Not too long ago, before the recession and the health care debate began dominating the news, energy was front-and-center in the national discussion. High gas prices, peak oil, alternate fuel sources and energy independence were all topics getting plenty of attention a few months ago, and though they’re less covered by media sources, they are still worthy of your focus, both as a citizen and as a salesperson.
Not only are nascent clean-energy markets getting a lot of attention and funding from the federal government, which could translate into big new marketing budgets, but standard energy companies are facing more and more advertising challenges. From increased federal regulation and self-enforced green initiatives to aggressive competition from rivals in a down economy, there are plenty of ways energy companies could make use of a talented marketing professional’s services.
So while there are some markets that may seem more lucrative, like collegiate or health care, perhaps it’s time to consider one that is a little more behind-the-scenes and give energy markets a chance.
THE SAME, BUT A LITTLE DIFFERENT
If you’ve never sold to the energy sector before, the prospect may seem a little daunting. Some companies may appear gigantic in scope, and others overly technical in their needs, but such concerns might be misplaced.
“You don’t have to be an engineer to sell to an energy-related company,” said Gregg Emmer, vice president and chief marketing officer for distributor Kaeser & Blair, Batavia, Ohio. “It comes down to the same question[s] all the time when you’re talking to a potential client: What is it that you are working on? What is the most important issue that you’re working on right now?” Emmer continued, explaining that while you might expect a large power company’s answer to said question to be something technical or related to convoluted legal regulations, very often that is not the case. He pointed out that these companies face the same “mundane” issues as other companies, needing help setting up employee incentive programs or picking out effective leave-behind items for their sales forces. That said, there are some nuances to working with energy companies.
Citing an example of a client who sold equipment to oil fields, Emmer pointed out that because of the intended end-user, sometimes the products have an emphasis on practicality. He mentioned flashlights, pocketknives, first-aid kits and baseball caps as items commonly used by the client’s sales reps.
Another quirk to energy markets is while they are still rooted in practically, due to the nature of the business, some energy companies are going to be engaged in unique activities that present interesting marketing opportunities. Emmer gave the example of an electricity company that sold garden tools imprinted with messages warning end-users about cutting underground power cables. “The homeowner owns the wires that go underground from the street to your house,” he said. “So those wires fall apart, the power company has to replace them, and they’re going to charge you for that unless you have insurance.” He explained that the power company used the gardening tools to promote the underground utility insurance it sold.
Looking ahead
As for future trends in the energy marketplace worth noting for marketing purposes, Emmer had a few more thoughts. “If we’re looking at people who are very much in the central part of the energy industry, … I think all of them are looking for some way to genuinely be kind to the ecology, and to make it known to their customers that they’re paying attention to that,” he said. “I think they’re all looking for some sort of greenness to what they’re doing.” Emmer explained that this greenness can be fairly broad in scope, ranging from issues like energy conservation to the research and development of wholly new fuel technologies.
“We’re also going to see new industries that don’t exist right now,” he theorized. “There’s just a lot of stuff that’s on the horizon—maybe not while I’m still active in the industry, but certainly the young people coming behind me are going to see new industries that we don’t have right now.”
This future, however, may be closer than Emmer thinks. Last year, President Obama presented a choice to millions of Americans. “We can remain one of the world’s leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that would allow us to become the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy,” he stated.
His American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included more than $80 billion in clean energy investments to jump-start the economy and create more clean-energy related jobs. Additionally, last February the president took the country’s energy goals a step further, announcing several actions related to increasing biofuel production. One of the most notable of which was a recommitment to the Renewable Fuels Standard, part of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which sets a goal of having 36 billion gallons of biofuel available for American consumption in 2022. That’s a lot of biofuel, to be sure, though it’s certainly not the only new opportunity on the horizon. From home solar panel installation startups to enormous corporate energy providers looking to promote their new hydrogen-based fuels, there are plenty of new markets forming daily that could use the help of a talented advertising specialist.
