Love it or hate it, climate change is a topic of considerable debate and Seb Henbest, Head of EMEA at Bloomberg NEF, is well informed on the topic, as he tracks policy making, rapid change and new technology relating to renewable energy.
Dealing with considerable amounts of data and scientific research relating to renewables, his challenge is translating it all into information that helps people to make decisions. When your community is as diverse as ‘everyone that uses energy’, and in a time when the ideological debate around climate change has voters divided, how do you get people to stop and listen?
In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Seb talks about how to tackle communication for complex and long term issues as part of your marketing strategy, how to take into account different options and look at the limitations of social media for driving behavioral change…
Connect with people’s daily lives.
Seb’s community is extremely diverse. Some people are attracted to the scientific research; some are convinced by the new jobs that will be created by a renewable future; some find the energy security in a domestic renewable market appealing. Then there are those that have a different view of the world and just aren’t interested. How do you motivate people with different interests to action? Seb’s advice is to focus on the needs and concerns of their daily lives.
So ask yourself, who are you trying to convince, and what’s going to resonate with them? Are you, in fact, the right messenger to tell that story? If you’re not who your audience connects with on a topic, find the person that is.
“Are you the right messenger to connect with your audience? If not, find the person that is.”
Listen to Seb’s Be The Drop podcast episode here:
Focus on opportunities, not problems.
Nobody likes hearing about problems. A much better strategy is to recognise the risk and mitigate it or solve the problem, but make sure you’re focusing on it as an opportunity.
Seb says that we’re living at a unique point in history. The climate discussion has moved through being a science issue, championed by environmentalists, and is now increasingly embedded at an industrial and wider economy level. There are genuine business, industrial, and economic opportunities presented by renewable energy; all we have to do is see them.
Don’t preach to the choir.
Social media is great for talking to the converted, says Seb. It’s reaching the people that aren’t already on board with what you’re doing that’s the challenge. Ask yourself, when you’re talking on social media, are you really widening your community? Which channel is going to work best to achieve your communications goals and reach your target audience?
Use this free buyer persona worksheet to understand your audience better.
Thank you again for tuning in and listening to the BTD podcast, I can’t wait for the next installment to bring you more inspiring people talking about their strategies for impactful communication in the digital world.
Amelia xx
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