designers and web developers what’s being added to the site next. Their inside knowledge on the nuts and bolts can secure some top content.

Questions to ask:

• Which product specifications are overlooked or misunderstood most often by the sales staff and/or customers?
• How much variety is there in the products and services offered?
• How often do product specifications change, and why?
• Do product updates or new merchandise offerings go live on a set schedule, or is it too variable to predict?
• What is the “real” meaning behind some of the more vague product specifications? For example, if something is listed as “waterproof,” is it really more “splash proof” or can it fall into the ocean and still function?

Tune in with IT

Talk about being connected! The information technology staff at your company may only interact with the employees, but that means they provide a wealth of information that can be used for in-house content such as company newsletters and manuals.

They wield major power in the company, often having access to everyone’s computer and tablet content, and their role as first responders to tech glitches mean they’re always monitoring boatloads of information.

Questions to ask:

• What is the most common “human error” causing tech issues in the company?
• What are some strategies less computer savvy employees can use to solve common or minor computer issues?
• What can sales staff do to help a sale run smoothly if necessary hardware or software is malfunctioning?
• When is the best time of the day or week to contact IT for a non-emergency technology issue?
• What absolute no-nos can cause devastating damage to the system (e.g., erasing files from certain drives, unplugging the computer without a proper shut down)?

Hang Out with Human Resources

Although it’s tempting to use this department for company gossip, that avenue may not be the best path to cull creative content. Instead, focus conversations with human resources on the hiring process. While the economy is still recovering with plenty of applicants for open positions, creating targeted job descriptions will help pull the perfect pool of candidates.

Questions to ask:

• What skills or experience are absolutely required for open positions, and what is strongly recommended?
• What kind of follow-up (if any) should job candidates do after initial application?
• What are some alternative key words that might bring in a more qualified round of applicants?
• Have job candidates been hired from unrelated backgrounds, and how did they sell themselves in the application process?
• What are some common things applicants do that get their resume thrown in the trash immediately?

So instead of burning the image of a blank document onto your monitor, take a stroll around the office and fulfill that “team player” line on your resume.

What inspiration can you find from your coworkers? What aspects of the company have you always been curious about? Who at your company has the most interesting job? Sound off the comments below!

Until next time, keep expanding your brand!

Originally published on the Quality Logo Products blog and reposted with permission.

By: Denise Rucci

Adapted from “7 Places to Get Free, Personalized Creative Content (That You’re Totally Wasting)” by Jana Quinn, with permission from the marvelous team at Quality Logo Products.

There comes a point in every creative content writer’s career where you find yourself staring at a flashing cursor and begging every deity you can think of for inspiration. Writing for a business was supposed to be a lot easier than penning the great American novel, so why do you feel like Kathy Bates is about to chop off your legs?

“You can type 112 words per minute,” your boss says. “How can it take you four hours to write a 750-word blog post?”

Like fiction writers, coming up with an idea is often the most challenging part. While you enjoy the freedom to write content that’s engaging and covers a wide range of topics, the vastness of possibilities can be overwhelming.

But what if I told you there was a magical place where you could get free creative content specifically tailored to your company? This place has people that know the ins and outs of your industry as a whole and your own company’s way of doing things, and they can provide insight no “marketing guru,” “content wizard,” or “promotional ninja” with a crappy splash page can do.

What if I told you this magical place was within walking distance?

Get Connected with Web Development

A company website is often the face of a business, and who has a better handle on that fresh first impression than the web development team? Blog inspiration or social media content can be inspired by the successes and failures. Perhaps your team can share previous versions of the company’s website front pages over the years; the web development team will likely have screenshots or even saved copies of previous versions of the site. The QLP staff has heard rumors that companies do occasionally update their sites from time to time.

Questions to ask:

• What was most recently changed on our site, and how has that affected the way we do business (e.g., conversion rates, customer service requests, customer profiles)?
• What feature of the site has had the most surprising response?
• What designs were rejected, and why didn’t they make the final cut?
• What change to the site has had the biggest impact on our bottom line?
• What’s in store for the next website update?

Shoot the Breeze with the Sales Staff

Whether your business is done exclusively online and over the phone like QLP or the site is only set up to direct people to brick and mortar stores, there’s no doubt that the sales staff has more interaction with the customers than any other department. Getting the inside scoop on customer concerns and compliments help you write a more effective FAQ and give you more targeted information for sales blast emails.

Questions to ask:

• What questions do customers ask the most, and do we have that information available on our site or other marketing literature?
• What do customers seem to be the most surprised by regarding our company’s policies and offerings?
• How would you describe the “typical” customer in terms of their needs, concerns, values, and trusted sources of information?
• What, if any, of our policies (e.g., no online chat support) are deal breakers for customer loyalty?
• What seems to be the most confusing part of the ordering process for customers?

Snag an Exclusive from Customer Service

Customer service offers a unique perspective to the company-customer relationship; they almost exclusively deal with negative experiences. Even well-run companies with quality products and comprehensive websites run into snags now and then, and this trusty team is in charge of straightening everything out.

Customer service representatives are critical for content creation inspiration, because they know better than anyone else where communication has broken down. Whether the instructions for product manuals need to be rewritten for clarity or the returns process is too confusing for the average customer, this department offers a strong point of reference for where content is sorely needed.

Questions to ask:

• What is the most common complaint, and do we have any protocols in place for preventing this issue from cropping up in the future?
• What is the preferred method of communicating with customer service representatives (i.e., live chat, email, phone)?
• What do customers seem to primarily want out of a customer service interaction – a solution to the problem, discount, public apology?
• How can the sales staff, web development team, or content creators provide customers information that would reduce the amount of extra assistance needed?
• What policies (e.g., no returns after 30 days) have been dealbreakers for repeat business, and what alternatives have been explored?

Chat Up Accounting

Although accounting may have limited interaction with the public, they are still managing the blood that runs through the veins of the company – cold, hard cash. They crunch the numbers often while deadlines are crunching them. Their management of funds often drives the speed and efficiency of daily operations, both internal and external.

Questions to ask:

• What is the most common error in the payment process on the customer’s end?
• What mistake or procedural redundancy most often causes a delay in transactions?
• What are the fastest ways to get the most common accounting slip-ups solved?
• Which salespeople and customers are most proficient at smooth transactions, and what do they do different from those who struggle?
• To whom should the customer contact in order to fix financial faults – customer service or accounting?

Get the Low Down from Data Entry

If any department gets the “thankless job” award, it’s data entry. They’re often only noticed when something goes wrong, which can be pretty disheartening. It’s a surprise they’re often overlooked considering they likely have the best grasp of the breadth of company product and service offerings and have to manage endless streams of data.

Data entry staff members know which specs have been updated recently and often can be among the first to know after the designers and web developers what’s being added to the site next. Their inside knowledge on the nuts and bolts can secure some top content.

Questions to ask:

• Which product specifications are overlooked or misunderstood most often by the sales staff and/or customers?
• How much variety is there in the products and services offered?
• How often do product specifications change, and why?
• Do product updates or new merchandise offerings go live on a set schedule, or is it too variable to predict?
• What is the “real” meaning behind some of the more vague product specifications? For example, if something is listed as “waterproof,” is it really more “splash proof” or can it fall into the ocean and still function?

Tune in with IT

Talk about being connected! The information technology staff at your company may only interact with the employees, but that means they provide a wealth of information that can be used for in-house content such as company newsletters and manuals.

They wield major power in the company, often having access to everyone’s computer and tablet content, and their role as first responders to tech glitches mean they’re always monitoring boatloads of information.

Questions to ask:

• What is the most common “human error” causing tech issues in the company?
• What are some strategies less computer savvy employees can use to solve common or minor computer issues?
• What can sales staff do to help a sale run smoothly if necessary hardware or software is malfunctioning?
• When is the best time of the day or week to contact IT for a non-emergency technology issue?
• What absolute no-nos can cause devastating damage to the system (e.g., erasing files from certain drives, unplugging the computer without a proper shut down)?

Hang Out with Human Resources

Although it’s tempting to use this department for company gossip, that avenue may not be the best path to cull creative content. Instead, focus conversations with human resources on the hiring process. While the economy is still recovering with plenty of applicants for open positions, creating targeted job descriptions will help pull the perfect pool of candidates.

Questions to ask:

• What skills or experience are absolutely required for open positions, and what is strongly recommended?
• What kind of follow-up (if any) should job candidates do after initial application?
• What are some alternative key words that might bring in a more qualified round of applicants?
• Have job candidates been hired from unrelated backgrounds, and how did they sell themselves in the application process?
• What are some common things applicants do that get their resume thrown in the trash immediately?

So instead of burning the image of a blank document onto your monitor, take a stroll around the office and fulfill that “team player” line on your resume.

What inspiration can you find from your coworkers? What aspects of the company have you always been curious about? Who at your company has the most interesting job? Sound off the comments below!

Until next time, keep expanding your brand!

Originally published on the Quality Logo Products blog and reposted with permission.

By: Denise Rucci