That’s a question better left for philosophers and physicists to debate. As a public/government affairs and communications consultancy, our objective is to ensure your business makes a sound and the right people hear it.
Renewable energy is a complex field and navigating changing regulations, managing business processes, and embracing technology advancements leaves little time for businesses to focus on communications. The dynamic nature of renewable energy, however, is exactly why it’s important to develop a solid and cohesive communication strategy.
Defining Goals
What do you want to achieve? Are you expanding into new regions and want to reach more customers? Do you want to garner interest in a new technology your already established business recently invested in? Is there currently a crisis that needs to be handled thoughtfully to not lose customers? A clear communications strategy helps you define your goals so you can focus on the actions necessary to attain them.
Targeting Customers
A communication strategy creates a clear picture of who your customers are and how to reach them. From vague ideas (“our customers are home owners in the metro area”) to a concise and targeted customer profile (“our customers are middle-income, single family homeowners within a 60-mile radius of Milwaukee who are looking to reduce utility costs), a communication strategy helps define the needs, expectations, and motivations of your client base and creates clear and relevant messaging.
Investor and Staff Alignment
A structured and facilitated discussion about your communication strategy between staff and investors helps a business create consistent messaging and increases buy-in from both parties.
Better Use of Resources
Clearly defining goals, identifying customers and their needs, and creating consistent messaging for all staff and investors allows renewable resource businesses to focus communication efforts where they’ll get the most bang for their buck. A solid communication plan defines, specifically, what you want to say about your work and identifies channels and audiences to reach with those messages. Instead of tossing out ideas and seeing what works, a communication plan helps ensure your time and money are spent in the right places.
Measure Successes
A well-developed communication strategy always includes metrics and benchmarks to measure what works and what doesn’t work to ensure your business is always moving forward.
“A vision without a plan is just a hallucination.”
— Atkinson PR’s Adage No. 1
