This document discusses strategies for marketing a water utility to three key audiences: schoolchildren, mass media, and ratepayers. For schoolchildren, the goals are to influence their parents, prepare them for future jobs and roles as ratepayers, and educate them about water systems. When marketing to mass media, the focus is on influencing public opinion, especially during emergencies, and building goodwill. The key audiences for ratepayers are customers and voters who decide funding, so the strategies center around excellent customer service, community involvement, and education about the utility's work and needs.

1. Marketing Your Water Utility to the Community
Brian Gongol
DJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
March 29, 2017
Iowa WEA Region 5
Newton, Iowa

2. Your three major audiences

3. Schoolchildren

4. Mass media

5. Ratepayers

6. Why schoolchildren?
 Influence their parents

7. Why schoolchildren?
 Influence their parents
 Need jobs later

8. Why schoolchildren?
 Influence their parents
 Need jobs later
 Become ratepayers

9. Why mass media?

10. Why mass media?
 Influence public opinion

11. Why mass media?
 Influence public opinion
 Help shape disaster response

12. Why mass media?
 Influence public opinion
 Help shape disaster response
 Reach people more often than you do

13. Why ratepayers?

14. Why ratepayers?
Vote on bond referenda

15. Why ratepayers?
 Vote on bond referenda
 May decide your independence

16. Why ratepayers?
 Vote on bond referenda
 May decide your independence
 Complain

17. Why ratepayers?
 Vote on bond referenda
 May decide your independence
 Complain
 Are the reason utilities exist

18. Major audience #1: Schoolkids

19. Reaching elementary schoolchildren
 Classroom talks

20. Elementary school talks
 How water and wastewater systems connect a
community

21. Elementary school talks
Water scarcity and conservation

22. Elementary school talks
 The water cycle

23. Elementary school talks
 Jobs in the water sector

24. Elementary school talks
 Water around the world

25. Reaching elementary schoolchildren
 Classroom talks
 Earth Day and Children's Water Festivals

26. Reaching elementary schoolchildren
 Classroom talks
 Earth Day and Children's Water Festivals
 Plant tours

27. Reaching elementary schoolchildren
 Classroom talks
 Earth Day and Children's Water Festivals
 Plant tours
 Community tours (and parades)

28. Reaching elementary schoolchildren
Science classrooms and demonstrations

29. Reaching junior high students
 Explain the chemistry

30. Reaching junior high students
 Explain the chemistry
 Explain the economics

31. Reaching junior high students
 Explain the chemistry
 Explain the economics
 Explain the physics

32. Reaching junior high students
 Explain the chemistry
 Explain the economics
 Explain the physics
 Offer job shadowing

33. Reaching junior high students
 Explain the chemistry
 Explain the economics
 Explain the physics
 Offer job shadowing
 Reach out to counselors

34. 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

35. Reaching high school students
 Classroom talks

36. High school talks
 From the ballot box to your tap

37. High school talks
 From the ballot box to your tap
 Dump your oil, poison a fish

38. High school talks
 From the ballot box to your tap
 Dump your oil, poison a fish
 Broadband Internet through the sewer

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. Reaching high school students
 Classroom talks
 Internships

44. High school internships
 Lab assistants

45. High school internships
 Lab assistants
 GIS

46. High school internships
 Lab assistants
 GIS
 Websites

47. High school internships
 Lab assistants
 GIS
 Websites
 Graphic designers

48. High school internships
 Lab assistants
 GIS
 Websites
 Graphic designers
 Shop class

49. High school internships
 Lab assistants
 GIS
 Websites
 Graphic designers
 Shop class
 Institutional memory records

50. Reaching high school students
 Classroom talks
 Internships
 Service projects

51. Reaching high school students
 Classroom talks
 Internships
 Service projects
 Facility tours

52. Facility tours
Show people what they're paying for

53. Facility tours
 Show people what they're paying for
 Turn "capital projects" and "CDBG grants" into
something they can see and touch

54. Facility tours
Is the plant a cathedral to public service?

55. 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

56. 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?

57. Reaching high school students
 Classroom talks
 Internships
 Service projects
 Facility tours
 Last chance to teach the water cycle

58. Questions?

59. Major audience #2: Mass media

60. Influencing the mass media
Emergencies

61. Influencing the mass media
 Emergencies
 Rates, fees, and regulations

62. Influencing the mass media
 Emergencies
 Rates, fees, and regulations
 Goodwill

63. Plan for emergencies
 Build a list of contacts in the media

64. Plan for emergencies
 Build a list of contacts in the media
 Have a clear public face

65. Plan for emergencies
 Build a list of contacts in the media
 Have a clear public face
 Have an emergency communications plan

66. 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

67. 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

68. The case for Twitter

69. Mass media in ordinary times
 Create value for reporters

70. A typical inbox full of story pitches

71. Mass media in ordinary times
 Create value for reporters
 Offer novel stories

72. Mass media in ordinary times
 Create value for reporters
 Offer novel stories
 Offer human-interest stories

73. Mass media in ordinary times
 Create value for reporters
 Offer novel stories
 Offer human-interest stories
 Educate

74. Mass media in ordinary times
 Create value for reporters
 Offer novel stories
 Offer human-interest stories
 Educate
 Remember: Perception trumps facts

75. Stories any reporter can tell
 "Jeanette, do my job!"

76. Stories any reporter can tell
 "Jeanette, do my job!"
 The day the kids came to visit

77. 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

78. 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

79. 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

80. 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

81. Lather, rinse, repeat
 A good story shouldn't become a one-time fling -- you
want an ongoing affair

82. Questions?

83. Major audience #3: Ratepayers

84. Reaching your ratepayers
 Customer service

85. Customer service
Put front-line customer service first

86. Customer service
 Put front-line customer service first
 Add 5% to make it great

87. Customer service
 Put front-line customer service first
 Add 5% to make it great
 Dealing with hostile customers

88. Customer service
Brand everything

89. Why branding matters

90. Reaching your ratepayers
 Customer service
 Community presence

91. Community presence
 Who is your Elmo?

92. Community presence
Hit the streets -- be visible

93. Community presence
Keep up appearances

94. Community presence
 Who is your Elmo?
 Hit the streets -- be visible
 Keep up appearances
 Who owns this place?

95. Reaching your ratepayers
 Customer service
 Community presence
 Ratepayer education

96. Ratepayer education
 Bill inserts

97. Ratepayer education
 Bill inserts
 Newsletters

98. Ratepayer education
 Bill inserts
 Newsletters
 Websites

99. Ratepayer education
 Bill inserts
 Newsletters
 Websites
 Q&A

100. Reaching your ratepayers
 Customer service
 Community presence
 Ratepayer education
 Informative outreach

101. Informative outreach
Hit the lunch-speaker circuit

102. Informative outreach
 Hit the lunch-speaker circuit
 Service clubs

103. Informative outreach
 Hit the lunch-speaker circuit
 Service clubs
 Outdoor and sporting clubs

104. Informative outreach
 Hit the lunch-speaker circuit
 Service clubs
 Outdoor and sporting clubs
 Water for People

105. To recap
 Schoolkids: Talk to their parents and become future
ratepayers and employees. Educate them.

106. 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.

107. 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.

108. Questions?

109. Thank you for coming!
Brian Gongol
DJ Gongol & Associates
brian@gongol.net
515-223-4144
Twitter: @djgongol
facebook.com/djgongol