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It’s been one month. Are you still thinking about New Orleans?

June 10, 2019 By Andy Johns

Crawfish. Beignets. Podcasts. That’s what the WordSouth Team remembers best about our time at the NTCA Marketing and Sales Conference in New Orleans. We enjoyed seeing all of our clients, recording with podcast guests and meeting new friends. We always leave a great conference full of energy from our conversations with other industry leaders. We hope to help keep those conversations going by sharing the podcasts we recorded during the conference. We’ve also recorded some episodes since the conference with Marketing Excellence Award winners and runners-up. Enjoy!

Marketing Excellence Award Winners and Runners-Up:
• Does Your Internet Stink? with Russell Kacer of YK Communications
• Storytelling With Video Ads, with Tom Metcalfe of Triangle Communications
• The PR Value of Movies in the Park, with Rhonda Fitterer of Consolidated Telcom
• A Winning OTT Campaign, with Dustin Schlaefli of Nex-Tech
• The Importance of Print, with Tammy Reierson of NDTC

Other Topics
• Communicating About Dropping Video Service, with Connie Hawkins and Elizabeth Brown of PTCI
• Changes Coming to the Smart Rural Communities Program, with Josh Seidemann of NTCA
• Rebranding A Dynamic DUO, with Eric West of DUO Broadband

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Project: WEC Outage Restoration Video

August 14, 2018 By Zach Moore

Background
On July 22, 2018, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s system suffered an outage that affected nearly 1,000 of its members. Fortunately, servicemen were able to reroute power to 84 percent of the affected meters in much less time while the damage was being repaired. However, due to the complicated nature of the outage, full restoration took nearly six hours.

Project
WordSouth created a 10-minute video outlining the timetable for WEC to share with its members on social media. The video explored the location of the fault and explained the switching process, as well as the many challenges and safety precautions that vary from location to location.

Results
WEC has an evergreen educational video that effectively communicates the complexities of outage repair to enhance its members’ appreciation of the work involved.

Filed Under: Case Studies, Uncategorized Tagged With: Community, Electric, Outages, Public Relations, Storytelling, Video

Why You Need A Customer Newsletter — And How To Do It Right

July 12, 2018 By Zach Moore

Let’s be honest. There was a time when telecommunications and electric utilities saw little need to communicate with their customers. “What are they going to do, go somewhere else?”

Thankfully, that mentality has melted away for the most part, and today’s industry leaders understand the important role communications plays in the distributor/customer relationship. You have things to say, programs to promote, information to pass along — and your customers are more inquisitive than ever.

While there are many ways to reach your customers, there’s no better cornerstone to your communications program than a newsletter. A consistent publication gives you a reliable avenue of passing along information, and with today’s digital options, your printed newsletter can take on electronic forms (email and social media channels) that will foster an even higher level of engagement.

Following are some tips that will help you publish an effective customer newsletter:

Develop an editorial plan
Don’t make things up as you go along, scratching your head each month to come up with article ideas. Create a 12-month calendar and identify events you know you’ll want to cover (severe weather preparedness, Cooperative Month, customer appreciation events, holiday tie-ins, etc.). Next, add the programs you want to promote (prepay, security services, heat pump program, fiber television, etc.) and any upcoming events you are aware of (construction of a new substation or fiber buildout, retirements, new office openings, etc.). All these are subject to change, of course, and you can always move items around. But completing this calendar gives you a great starting point.

Don’t shy away from repetition
I like to say there’s no such thing as “having communicated.” You may eat, sleep and breathe your world, but your customers do not. When you get tired of talking about this program or that event, just remind yourself that many readers didn’t see it at all the last time you wrote about it — and of those who did, many don’t remember reading it. Communicating is not a “one and done” game. “Didn’t we just talk about this in our newsletter a few months ago?” Maybe you did, but you need to keep talking about it.

Involve the entire company
Any employee who has contact with customers can bring value to your communications program. Some mistakenly look at their newsletter as a function of the marketing department only. While it may be marketing’s responsibility to create and distribute the newsletter, there is much to be learned from operations, accounting, customer service and any department that has insight into issues that need to be addressed with your customers. In fact, some of the best story ideas come from the field. You’ll never get those stories, however, if you don’t create a culture that encourages sharing, along with a mechanism to pass those stories along to those who put the newsletter together.

Consider all of your audiences
There is quite a difference between the concerns of your residential customers and those of your small business or commercial accounts. They all have different needs, so be sure to talk to all of them through your newsletter. You may even want to send special business and industry-focused material from time to time.

Talk plain
Don’t be stiff in your writing. You can be professional and approachable at the same time. You and your staff understand all the jargon, but if you use too much of it in your newsletter, you will lose your readers. Sure, you have to communicate in the language of the industry, but just be sure to explain yourself when the talk gets too technical.

Be consistent
A monthly schedule is ideal for your publication since your bills are sent on a monthly basis. If you couple your printed publication with an email version and social media posts (and we highly suggest that you do), these can be scheduled throughout the month so that your customers have multiple points of entry to your message.

It’s about people, not programs
Let’s say that after launching a new program a few months ago, you now want to increase participation. It’s great to talk about the benefits of this program. But imagine how much stronger it would be to feature a story about a customer who has saved money because of the program. People enjoy reading about other people. A good people-focused story will always have a greater impact. Your readers will be more likely to remember and share these stories as well.

It’s about them, not you
Start every newsletter topic by asking yourself “who cares?” If the only answer is “well, I may be the only one,” then you need to rethink your approach. Your customers should be the focus of every article you publish. How does this impact them? What difference does it make in their lives? Why should they care? The answer is more obvious in some instances than others, but this practice will help you find the human element that will make your readers more likely to engage with your material.

We’ve worked with many people in electric and telecommunications in our 22 years of service to the industries, and I know very well those groans and sighs that can be heard through the halls each month when it’s time to work on the customer newsletter. But if you’ll step back, take a big-picture view and put these tips to work, you can develop a newsletter program that meets your communications goals and builds a stronger relationship between you and your customers.

If you’d like more tips and inspiration for communicating with your customers, sign up for our newsletter. We’d love to work with you.

Filed Under: Journal, Uncategorized Tagged With: Digital Content, Newsletters, Public Relations, Storytelling, Traditional Content

Evaluating Your Utility’s Website (Part Two)

June 14, 2018 By Zach Moore

Note: This is the second article of a two-part series on practical ways a utility can consistently keep their website looking professional, on message and helpful to customers.

If you’ve begun applying the steps in Part One of this series, you have formed your website committee, mapped out your current site and come up with a plan to simplify and reorganize your content. This alone will give you the foundation for a website that is more easy to use and will better serve your customers or members.

However, there’s more still to do, and your committee will continue to play a central role in crafting your website’s message and value.

Your next task will be ongoing for as long as you’re dedicated to having an excellent website: reviewing, updating and improving every page on your site.

Have your committee dedicate time to discussing and upgrading a set number of pages per month. Break down the number of pages on your site and give each page a certain time of year to be reviewed.

Be mindful of when it is best to update certain pages. If you have a scholarship page, for instance, place that in the committee’s calendar when those scholarships have just been awarded. Other pages, like special policies or services, can generally be updated any time.

Your goals for each page should be to:

1. Make sure the page is factually accurate and current. Often your customers may stumble on outdated information because a certain page has been allowed to collect dust for too long.

2. Make sure the page is well-written, with language consistent with the rest of your website. Examine the brands you interact with every day, such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook or Amazon. They all have distinct voices that affect every communication they have with their customers. Your electric or telecommunications company should strive for the same effect. Find a voice and be sure every page of your website speaks in that voice.

3. Make sure each page is easy to understand, using graphics where possible. Sometimes a simple image or infographic can convey more information to your members. Oftentimes trade associations, other local groups or just a Google search can help with this. Be sure not to use any copyrighted photos without permission, and be sure what you’re posting accurately reflects what is happening at your utility.

If you follow these steps, and the ones from last month’s article, you will have an excellent, customer-focused website that can deliver positive experiences 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Filed Under: Journal, Uncategorized Tagged With: Digital Content, Public Relations, Storytelling, Websites

Project: WEC Lineman Appreciation Day

June 14, 2018 By Zach Moore

BACKGROUND

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative has always actively communicated appreciation of its linemen as part of the cooperative’s identity. Because of this, the communities in WEC’s service area have a high awareness and support of WEC linemen as well.

PROJECT

In 2014, WEC held its first Lineman Appreciation Day luncheon. Since then, the luncheon has become a popular annual event. Co-op members, local politicians and families of the line crews are invited to come celebrate and are encouraged to show their support on social media with the hashtag #ThankALineman. The event is also covered by local press.

RESULTS

WEC linemen are reminded regularly that they have the support and the thanks of the community as well as cooperative management. Additionally, WEC receives excellent public relations for the event through a number of different news outlets, word of mouth and social media.

 

Filed Under: Case Studies, Uncategorized Tagged With: Community, Electric, Employees, Events, Public Relations

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A resource for communicators at rural & independent electric & telecommunications companies

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StoryConnect is a production of WordSouth — A Content Marketing Company. We work with electric utilities and telecommunications companies who serve rural and small-town America. Their mission becomes our mission as our hard work and big ideas earn their trust in us as a true communications partner.

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