Marketing your water utility to the community

Marketing Your Water Utility to the Community

Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.

March 29, 2017

Iowa WEA Region 5Newton, Iowa

Your three major audiences

Schoolchildren

Mass media

Ratepayers

Why schoolchildren?

Influence their parents

Why schoolchildren?

Influence their parents

Need jobs later

Why schoolchildren?

Influence their parents

Need jobs later

Become ratepayers

Why mass media?

Why mass media?

Influence public opinion

Why mass media?

Influence public opinion

Help shape disaster response

Why mass media?

Influence public opinion

Help shape disaster response

Reach people more often than you do

Why ratepayers?

Why ratepayers?

Vote on bond referenda

Why ratepayers?

Vote on bond referenda

May decide your independence

Why ratepayers?

Vote on bond referenda

May decide your independence

Complain

Why ratepayers?

Vote on bond referenda

May decide your independence

Complain

Are the reason utilities exist

Major audience #1: Schoolkids

Reaching elementary schoolchildren

Classroom talks

Elementary school talks

How water and wastewater systems connect a community

Elementary school talks

Water scarcity and conservation

Elementary school talks

The water cycle

Elementary school talks

Jobs in the water sector

Elementary school talks

Water around the world

Reaching elementary schoolchildren

Classroom talks

Earth Day and Children's Water Festivals

Reaching elementary schoolchildren

Classroom talks

Earth Day and Children's Water Festivals

Plant tours

Reaching elementary schoolchildren

Classroom talks

Earth Day and Children's Water Festivals

Plant tours

Community tours (and parades)

Reaching elementary schoolchildren

Science classrooms and demonstrations

Reaching junior high students

Explain the chemistry

Reaching junior high students

Explain the chemistry

Explain the economics

Reaching junior high students

Explain the chemistry

Explain the economics

Explain the physics

Reaching junior high students

Explain the chemistry

Explain the economics

Explain the physics

Offer job shadowing

Reaching junior high students

Explain the chemistry

Explain the economics

Explain the physics

Offer job shadowing

Reach out to counselors

Reaching junior high students

Explain the chemistry

Explain the economics

Explain the physics

Offer job shadowing

Reach out to counselors

Give service clubs something to do

Reaching high school students

Classroom talks

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

Dump your oil, poison a fish

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

Dump your oil, poison a fish

Broadband Internet through the sewer

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

Dump your oil, poison a fish

Broadband Internet through the sewer

Five diseases Americans don't get anymore

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

Dump your oil, poison a fish

Broadband Internet through the sewer

Five diseases Americans don't get anymore

Five civilizations that died of thirst

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

Dump your oil, poison a fish

Broadband Internet through the sewer

Five diseases Americans don't get anymore

Five civilizations that died of thirst

Before Evian and Aquafina, we exported water

High school talks

From the ballot box to your tap

Dump your oil, poison a fish

Broadband Internet through the sewer

Five diseases Americans don't get anymore

Five civilizations that died of thirst

Before Evian and Aquafina, we exported water

Bottled water is tap water, too

Reaching high school students

Classroom talks

Internships

High school internships

Lab assistants

High school internships

Lab assistants

GIS

High school internships

Lab assistants

GIS

Websites

High school internships

Lab assistants

GIS

Websites

Graphic designers

High school internships

Lab assistants

GIS

Websites

Graphic designers

Shop class

High school internships

Lab assistants

GIS

Websites

Graphic designers

Shop class

Institutional memory records

Reaching high school students

Classroom talks

Internships

Service projects

Reaching high school students

Classroom talks

Internships

Service projects

Facility tours

Facility tours

Show people what they're paying for

Facility tours

Show people what they're paying for

Turn "capital projects" and "CDBG grants" into something they can see and touch

Facility tours

Is the plant a cathedral to public service?

Facility tours

Show people what they're paying for

Turn "capital projects" and "CDBG grants" into something they can see and touch

Is the plant a cathedral to public service?

Show (don't tell) why equipment, maintenance, and security investments matter

Facility tours

Show people what they're paying for

Turn "capital projects" and "CDBG grants" into something they can see and touch

Is the plant a cathedral to public service?

Show (don't tell) why equipment, maintenance, and security investments matter

If security issues preclude tours, how about video?

Reaching high school students

Classroom talks

Internships

Service projects

Facility tours

Last chance to teach the water cycle

Questions?

Major audience #2: Mass media

Influencing the mass media

Emergencies

Influencing the mass media

Emergencies

Rates, fees, and regulations

Influencing the mass media

Emergencies

Rates, fees, and regulations

Goodwill

Plan for emergencies

Build a list of contacts in the media

Plan for emergencies

Build a list of contacts in the media

Have a clear public face

Plan for emergencies

Build a list of contacts in the media

Have a clear public face

Have an emergency communications plan

Plan for emergencies

Build a list of contacts in the media

Have a clear public face

Have an emergency communications plan

Have an online presence

Plan for emergencies

Build a list of contacts in the media

Have a clear public face

Have an emergency communications plan

Have an online presence

Have a backup online presence

The case for Twitter

Mass media in ordinary times

Create value for reporters

A typical inbox full of story pitches

Mass media in ordinary times

Create value for reporters

Offer novel stories

Mass media in ordinary times

Create value for reporters

Offer novel stories

Offer human-interest stories

Mass media in ordinary times

Create value for reporters

Offer novel stories

Offer human-interest stories

Educate

Mass media in ordinary times

Create value for reporters

Offer novel stories

Offer human-interest stories

Educate

Remember: Perception trumps facts

Stories any reporter can tell

"Jeanette, do my job!"

Stories any reporter can tell

"Jeanette, do my job!"

The day the kids came to visit

Stories any reporter can tell

"Jeanette, do my job!"

The day the kids came to visit

Your over-fertilized lawn (or field) is hurting babies

Stories any reporter can tell

"Jeanette, do my job!"

The day the kids came to visit

Your over-fertilized lawn (or field) is hurting babies

The drain isn't a hazardous-waste dump

Stories any reporter can tell

"Jeanette, do my job!"

The day the kids came to visit

Your over-fertilized lawn (or field) is hurting babies

The drain isn't a hazardous-waste dump

The great halftime flush

Stories any reporter can tell

"Jeanette, do my job!"

The day the kids came to visit

Your over-fertilized lawn (or field) is hurting babies

The drain isn't a hazardous-waste dump

The great halftime flush

It's not a water tower, it's an insurance policy

Lather, rinse, repeat

A good story shouldn't become a one-time fling -- you want an ongoing affair

Questions?

Major audience #3: Ratepayers

Reaching your ratepayers

Customer service

Customer service

Put front-line customer service first

Customer service

Put front-line customer service first

Add 5% to make it great

Customer service

Put front-line customer service first

Add 5% to make it great

Dealing with hostile customers

Customer service

Brand everything

Why branding matters

Reaching your ratepayers

Customer service

Community presence

Community presence

Who is your Elmo?

Community presence

Hit the streets -- be visible

Community presence

Keep up appearances

Community presence

Who is your Elmo?

Hit the streets -- be visible

Keep up appearances

Who owns this place?

Reaching your ratepayers

Customer service

Community presence

Ratepayer education

Ratepayer education

Bill inserts

Ratepayer education

Bill inserts

Newsletters

Ratepayer education

Bill inserts

Newsletters

Websites

Ratepayer education

Bill inserts

Newsletters

Websites

Q&A

Reaching your ratepayers

Customer service

Community presence

Ratepayer education

Informative outreach

Informative outreach

Hit the lunch-speaker circuit

Informative outreach

Hit the lunch-speaker circuit

Service clubs

Informative outreach

Hit the lunch-speaker circuit

Service clubs

Outdoor and sporting clubs

Informative outreach

Hit the lunch-speaker circuit

Service clubs

Outdoor and sporting clubs

Water for People

To recap

Schoolkids: Talk to their parents and become future ratepayers and employees. Educate them.

To recap

Schoolkids: Talk to their parents and become future ratepayers and employees. Educate them.

News media: Influence public opinion. Make friends (and plans) well before you need them.

To recap

Schoolkids: Talk to their parents and become future ratepayers and employees. Educate them.

News media: Influence public opinion. Make friends (and plans) well before you need them.

Ratepayers: Our customers and the people who decide whether we have the resources we need. Inform and treat them with respect to earn reciprocal respect for your utility.

Questions?

Thank you for coming!

Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates

[email protected]

Twitter: @djgongolfacebook.com/djgongol