Community Relations: Do the Right Thing, Then Talk About It

AdminBlog, Communities, Customer, Effective, Utility Communications, Utility Community Relations, Utility Stakeholders

In Psalm 30, it is written, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Thirty centuries later, in a distinctly secular pop song, Maureen McGovern sang: “There’s got to be a morning after, If we can hold on through the night. We have a chance to find the sunshine, Let’s keep on looking for the light.” … Read More

Quick Hits for Utilities: Boosting Trust, ESG, and Communications

AdminBlog, Efficiency & Conservation, ESG Communications, Utility Communications, Utility Stakeholders

People are exhausted — physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially — after spending two years in the COVID-19 pandemic. We don’t really need survey data to prove that, do we? And by “people,” I mean utilities’ customers, employees, and other stakeholders like investors, community leaders, and suppliers. So basically everyone. Despite Popular Exhaustion, People Still Trust Businesses Being exhausted means people … Read More

Career Advancement at Utilities: Tips for Women from Women

AdminBlog, Organizational Culture, Utility Leadership

Roughly six in 10 subscribers to EEC Perspectives are women. Many of our most engaged readers are women. So we asked some female practitioners of utility communications and marketing to share their ideas on how women can succeed and advance in their chosen profession, based on their experience. And by hearing the unvarnished thoughts of women who are not in … Read More

The First Step to Getting Better Media Coverage

AdminBlog, Utility Media Relations, Utility Stakeholders

I recently wrote a series of articles on decarbonization for a new energy platform, EnergyTech, that caused me to get out of my utility lane and interact with corporate energy managers at commercial, industrial, and institutional organizations, such as healthcare centers, manufacturers, schools, and government agencies. Scheduling those interviews typically involved sending an interview request to media relations representatives at … Read More

Utility Communications and Marketing Tips from the Trenches

AdminBlog, Employee, Organizational Culture, Utility Communications, Utility Leadership

Roughly 60% of subscribers to EEC Perspectives are women, and many of them are in a relatively early stage of their careers. For that reason, we asked three women at NorthWestern Energy to share their views on skill sets and career paths in communications and marketing within a utility, internships, innovative approaches to organizational design, and communicating during a pandemic. … Read More

Three Steps to Writing Better Annual Reports

AdminBlog, Effective, Utility Communications

Congratulations! You have won the departmental lottery and now get to write this year’s annual report. Don’t panic! When confronting the (potential) enormity of the task before you, remember the timeless advice shared by practitioners of long-format writing: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” All kidding aside, you have a big task, with plenty of … Read More

Utility Marketing: Are You Looking for Zebras in the Right Place?

AdminBlog, Efficiency & Conservation, Programs & Services, Utility Marketing

Shortly after I launched Egan Energy Communications, I had the good fortune to work with a business coach. When I asked her how I could find prospective clients, a perennial concern of all businesses, she replied, “If you want to see Zebras, you need to go where the Zebras are.” Her wise advice has shaped our approach to utility marketing: … Read More

Employee Engagement: Guest Blog on Ways to Improve It

AdminBlog, Employee, Employee Communications, Employees, Utility Communications

Employee engagement continues to be a high-interest topic among our readers. As a more contagious and deadly variant of COVID-19 emerges, utilities and energy companies are trying to decide when office workers will return to the office, and under what conditions. What work policies need to be updated? How shall we perform work going forward? Will our organizational culture help, … Read More

Utility Customer Messaging: Leaders Go First

AdminBlog, Customer, Messaging, Utility Communications, Utility Leadership

My town, like many in the West, faces an ongoing imbalance in water, where demand exceeds supply. Going into the summer of 2021, the water conditions in Lafayette, Colorado, a Denver suburb, are not nearly as bad as they are in California, Arizona, or even other parts of Colorado, but they are sub-optimal. Lafayette’s “Leaders Go First” Message In late … Read More