“I don’t need marketing.”
Many industries that are service-based or not-for-profit get trapped by this false mentality. For organizations like utility cooperatives that are tasked with delivering a public service like electricity, their “marketing” might actually look a lot more like communications and public relations. That being said, they will still benefit from implementing marketing best practices.
A solid marketing strategy and captivating design will ensure your co-op communications pieces grab the attention of your members. People have the attention span of goldfish nowadays, so it’s crucial to pull out all the stops getting people to pay attention to the messages that you’re putting out.
The Marketing Dept. was created on the backbone of over a decade of experience working with electric cooperatives and telecommunications subsidiaries. We’ve mastered the strategies needed to communicate effectively with members (as evidenced by several Spotlight on Excellence Awards, including Gold for Most Innovative Use of Digital Communication and Silver for Best Total Communications Program in 2022 that we earned while part of a three-person team at DMEA/Elevate Internet).
We enjoyed our time as employees at a co-op, but we love working with multiple co-ops to uplift co-op communications across the country. We know the sandbox you’re playing in, and love using our creative toys to amplify your communications work.
The Communications Landscape at Co-Ops
If we haven’t made it clear yet, we’re big fans of co-ops.
Electric co-ops aren’t just energy providers; they are engines of economic development. Populations on more than half of the U.S.’s landmass get their electricity through a co-op. After almost 100 years, electric co-ops are still finding innovative ways to serve their communities, like through the expansion into Fiber Internet.
What we have learned over the years is that electric co-ops face many challenges because of the business model. Co-ops are trying to make the most out of the resources they receive from member-owners. Many co-ops have a small internal communications team – sometimes just a team of one. It’s hard to find someone who is a master marketing strategist, photographer, graphic designer, storyteller, and PR manager. Even if you do find a jack-of-all-trades communicator, there are only so many hours in a week.
That’s where we come in.
Why Hire a Marketing Agency (like us!)?
The Marketing Dept. can serve as an expert extension to your co-op’s communications staff, whether you’re looking for regular strategic direction or project-based support.
Some agencies dictate how often you’re able to communicate with them or charge obscene amounts for every edit. That’s not our vibe. We personalize our services to fit your needs – whether that’s a check-in a few times a week or quick and dirty project requests. We will set reasonable expectations around edits and make sure work is being done efficiently to limit the amount of back-and-forth needed.
Whether or not you hire us specifically, there is a lot of value in hiring a marketing agency. As we mentioned, marketing for co-ops includes strategic communications and public relations. You’re likely not drafting Super Bowl commercials or TikTok advertisements, but you do need to invest in mechanisms to share news and updates that inform and educate your member-owners. Your marketing goals are going to look like garnering member support for your next big initiative, communicating in times of crisis, and keeping members engaged with board elections.
Here are a few ways we’ve helped co-ops reach their marketing and communications goals:
Raise community support for the next big initiative
While we were part of the internal marketing team at the Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA), we supported their subsidiary Elevate Internet in all its marketing and communication efforts. To minimize business risk, DMEA launched Elevate Internet with a crowd-sourcing and phased-in approach to protect co-op ratepayers and the financial integrity of the cooperative. This phased approach meant that they needed to increase buy-in and interest from their members to continue expanding cutting-edge Internet access across their service territory.
Our awesome marketing solution was to create campaigns that drove home how Elevate Internet was a better choice than the competition. Elevate Internet’s didn’t stop at superior technology and a solid commitment to bringing fiber internet to under-served and never-served areas within DMEA’s service territory. Elevate committed to providing better, more knowledgable, local service from its install crews to its local customer support staff. Those were stories that needed to be told to get members excited about the service! So while its install technicians weren’t actually cooking dinner or folding laundry for new start ups, the above and beyond heart was captured in these fun “We Do More” campaigns.
Inform and educate members
To communicate the ins and outs of vegetation management, how it translates into safe and reliable electricity, and garner support for a “social license to operate” for Yampa Valley Electric Association, we developed an entire marketing strategy complete with everything from web content and design collateral to a press release schedule and email marketing campaign. Well-designed graphics, clear copy, and a solid outreach strategy created a winning strategy for YVEA’s vegetation management program increasing their social license to operate and messaging retention in their communities.
Communicate complicated info with ease
Every day your electric co-op works hard for its members! And once a year, your co-op has an amazing opportunity to communicate just how great your team members, crews, and executives performed. Don’t let all those amazing accomplishments go unnoticed by your member owners because of an annual report that falls short in messaging, conceptualization, design, or dissemination. With dozens of electric coop annual reports under our belt, one of the most challenging sections is always the financial recap. Distilling all those numbers down to something digestible, attractive and attention grabbing takes talent and experience.
Take for example this financial recap from the DMEA. Given a spreadsheet of figures, we were able to transform it into a graphic that puts the members’ interests first. Balance sheets might not get your heart pumping, but learning that the surplus from your local co-op is being used to invest in your community’s food pantry, school district, or hospice care is inspiring and engaging. Good marketing and design can tell a story behind the numbers.
Engage members through memorable events
Getting in front of your members face-to-face for Q&A sessions and member appreciation events are some of the best ways to keep people engaged. We’ve helped co-ops all over the country create fun and effective events, from Brews with the Crews, where people were invited to come out for Lineman Appreciation Day and show their support for the crews, to Coffee With Your Co-op, where YVEA gave away coffee and treats while connecting with members face-to-face, and DMEA’s Food Truck Rally member appreciation event.
Across the board, these events allowed execs and BOD members to connect with member-owners in a setting that fostered real connection and understanding.
Why Work With Us?
Did we convince you that you should be investing in marketing for your co-op? We sure hope so. If you want to learn more about how The Marketing Dept. can make your job easier, schedule a consultation call here. Not convinced yet? We encourage you to check out more of our amazing client work.
