![Content Marketing Challenges](https://breezycontent.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Content-Marketing-Challenges.png)
Content Marketing Challenges in the Energy Sector
At Breezy, we work with many companies in many different sectors of the energy space. While their services or products may be quite different, we have seen some of the same pain points again and again.
They don’t have time
Every client we work with in the energy sector knows how important content marketing is and how powerful it could be for their business, but they don’t have the time or resources to invest in it.
It’s a complicated space
Working in this sector takes a large amount of subject-matter expertise and most clients have been in the industry for a long time. They worry about “outsourcing” content production to non-industry experts.
They deal with a lot of regulatory compliance
As you know, the energy sector is heavily regulated. Content creators and marketing managers have to be able to create quality content while also navigating legal guidelines, advertising standards, privacy laws, and regulations related to energy information dissemination.
They engagement with a lot of technical content
The amount of complex and technical subjects in the space is vast, to say the least, and may not easily engage the average social media user. Finding ways to make content accessible, engaging, and educational without oversimplifying or misrepresenting facts is a challenge.
They need to educate the public
Beyond promoting their own brand, a company in this sector also typically needs to educate the general public on important energy topics and they need a content marketer who can help them with this challenge of staying up to date on the latest news, what makes sense to share, how to educate the public on it, etc.
They need to balance promotional and informational content
While growing an online presence often involves promotional content, energy companies also need to provide valuable information to their followers, balancing marketing efforts with informative and educational content.
While these challenges exist for all of our energy sector clients, they can be overcome.
Consistently, we’ve seen great results from implementing a strong content strategy tailored to these concerns and struggles.
The Great Results
- Imagine boosting your LinkedIn likes by an incredible 149.23 times
- Skyrocketing your impressions by an astonishing 164,600%
- Growing your engagement by 45 times
- Think about the impact of increasing your clicks from zero to nearly 4,000
- Expanding your brand's visibility with impressions soaring by 156.07 times
We’ve helped many brands in the energy industry do exactly that.
Let’s dive into this case study of 3 different energy sector clients of ours to discover how we were able to make this kind of growth a reality.
Client Profiles
ARC Services
Who they are:
Arc Energy Services, a veteran-owned company with over 12 years of experience, specializes in specialty welding, machining, heat treatment, and NDT services for power generation, particularly fossil and nuclear, and industrial sectors. Known for its commitment to safety, quality, and efficiency, ARC holds prestigious certifications from ASME and the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. Serving the nuclear, fossil, and industrial markets, ARC prides itself on its skilled team's ability to deliver high-quality results, ensuring optimal plant operation and cost-effective project delivery across its locations in South Carolina and Mississippi.
What were their goals?
Main Goal
Build brand presence, awareness, and credibility in the power generation space, with a special focus on nuclear energy due to its high stakes and regulatory complexity.
Strategy
Develop content that emphasizes their nuclear expertise and safety focus, aiming to generate leads for recruiting and establish themselves as thought leaders in safety within the energy, construction and engineering space.
Initial metrics at the beginning of a 12-month period
LinkedIn
17
Comments
13
Likes
0
Shares
0
Clicks
433
Impressions
SEM Power
Who they are:
SEM Power, based in Tampa, Florida, is a leading solar installation company founded in 2009, specializing in designing, installing, and maintaining solar energy systems for homes, businesses, and communities across Florida and the Caribbean. Known for its direct, in-house approach to projects, SEM Power champions renewable energy, contributing to Florida's goal for a clean energy future.
What were their goals?
Main Goal
Act as a thought leader in both the B2C and B2B solar panel markets, generating leads and educating on the benefits of solar energy.
Strategy
Create informative content to attract the Florida demographic for B2C and establish credibility and authority for B2B, ultimately driving more direct leads and enhancing social presence and reviews, particularly in the B2C market.
Initial metrics at the beginning of a 12-month period
Instagram
613
followers
10
Comments
211
Likes
2
Clicks
3242
Impressions
Energy SaaS Company, Specialized for Energy Brokers and Suppliers
Who they are:
This company specializes in providing comprehensive software solutions tailored for energy brokers and suppliers, aimed at simplifying sales growth, risk management, and operational efficiency. They equip energy professionals with the necessary resources to outpace competition and streamline their business processes. Their platform supports the energy industry's need for streamlined pricing, contracting, commission calculation, and risk management, serving over 1.6 million quoted B2B transactions and partnering with more than 1400 brokers and 65 energy suppliers to foster profitable and efficient transactions.
What were their goals?
Main Goal
Establish brand awareness and credibility, especially in the UK, within the deregulated energy market.
Strategy
Increase LinkedIn presence to enhance authority and credibility, supported by a high volume of content, especially blogs, as a key part of their marketing funnel.
Initial metrics at the beginning of a 12-month period
LinkedIn
3,026
followers
19
Engagement
1
Published Posts
0
Shares
873
Impressions
Specific Challenges Faced
All 6 of the common challenges we faced with companies in or serving the energy industry existed with these accounts, along with specific obstacles we needed to overcome.
ARC Services
- Overcome relative obscurity and showcase their expertise in nuclear energy and other power generation areas.
- Address seasonal recruitment needs in skilled trades.
SEM Power
- Tailor strategies to distinctly serve both the B2C (homeowners) and B2B (businesses, public entities) markets, focusing on cost reduction and the benefits of solar energy.
Energy SaaS Client
- Address the complexity of their offering and the discerning nature of their senior-level management, business owner clientele, as well as energy brokers.
Our Strategic Approach
Story-driven
Thought-leadership-centric
Non-sales, value-intended
What This Looks Like
Story-driven
The Storybrand framework emphasizes that a brand is never the hero of the sales journey, but the client is. As a company, you want to simply be the GUIDE that helps that user find the answer to their problem or a solution that will make their life or business better. We aim to take this approach with every content marketing strategy we build.
Thought-leadership-centric
We deeply value the subject-matter expertise that our clients bring to the table. While we will become extremely versed in any topic, niche or space of the energy industry, we’re more interested in showcasing the incredible knowledge and experience that our clients have. The content we build is designed to show what they know and bring to the table because this is the most authentic and effective content if you want to move the needle for your business.
Non-sales, value-intended
In our content strategies, we do very little sales content. This doesn’t mean never, but it is rarely more than 1-2x a month. That doesn’t mean we don’t have strong calls to action that push the user along. We simply don’t push sales frequently and instead want to keep providing value to the user on an extremely consistent basis to build trust over time. This develops a stronger connection beyond a sale and retains the customer to become an advocate for your brand as well. This is even more important when the offering is an expensive one.
This approach was taken with all 3 of these accounts but was customized for each company and its specific goals. We saw excellent results from our approach coupled with custom elements for each account.
![We Implemented for Each Brand](https://breezycontent.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/We-Implemented-for-Each-Brand.png)
Execution: Content Plans We Implemented for Each Brand
ARC Services
- Communicator:
- 4 social posts per week
- 4 blogs per month
SEM Power
- Communicator+ Plan:
- 4 social posts per week
- 2 blogs per month
- 1 video per month
Energy SaaS Client
- Custom Plan:
- 4 social posts per week
- 4 blogs per month
- 4 emails per month
Results
ARC Services
Initial Metrics | Resulting Metrics | LinkedIn Growth | |
---|---|---|---|
Comments | 17 | 76 | ~4.47x (346.47% increase) |
Likes | 13 | 1940 | ~149.23x (14823.00% increase) |
Shares | 0 | 120 | From 0 to 120 |
Clicks | 0 | 3923 | From 0 to 3923 |
Impressions | 433 | 67.58k | ~156.07x (15507.00% increase) |
SEM Power
Initial Metrics | Resulting Metrics | Social Media Growth | |
---|---|---|---|
Followers | 613 followers | 625 followers | IG ~1.02x (1.96% increase) |
Comments | 10 | 27 | ~2.70x (170.00% increase) |
Likes | 211 | 394 | ~1.87x (86.73% increase) |
Clicks | IG 2 /// LI 0 | IG 4 /// LI 82 | IG From 2 to 4 (~2.00x or 100.00% increase) LI From 0 to 82 |
Impressions | IG 3242 /// LI 2 | IG 5111 /// LI 3294 | IG ~1.58x (57.65% increase) LI ~1647.00x (164600.00% increase) |
Energy SaaS Client
Initial Metrics | Resulting Metrics | LinkedIn Growth | |
---|---|---|---|
Audience | 3,026 | 4,593 | ~1.5x (51.78% increase) |
Engagement | 19 | 863 | ~45x (4442.11% increase) |
Clicks | 0 | 524 | From 0 to 524 |
Published Posts | 1 | 217 | ~217x (21600.00% increase) |
Shares | 0 | 63 | From 0 to 63 |
Impressions | 873 | 51,062 | ~58x (5749.03% increase) |
Analysis
1. High Engagement and Visibility Potential
- ARC Services experienced a remarkable increase in engagement (likes by ~149.23x) and visibility (impressions by ~156.07x). This indicates a content strategy can significantly enhance brand awareness and engagement on platforms like LinkedIn.
- Energy SaaS Client’s data shows a massive increase in engagement (~45x) and published posts (~217x), suggesting a direct correlation between content volume, engagement, and overall visibility.
- By creating great content consistently, you’re giving your audience a reason to engage and more content to engage with.
- Consistency is a critical obstacle to overcome for most small to mid-sized businesses, and we were able to help them create that at a high level.
2. Content Strategy Drives Specific Outcome
- The varying growth rates among the three clients (e.g., SEM Power's substantial increase in LinkedIn impressions by ~1647.00x) demonstrate that specific content strategies can target and achieve different outcomes, such as increasing followers, engagement, or impressions across different social media platforms.
- Depending on your goals, you can tailor a content strategy to exactly what you’re hoping to accomplish.
3. Zero to Significant Growth
- Clients starting from a low base in specific metrics (e.g., shares and clicks for ARC Services and SEM Power) saw growth from zero to substantial numbers, showcasing that even minimal initial engagement metrics can be improved dramatically with a consistent and targeted content strategy.
- Don’t let starting from zero keep you from moving forward with a content strategy.
4. Long-Term Investment with Compounding Benefit
- The growth metrics across all three clients suggest that content strategy is a long-term investment. The compounding benefits of increased visibility, engagement, and audience growth over time underscore the importance of consistency and patience.
- You’ll see the benefit of a content strategy earlier on as well, but the full measure of how powerful it can be is seen after months of consistency and a commitment to creating high-quality content.
What Our Clients Said
…I highly highly recommend the entire team at Breezy Content. They just make our lives so much easier."
Bringing It All Together
So, in 365 days…
- ARC Services witnessed a staggering increase in LinkedIn likes by approximately 149.23 times, from just 13 to 1,940
- SEM Power's LinkedIn impressions soared by an astonishing 164,600%, from 2 to 3,294
- Energy SaaS Client experienced 45x growth in engagement.
- ARC Services' LinkedIn clicks grew from zero to 3,923.
- The LinkedIn impressions for ARC Services surged by about 156.07 times, from 433 to 67,580.
![Creating Engaging and Effective Content](https://thebreezycompany.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Creating-Engaging-and-Effective-Content.png)
Creating Engaging and Effective Content for the Energy Industry
We’ve witnessed transforming outcomes for our clients in the energy industry through strategic content marketing. The journeys of ARC Services, SEM Power, and our Energy SaaS Client underscore the incredible potential of well-crafted content for many different niches in the energy space.
We’re excited to continue propelling our energy clients even further, leveraging a multifaceted approach that includes:
Trend Monitoring
Staying ahead in a rapidly evolving industry requires vigilance and foresight. By continuously monitoring energy trends and regulatory changes, we ensure our content not only remains relevant but also anticipatory, setting our clients as thought leaders who are always a step ahead.
Community Education
Knowledge sharing extends beyond marketing. It's about building a community. We plan to enhance our efforts in demystifying complex energy concepts for the public and fostering an informed community. Through webinars, interactive content, and partnerships, we aim to elevate public discourse around energy, contributing to a more energy-literate society.
Technological Advancements
The energy sector's future is being reshaped by technology—from renewable energy innovations to advancements in energy storage and efficiency. We will continue to spotlight these developments, helping our clients articulate their roles in this evolution.
Content Excellence
At the heart of our strategy remains a commitment to content excellence. Whether it's through compelling storytelling, data-driven insights, or cutting-edge digital formats, our focus is on creating content that resonates, educates, and engages.
Get Started With Breezy
The need for strategic, impactful, and insightful content marketing has never been greater. If your goal is to elevate your brand’s presence, engage meaningfully with your audience, and lead the conversation in the energy sector, we’d love to work with you. Together, let’s harness the power of content marketing to achieve your business objectives. Connect with us today to explore how we can transform your content marketing journey.