Connecting with utility customers is no longer just about sending monthly bills. Customers expect to receive relevant messages and personalized recommendations from companies they interact with, including their utility. That means sharing information that will resonate with them, whether that’s to help them save money or make their homes more comfortable.
Questline Digital’s recent webinar, “The Power of Personalized Videos,” shared expert insights from Jared Brandon, Director of Innovation for Harris Computer, about what personalized videos are and why they matter. Melissa Martin, Utility Operations Manager at Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA), and William Gray, Billing Supervisor at FPUA, shared a first-hand case study of their experience implementing personalized videos in their customer engagement strategy.
What are Personalized Videos?
Personalized videos are an innovative form of digital engagement that can reach across every touchpoint of the customer journey — including new customer onboarding, monthly revenue collection, targeted program promotions and more.
“Each message and call-to-action is automatically tailored to each viewer, based on their preferences, behaviors or past interactions,” Brandon said. “They communicate what’s important, to whom and when.”
Brandon also explained that personalized videos are inclusive, supporting multilingual narration, closed captions and text transcripts — anything that helps make the video accessible to consumers. They are also dynamic, reflecting the demographics of the audience and tailoring to a customers’ unique wants, interests and needs.
Why Do Personalized Videos Matter for Utilities?
Brandon continued by discussing the value and benefits of personalized videos. He explained, “Two thirds of people learn best with visual aids. If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how much more effective a video is at communicating a message.”
Content that is personalized to a consumer is more likely to resonate with them. In fact, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.
“Because every customer is unique, generic approaches to customer engagement can lead to messages being ignored, ending up in junk mail or causing customers to tune out or unsubscribe,” Brandon said.
Videos can cut through the clutter in a consumers’ inbox, helping your utility’s messages stand out.
Fort Pierce Utilities Authority Finds Success with Personalized Videos
Before implementing personalized videos, FPUA lacked an efficient outreach strategy and struggled to engage its customers. Martin and Gray explained that FPUA had goals of increasing paperless billing, IVR, online payments and autopay, but didn’t have a clear path on how to get there. The utility tried multiple initiatives to engage customers, but struggled to find success, prompting them to reassess their approach.
FPUA’s CIS partner, Harris Computer, introduced personalized videos as a customer engagement tool. FPUA’s team saw this innovative tactic as an opportunity to enhance communication and began implementation immediately.
Results for FPUA’s personalized videos
After an intensive process of testing to ensure a successful launch, FPUA launched its personalized videos in September 2023. Since going live, the utility has seen overwhelmingly positive results. “Right from the start, we witnessed a significant uptick in portal registrations, paperless signups and autopay, and it was precisely the goals that we aimed for from a key performance indicator (KPI) standpoint,” said Martin.
Customers were not only clicking on the videos but staying engaged throughout the message. Martin shared that the videos have consistently performed well with a watch-through rate of 70%.
Each video also provided additional information for customers through call-to-action (CTA) buttons. Martin said, “The call-to-action links at the end of the video are especially vital. They provide customers with seamless opportunities to sign up for these fantastic programs right at their fingertips and their convenience.”
The personalized videos directly boosted customer satisfaction. FPUA found that customers were genuinely excited about their personalized videos and shared their positive experiences. “The biggest surprise for us was the enthusiasm and warm reception to the billing videos from our customers,” said Martin. “They commended us for introducing such an innovative and personal approach.”
Personalized videos helped FPUA find success utility-wide. “We’ve been able to reach levels of satisfaction that we’d been missing for years,” said Martin.
Key Steps to Implementing Personalized Videos
Implementing personalized videos requires a well-thought-out strategy and it can often be difficult for utilities to know where to start. Through their learned experiences at FPUA, Grey shared guidance on the key steps to implementing personalized videos for utilities:
Define your utility’s goals and objectives
Ensure the data you have is complete and accurate
Identify your target audience
Gather the appropriate data
Select your video templates and topics
Write and edit the video scripts
Test the videos thoroughly
Deploy the videos to customers
Measure and learn from the results
Before implementing personalized videos at your utility, consider these takeaways from our expert speakers.
Complement your existing offerings: Personalized videos are a highly effective way to enhance your utility’s existing outreach efforts. Brandon suggested that if your utility sends out a welcome series or bill notifications, send those messages through personalized videos to further engage and resonate with customers. “Use videos as a way to complement what you’re already doing and piggyback on those channels you’re already using,” he said.
Understand your customer: Your utility’s personalized videos should convey need-to-know information and answer your customers’ questions. Martin shared that FPUA made personalized videos with their customers in mind. As a result, the utility saw a reduction in the number of calls and emails asking for answers to commonly asked questions because customers were getting the information they needed from their videos.
Determine key performance indicators: Establishing relevant KPIs allows for the measurement of how effective your utility’s personalized videos are. It will clarify what success looks like, and allow your utility to optimize for improved performance as your personalized video program grows over time.
Personalized videos can provide highly relevant and personal content that speaks to each customer’s interests and needs. Unlike generic mass communications, personalized videos take a targeted approach, delivering highly relevant messages that capture customers’ attention.
“We are so excited to continue utilizing personalized videos,” Martin said. “It will improve our disconnection rates and satisfy customers.”
Learn how Questline Digital can help your utility build strong digital relationships through personalized videos.
Capturing customer attention has become more important than ever for utility marketers. With high customer expectations and the vast array of digital media and communication channels available, it’s not easy to cut through the clutter and connect with customers. One powerful solution is video marketing for utility companies.
Why does your utility need video marketing? Personalized video marketing can:
Capture and hold customers’ attention
Educate customers about complex topics
Personalize the customer experience
Increase program enrollments
Boost customer trust and loyalty
The Value of Video Marketing for Utility Companies
The fact is, people prefer video content. A staggering 73% of consumers prefer learning about a brand through video. It’s one of the most successful ways to get your utility’s message in front of customers.
Video makes your marketing messages easy to digest in a memorable and sharable format. By conveying information in a visually compelling manner, video is an invaluable tool to connect with utility customers.
Videos for educational content
Whether it’s to educate customers about water conservation or explain a new rate plan, videos are an effective way to address the specific needs and concerns of utility customers.
Utility marketers have a lot of information to share, and it can be difficult to communicate without overwhelming customers or resorting to technical jargon. When it comes to educating customers about complex topics like time-of-use rate plans (TOU) or demand response programs, videos can deliver detailed information in an easy-to-understand and accessible format.
For example, the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) wanted to engage its customers in a fun and educational way. Questline Digital helped SECC develop a video series, “The Evolving World of Energy,” to illustrate the industry’s dramatic transformation with real-world examples.
Questline Digital developed the creative concept of Professor Energy, a lively animated character to serve as the guide and narrator. In each video, Professor Energy educated and entertained viewers with captivating storytelling and eye-catching animation. SECC shared its videos on various channels, and as a result, generated nearly 62,500 views.
Personalized video marketing
One facet of video marketing that’s gaining widespread popularity is personalization.
According to McKinsey and Company, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions and 76% of consumers get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. Utilities can leverage personalized customer videos to make each customer feel valued and recognized.
The effectiveness of personalized video marketing lies in its ability to address individual customer needs and concerns. For utilities, this could include offering personalized program recommendations based on an individual’s energy or water usage, providing customized bill comparisons to help them save money and educating customers about relevant topics based on their interests.
Personalized video marketing combines the impact of personalization with the entertainment value of video, making it a highly powerful tool. It creates meaningful experiences that resonate with each viewer, building customer trust and loyalty as it drives programs participation.
Increase in program enrollments
Video marketing for utility companies is crucial for driving participation in programs and services.
Customers will engage with a program or service when they have a clear understanding of how it works and how it will help them, so prioritizing customer education is crucial. Videos are emerging as the most effective way to do so, as a staggering 96% of marketers found that videos have helped them increase customer understanding of their product or service.
A well-produced video will simplify complex concepts, making it easier for customers to understand how your utility’s offerings could benefit them. When customers are well-informed, they have the confidence to select programs and services that best suit their needs. This not only benefits the customers but also strengthens their relationship with your utility.
PSEG Long Islandused video marketing to educate its 680,000 residential customers about energy use and saving opportunities in their homes. The campaign included information about beneficial electrification, energy efficiency, smart technology and safety.
Questline Digital created an interactive microsite simulating a family’s home, featuring 29 animated videos demonstrating energy-saving behaviors and products. A text call-out and CTA connected each video to a related program, product or more information on the utility website. In just four months, the utility’s Smart Energy website garnered over 66,000 video views. Because customers were well-informed about PSEG Long Island’s offerings, they were able to choose programs and products suited for them.
Sharing videos on social channels
Video marketing is a versatile means of communication for utility companies. It’s easily accessible and sharable on social sites, amplifying customer engagement across many digital platforms. Videos posted on social channels generate up to 1,200% more shares than text and images combined.
With the surge in popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, it’s evident that quick, entertaining videos are here to stay. Even industries not typically associated with social media entertainment, such as utilities, are finding success in this space.
In a recent webinar, Jonathan Nelson, Senior Marketing Manager, Acquisition and Engagement with the American Marketing Association observed, “Utility companies might not necessarily think that they are out there to entertain, but they absolutely are.”
Utilities should take advantage of video marketing on social media and connect with customers in an entertaining format. “When people are on social media, they’re looking for something to make their day better,” says Nelson.
Leverage the Advantages of Video Marketing for Your Utility
In 2024, videos will make up for 82% of internet traffic, so your utility’s content needs to stand out. The rise in popularity of video content has raised customer expectations — viewers are quick to tune out a poorly made or uninteresting video. To succeed, utility marketers must follow best practices to create video content that is both appealing and impactful.
Videos should help customers solve a problem, answer a question or bring value to their lives. When done correctly, video marketing is extremely valuable in connecting with customers. It can capture their attention, educate them on relevant topics and programs, and ultimately improve customer engagement and satisfaction.
Learn about how Questline Digital’s video solutions can improve your utility’s customer engagement.
Personalized energy customer videos cannot be overlooked as a tool to reach, educate and engage with your customers. Videos play a key role in attracting and capturing attention, as well as delivering information in a fun, easy-to-understand format.
These benefits are magnified for utilities that need to communicate complex program and energy-use information in a way that’s compelling and actionable. Using personalized energy customer videos in your outreach strategy can elevate program promotions, smart home technologies, rate plan communications and more.
Why your energy utility needs personalized energy customer videos:
Capture and hold customers’ attention
Entertain and educate customers about complex topics that are relevant to them
Drive traffic to your utility’s website or program landing pages
Encourage social media shares and engagement
Build brand trust and loyalty
The Value of Personalized Energy Customer Videos for Marketing
It’s no secret that videos have been a common way to consume content, whether for entertainment or educational purposes. According to Statista, U.S. adults spend 103 minutes every day watching digital videos on various devices. That’s nearly two hours’ worth of video content consumed per day. Questline Digital’s own performance metrics show that video is consistently one of the most popular formats for educational utility content.
In the current digital landscape, personalization has become increasingly important. Customers now expect unique digital experiences, and a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective. More than 98% of marketers say personalization improves customer relationships, and personalized energy customer videos are a perfect way to achieve this.
Why should your utility take advantage of personalized energy customer videos?
Just as consumers are inundated with emails and ads from brands around the world, they are also inundated with video content. That’s why your utility’s video content needs to stand out. Videos should be created with the customer in mind to help them solve a problem, answer a question or otherwise bring value to their daily lives.
It’s also important to deliver content that is personalized to each customer. Videos tailored to individuals have a higher click-to-open rate and a unique click-through rate that’s 4.5 times higher.
According to Questline Digital’s Benchmarks Report, the top 10 most popular residential customer videos achieved an impressive nearly 100,000 combined page views. The types of video content marketing included topics that helped customers save money, DIY solutions for energy-efficiency and informational videos on other energy equipment.
Top Reasons to Use Personalized Energy Customer Videos
Including personalized energy customer videos as part of your utility’s communications plan is a highly effective way to increase customer engagement and satisfaction. Read on to learn the five specific reasons why video content adds value to a marketing strategy.
1. Capture customer attention and drive conversion
Customers are bombarded by hundreds of marketing campaigns each day, but a personalized video provides an individualized experience, capturing attention in a unique and powerful way.
Personalized energy customer videos drive higher engagement and more conversions. In fact, a personalized call to action results in 202% more conversions than one that isn’t. Customers like to feel cared about, and they are more likely to engage in content that is tailored specifically for them.
2. Entertain and educate customers about relevant topics
Personalized energy customer videos are especially useful when needing to explain complex topics to utility customers, like demand response programs or new rate plan options. Additionally, it is an easy way to provide relevant videos to each customer. Rather than writing a wordy text article about a time-of-use rate plan, a personalized video can quickly show the impact of the rate plan using the customer’s actual energy use in a relevant example.
The visual elements of a video are also helpful tools to help customers understand how something works, like in the case of a bill redesign. When PSEG Long Island introduced a new bill design to customers, it worked with Questline Digital to develop an engaging and educational video to help customers understand the changes to their monthly bills.
3. Drive traffic to your utility’s website or program landing pages
One key advantage of personalized energy customer videos is their ability to drive traffic to your utility’s website. Personalization not only captures customers’ attention but also positions your utility’s website as a valuable resource for further exploration. Plus, when you include a call-to-action that drives customers to a particular program or service, you’re making the video actionable and directly driving enrollment.
By delivering highly relevant and targeted content, these videos create a compelling reason for customers to visit your website and take action.
4. Encourage social shares and engagement
Whether on social media or a website, customers expect to see video content. In fact, consumers say that videos are their favorite type of content to see on social media. When customers love what they see, they will often share their good experiences with friends and family, expanding the reach of your utility’s audience. After receiving a personalized energy customer video, many customers may want to share their experiences on their own social media, furthering the reach of your utility’s message.
Videos on social media also feature rich storytelling capabilities in an easy-to-digest format, making it well-suited for busy, on-the-go audiences. Make the visuals eye-catching and keep the video to one minute or less. Make sure you add captions to all your videos so that viewers don’t have to turn on the sound when watching.
5. Build brand trust and loyalty
From fun, animated videos to live-action stories, personalized energy customer videos can show off your company’s unique personality and brand voice. In turn, this helps build trust and loyalty among your customers.
Be authentic in your utility’s creation of video content. Consider a video marketing strategy that includes not just products or programs, but content that demonstrates the human side of your utility as well. Interview employees or show behind-the-scenes moments. These human-centric videos are a welcoming sight to customers and help balance your utility’s marketing strategy.
Adding testimonials into your personalized energy customer videos is another great way to not only promote a product or service but to continue showing the human side of your utility. By showing reviews from real-life customers, others will get to know your utility as a trusted source.
Types of Video Content Marketing
Before your utility can jump into video content marketing, it first needs to decide on the purpose and direction of the video. When choosing the type of video content marketing, consider:
Goals: What is your utility trying to accomplish with this video? To educate or entertain customers, or to explain a program or service?
Audience: Who is your utility trying to reach with this video? Does it include a range of residential and business customers or one or the other?
Metrics: What key performance indicators does your utility want to track? Video views or shares?
When these questions are answered, it’s time to choose a video format.
Explainer videos
These types of video content marketing help customers more easily understand how your product or service works and why they should purchase or enroll. Many utilities will host explainer videos on their website landing pages or feature them on a homepage of a website.
Key attributes of a good explainer video:
Short in length, roughly 1 to 2 minutes long
Includes a strong call-to-action (CTA) that clearly states what a customer should do after watching
Focuses on a specific challenge and how to overcome it
Educational or how-to videos
Instructional videos help teach something new to your audience. Whether it’s a new industry term you want customers to know or it’s a DIY video about energy efficiency, these types of videos provide value by:
Encouraging continual learning for customers
Bringing customers “into the fold” so they understand more about the industry
Provide customers with the confidence to complete energy-efficient tasks on their own
Animated videos
Animated videos can be a good format for topics that are difficult to grasp and need strong visuals and direction to clearly explain the concept.
Animation can be less expensive and more flexible compared to live-action videos. If changes need to be made, a designer or animator can easily make the changes in the file versus needing to reshoot live video scenes.
Other benefits of animated videos include:
Easy to demonstrate abstract concepts
Any idea can be brought to life even if it doesn’t exist in the real world
Has a longer shelf life and is easier to make edits or updates
Live-action videos
Live-action videos simply mean that the video includes real people versus computer-generated or animated characters. Some benefits of live-action videos include:
Captures real human emotion and reactions
Live footage can create an immersive setting for viewers
Camera and environmental effects, like the sun’s shadow, can more easily be created in real-time versus in animation
Case study and testimonial videos
These types of videos feature real-life, satisfied customers or employees discussing the positive experiences they had with your utility or the products or services that have brought value to their daily lives.
Great testimonial videos often:
Tell a story from a first-hand perspective
Are authentic and feature real customers or employees
Focus on the “why” or the solution that was provided
Product or service overview videos
Often, the best way to promote a program or service to customers is to show them the value it provides. In fact, consumers are four times more likely to watch a video about a product than to read about it. A good product/service overview video should:
Easily explain a product’s key features and benefits
Highlight the main components of a product customers should know about
Provide a clear CTA of what customers should do after watching the video
Video Content Connects with Utility Customers
Personalized energy customer videos are a critical way to engage with customers. Survey results show that 25% of consumers lose interest in a company if they don’t use videos. Don’t let this be your utility. Include different types of video content marketing and personalized energy customer videos to achieve program enrollments and increase customer engagement and satisfaction.
Learn how personalized energy customer videos from Questline Digital will help your utility build engagement and inspire customers to take action.
With the proliferation of digital media and communication channels, capturing the attention of utility customers is more challenging than ever. As businesses compete for attention, one tool has risen above the rest in its ability to engage and captivate: personalized video. Recognized for their unique ability to connect with viewers on a deeper level, personalized videos are revolutionizing the way we communicate with customers.
Imagine opening an email from your favorite company. Instead of a generic message, there’s a video made just for you. It addresses you by name, discusses your unique needs, and offers tailored discounts or information for products that you’re interested in.
As futuristic as it may sound, the reality is that personalized video is available now, and many companies are already embracing this powerful marketing tactic.
“Personalized video combines the entertainment value of video marketing with the data-driven targeting of other digital tactics,” says Brian Lindamood, Questline Digital’s VP of Marketing and Content Strategy. “The ability of a video message to speak directly to each customer leverages all the best aspects of digital engagement in a uniquely powerful way.”
Personalized videos can lead to higher retention and conversion rates, as well as increased customer engagement. In fact, data shows that using personalized calls-to-actions (CTAs) result in 202% more conversions than those without. Building on the success seen in other industries, utilities can now harness this tool foster stronger relationships and drive customer satisfaction.
The Emergence of Personalized Videos
The rise of video marketing is hardly surprising given its unique ability to convey complex messages succinctly, evoke emotions and create a sense of connection. Data shows that 80% of customers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides these tailored, emotional experiences. Today, video is not just an add-on to a digital marketing strategy, it’s an essential component that can significantly enhance your utility’s visibility and impact.
One facet of video marketing that’s gaining widespread popularity is personalization. By tailoring messages to each customer, businesses can make customers feel more valued and recognized. Personalized videos leverage customer data to create a unique viewing experience for each individual. This could be as simple as addressing the viewer by name or as complex as providing product recommendations based on their interests and engagement history.
For utilities, this could mean personalized program recommendations based on a customer’s energy use, explaining changes to a bill, introducing a new rate plan, updating customers on relevant energy efficiency programs, and more.
The result? A powerful marketing tool that stands out from the digital clutter and resonates on a personal level with customers.
Several leading brands have already harnessed the power of personalized video marketing to deliver exceptional results. For example, in Nike’s “Outdo You with Nike+” campaign, the company used personalized videos to connect with customers. Each video was tailored with information from a user’s location, activity and personal Nike+ movement data, providing a unique and highly personal viewing experience. This innovative approach not only helped Nike connect with their audience, it also motivated customers to achieve their fitness goals.
Spotify’s end-of-year Wrapped campaign is described as “all about celebrating the endless ways that millions of creators and fans connect through audio each and every day.” Through the “Made for You” recommendations and usage data, Spotify is able to provide personalized videos to each user at the end of the year that allows them to view summaries of their activity. Spotify includes the names of the listener’s top musicians and songs, genres and their listening personality, all delivered in a seamless personalized video.
Why Personalized Videos? Why Now?
The sudden surge in the popularity of personalized videos can be attributed to several factors. In today’s digital age, consumers increasingly expect personalized experiences that cater to their specific needs and preferences. In fact, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.
Personalized videos meet this expectation by providing content that is tailored to each viewer’s individual circumstances and preferences. Moreover, personalized videos have proven to be highly engaging and effective at increasing customer retention and conversion rates. According to Adobe, personalized videos get 16 times more click-throughs compared to non-personalized videos.
Personalized videos can also help brands stand out in the crowded digital landscape, providing a unique and highly personal viewing experience that can capture the customer’s attention and leave a lasting impression. This not only increases the likelihood of the customer taking the desired action, but also strengthens their relationship with your utility.
“Personalized videos really help utilities connect with their audience on a deeper level and drive more effective engagement,” says Lindamood. “With relevant, targeted content like this, customers can see that their utility understands and respects their preferences, which is the foundation of a successful, long-term digital relationship.”
Additionally, with the rise of digital technologies and data analytics, creating personalized videos has become more accessible and cost-effective, further contributing to their use as a key marketing tactic in a wide variety of industries.
5 Benefits of Personalized Videos
Personalized videos allow utilities to connect customers with relevant information based on their interests and information. This tool also has the ability to deliver complex information, such as energy usage or billing details, in a clear, concise and engaging manner. The goal is to enhance customer understanding and interest by creating content that speaks directly to them, addressing their specific needs and circumstances.
The benefits of personalized videos for utilities are substantial, including:
Simplifying complex information
Enhancing customer engagement
Driving behavioral change
Boosting customer satisfaction
Building strong customer relationships
Simplifying complex information
Personalized videos are an effective tool for simplifying complex information. They leverage the power of visualization to break down intricate concepts or data sets into digestible, easy-to-understand content.
For example, your utility can use a personalized video to explain a customer’s energy usage pattern or billing details, using animated charts and customer-specific data. This not only makes the content more relatable but also helps customers better understand their consumption patterns or charges.
By presenting complex information in a clear and engaging manner, these videos can significantly improve customer comprehension, reduce confusion and enhance overall communication effectiveness. Additionally, by improving customer understanding, your utility will foster greater trust and transparency in the long run.
“Energy technology, programs and rate options are getting more complex,” says Lindamood. “It’s critical for utilities to use a communications tool that can effectively educate customers about these topics and help them take control of their energy use.”
Enhancing customer engagement
Let’s face it — customer attention spans are short and competition is fierce. By leveraging customer-specific data and presenting it in an engaging, visual format, personalized videos can cut through the clutter to deliver information in a way that resonates with each viewer.
This relevance and personal touch can lead to higher view rates, longer watch times and more meaningful interactions, all of which translate into increased customer engagement and program participation.
“When customers complain about receiving too many marketing messages, what they mean is they get too many message that they’re not interested in,” explains Lindamood. “Customers are willing to spend time with messages that they are interested in. A useful, relevant message isn’t considered to be clutter at all. That’s why personalization is so important for all digital marketing tactics, including video.”
Driving behavioral change
By presenting usage data in an engaging and accessible way, personalized videos can make customers more aware of their consumption patterns and the impact they have on both their bills and the environment.
For instance, a video showing a customer’s energy use over time, compared to more efficient usage scenarios, can be a powerful motivator for change. It can prompt customers to adopt more energy-efficient behaviors, such as turning off lights when not in use or optimizing heating and cooling systems. This not only helps customers save money but also contributes to broader sustainability goals. Personalized videos can also be used to recommend specific programs or products that a customer might be interested in based on their behavior and preferences.
Through personalized insights, recommendations and clear visualizations, personalized videos can inspire proactive change and foster more responsible consumption habits among utility customers.
Boosting customer satisfaction
One of the common challenges in the utility industry is making customers aware of programs or services that are relevant to them or could assist them, such as rebate programs. Personalized videos can address this challenge by presenting such information in a clear and personalized manner. This can improve customer understanding, reduce confusion, and ultimately lead to higher customer satisfaction.
Additionally, personalized videos focus on relevant recommendations, only promoting programs that a customer is eligible for and likely interested in — and not promoting programs that don’t apply to the customer.
By proactively addressing customer needs and concerns through personalized content, utilities can make their customers feel valued and well-served, further boosting satisfaction levels.
Building strong customer relationships
Personalization as part of any digital marketing strategy shows customers that their utility knows them, understands their needs and values their business. This can foster a sense of connection and trust with the customer. Moreover, by providing useful, personalized recommendations, such as energy-saving tips based on a customer’s specific usage patterns, utilities can position themselves as helpful, trusted energy advisors rather than just service providers. This can enhance customer loyalty and strengthen long-term relationships.
Best Practices for Creating Personalized Videos
Implementing a successful personalized video marketing strategy involves several best practices.
One of the most important aspects to consider is exactly how to make the content more relatable. To achieve this, it’s crucial to understand your audience’s needs and preferences, and use customer data to tailor the content to each viewer’s specific circumstances. This also means not only personalizing the content based on individual data, but also considering factors like the viewer’s stage in the customer journey, their specific needs and interests and current trends or events.
Storytelling can be a powerful tool for personalization. By weaving customer data into a compelling narrative, you can create a more immersive and emotionally engaging viewing experience. Remember, the goal is not just to present data, but to use that data to create a connection with your customers.
Keeping the content relevant and concise is another best practice for creating effective personalized videos. Customers’ time is important, which is why it’s essential to deliver your message quickly and clearly. Avoid including unnecessary details or complex jargon that could confuse viewers. Instead, focus on the most important information that your customers need to know and present it in a straightforward manner.
Additionally, an effective personalized video should always include strong calls-to-action (CTAs). The CTAs are what prompt your customer to take the desired action after watching the video, whether that’s signing up for a service or adopting more energy-efficient behaviors. Make sure your CTAs are compelling and easy for the viewer to carry out.
It can also be beneficial to personalize the CTA based on the viewer’s individual circumstances or the specific content of the video. For instance, if the video shows a customer’s high energy usage during peak hours, the CTA could drive customers to sign up for your utility’s time-of-use (TOU) rate plan and encourage them to shift some of their usage to off-peak times. This not only makes the CTA more relevant, but also helps drive more effective behavioral change.
You also need to consider the length of the video; if it’s too long, you might lose customers’ interest before they even arrive at your CTA. Typically, the shorter, the better. Consider the most concise point you’re trying to make and keep the story as succinct as possible.
It’s important to remember that personalized videos should only be one part of your marketing strategy. “Some topics and program promotions really lend themselves to personalized videos. But some may also benefit from follow-up email campaigns, SMS, or other digital outreach,” says Lindamood. “Personalized videos are an important tactic, but they should be part of an overall mix to reach different customers in their preferred channels.”
Harness the Potential of Personalized Videos
Personalized videos offer utilities a potent tool to develop a deeper connection with their customers. By delivering tailored, relevant, and engaging content, your utility can enhance customer loyalty, boost conversions and stand out in today’s crowded digital landscape.
As technology continues to evolve, personalized videos are set to shape the future of digital marketing, offering endless possibilities for utilities to connect with their audience like never before.
Learn how Questline Digital’s personalized video solution can help your utility build stronger digital relationships and boost customer engagement.
You created the perfect video to promote your utility program or service — now what? The next step is finding the ideal places, from short clips on social media to personalized video emails, to share your video to reach the right customers. That’s why understanding how to distribute video content is key to achieving success for your engagement strategy.
Your utility can create the best video in the world, but if it’s not shared on the right channels, it won’t reach the intended audience or accomplish its engagement goals. Plus, you’ll lose valuable time and money. To reach your program promotion goals, the right video distribution strategy is just as important as producing the best video content.
What Are the Best Channels to Distribute Video Content?
When choosing the right platforms to distribute your video content, energy utilities should assess how each platform works with the video’s message. For example, an in-depth video explaining your demand response program would be completely out-of-place on TikTok, but it would a helpful resource on a website landing page where customers can sign up for your demand response program.
“Different videos do better in different forums,” says Matt Irving, Creative Director of Video Content for Questline Digital. “It’s not just about having people see your video, but they need to see it at a time and place that makes sense. In other words, how you deliver the message depends greatly on the message.”
For example, sharing a billing video would be a great option within a personalized video email versus being posted on YouTube. According to Irving, energy utilities should always be thinking of their video’s message and what platform is best to deliver it.
With your message in mind, here are the best places for energy utilities to distribute video content.
Channel #1: Website Landing Pages
For energy utilities, learning how to distribute video content can make a tremendous impact on your program promotion goals. The first, and perhaps most obvious, channel to share your video content is on your utility’s website.
Video has a powerful impact on website engagement. In fact, consumers stay 60% longer on website landing pages with video compared to those with just text and images. Video can also increase organic traffic, as websites with video content rank higher on Google’s search results. According to the latest research, landing pages with at least one video are 45 times more likely to achieve high rankings.
Compared to other industries, utility programs and services can be technically complicated and difficult for customers to understand. By adding videos to your landing pages, you can educate customers about a complex topic, such as time-of-use rates, demand response or beneficial electrification. In fact, 94% of marketers believe video plays a vital role in increasing customer understanding about a product or service.
PSEG Long Island utilizes video on their Time-of-Use (TOU) landing page to encourage customers to make the switch. The video explains how a TOU rate plan works and the main benefits for customers. This landing page is a great example of how to distribute video content to educate customers who would benefit from TOU.
To help customers understand their monthly bill, Duquesne Light Company provides a helpful video on its residential bill landing page. This animated video provides a quick overview of the recent bill changes and where to find important information. The video is embedded on the page so viewers can easily watch it from the utility’s website.
Channel #2: Social Media Platforms
When planning how to distribute video content to utility customers, social media is likely one of your go-to tools. Your utility’s social media channels are a great opportunity to reach a wide audience, including residential and business customers.
Your utility’s YouTube page is the perfect place to both host and share your videos. Currently, YouTube has more than 122 million active users in the U.S. each day. Utilities can host their videos on the site and then use the video link in various marketing communications. Since YouTube is owned by Google, which prioritizes content from the site, your energy utility will also boost search rankings for web pages with embedded videos.
Keep in mind, your utility’s video is competing with a ton of other content on social media. In order to get customers to watch it, you’ll need to use videos that are short, fun and lighthearted. The reality is not all videos posted to social media will give you the desired views.
For example, an animated video with tips on how customers can take advantage of smart home technology is ideal for Facebook and Instagram. However, a long webinar with in-depth information would be better suited for your utility’s website or LinkedIn page.
A great example of how to distribute video content on social media, Duke Energy shares videos of their employees in the field to help humanize the utility and showcase their work in the community.
Since 80% of social media browsing is now from a smartphone, your utility should include text and captions in your videos to make them mobile-friendly. This is becoming a must-have on social media for consumers who want to watch videos without audio while in public. We Energies utilizes videos with captions on their Facebook page to ensure all customers can get important outage restoration updates.
Channel #3: Newsletters
Monthly email newsletters are a powerful educational tool for utilities, so it only makes sense to share your video in this effective communication channel.
Your utility customers look to your eNewsletter for helpful education, advice and resources; adding video gives them the information they want in the format they prefer. In fact, visuals, like video, have the power to improve the learning and processing of information by up to 400%.
Video is also more engaging than other content types, leading to higher click-to-open rates. Questline Digital data finds that email newsletters with video have a 7.1% average click-to-open rate versus a 5.7% average click-to-open rate for email newsletters without video.
For utility marketers, exactly how to distribute video content in newsletters can be a challenge. Unfortunately, you can’t embed a video into your newsletter; instead, you’ll need to add a “play button” graphic on top of a static image and link to YouTube, Vimeo or another web page with the video. This makes it clear to customers that they need to take action to watch the video.
This newsletter example from one of Questline Digital’s utility clients features a video with tips to help business customers adapt to a hybrid work environment. The video includes a large play button to make it clear that it’s a playable piece of content.
Channel #4: Banner Ads
Another recommended channel to share your videos is banner ads. A potentially unexpected channel, banner ads are a great way to generate brand awareness and click-throughs. With less text and more visuals, banner ads capture attention and invite customers to learn more about your utility’s programs and services.
Just like emails and newsletters, you’ll want to link directly to your video on YouTube, Vimeo or a website landing page. You can include a play button on a static image or use a GIF to illustrate movement in the banner ad. Your utility can also take advantage of outstream video advertising that plays the video without sound (unless the viewer chooses to unmute it). When using video for banner ads, be sure to use captions and text to effectively communicate the message.
An example of how to distribute video content, PSEG Long Island took advantage of banner ads to promote the Smarter Home, an interactive video experience to educate customers on energy efficiency. The banner ads linked directly to the animated microsite.
Channel #5: Personalized Video Emails
Personalized video emails are a powerful tool for energy utility marketers looking to distribute video content and increase program enrollments.
With an average of 16x higher click-to-open rates and a 4.5x increase in unique click-throughs compared to non-personalized content, it’s clear that personalized videos capture the attention of customers and drive engagement.
Unlike most platforms that don’t allow individual targeting, personalized video emails enable marketers to create unique experiences tailored to each customer. By using personalized video emails as part of communication strategies, energy utilities can effectively encourage customers to take action, whether to enroll in a program, sign up for a service or purchase a product.
These videos provide additional information that customers need to make informed decisions, enhancing the overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns. With personalized video emails, energy utility marketers can deliver engaging and impactful content directly to their target audience.
Facebook utilizes personalized video emails that are tailored to each customer. By using their back-end consumer data, they can deliver personalized video emails for users’ birthdays, anniversaries and more. The videos make users feel seen and special and, in the long run, encourage them to continue visiting Facebook and sharing on their profile.
By using a similar strategy and delivering highly relevant and targeted content through personalized video emails, your utility’s customers will also have a compelling reason to visit your website or program landing pages. It allows your utility to stand out and create a memorable experience.
Right Fit, Right Format, Right Channel
Keep in mind that videos can be shot or edited in any number of formats to fit your needs. The distribution channel you plan to use will determine what aspect ratio (or shape) you will use, such as horizontal videos for laptop or TV screens or vertical videos intended for smartphone screens.
According to Irving, the standard HD aspect ratio of 16:9 works in most digital environments. Videos designed for social platforms such as TikTok or Instagram stories should use the inverse aspect ratio: 9:16 for vertical viewing on a phone. Square videos (with a 1:1 aspect ratio) will also work well on many social platforms and can also be adapted for use in video display ads.
Distribute Video Content to Reach Program Goals
Creating a great video is only one piece of the puzzle. The next step is deciding how to distribute video content and finding the right channels to get as many eyes on your video as possible. The challenge is choosing the platforms that work best with your message, whether it’s a fun clip for social media or a relevant, personalized video email for a program promotion.
“Make sure the people in the space you’re jumping into want or care about your video,” Irving says. “It’s important for energy utilities to understand how the video is going to resonate with people. The platform has to fit the message.”
Learn how a video content strategy from Quetline Digital will help your energy utility build customer engagement.
