Energy efficiency upgrades can improve air quality, make indoor spaces more comfortable, and significantly reduce utility bills. Despite these benefits, many people are still unaware of why and how they should invest in energy efficiency for their homes and buildings.
Effective marketing can address this issue. By providing relevant information in compelling ways, energy efficiency program managers can use marketing strategies and tactics to position their offerings as a solution to a problem many residents and businesses don't even know they have.
This section explains how you can use effective marketing to drive demand for energy upgrades in your community. Following the lead of many Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners, you can use the following guidance to implement your own successful marketing program to spur an increase in building upgrades in your community. The steps below feature real-world examples and worksheets to help you with implementation.
Step #1: Set Goals and Objectives
Step #2: Create an Evaluation Plan
Step #3: Conduct Audience Research
Step #4: Identify Target Audience and Behavior Change
Step #5: Create Effective Messages
Step #6: Build Partnerships
Step #7: Develop a Marketing Plan
Step #8: Implement Your Marketing Plan
Step #9: Assess Your Progress
KEY DOE RESOURCES
"It's Academic: BetterBuildings for Michigan Partners With University to Reach Employees." This partner interview explores BetterBuildings for Michigan's employer-assisted partnership with Grand Valley State University. The transcript contains implementation strategies, results achieved to date, and advice for other programs.
Driving Demand for Home Energy Improvements. This guide, developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, provides an assessment of various approaches to driving demand for home energy efficiency improvements. The report contains key lessons learned from energy efficiency administrators and tips for strategies that can be used to increase the adoption of comprehensive home energy upgrades. Multiple case studies in the report offer a range of strategies and examples from which program administrators can draw.