Energy Trust of Oregon is dedicated to helping 1.7 million people in Oregon and Southwest Washington save energy and generate renewable power. Whether it’s a home improvement project for residents, a modest upgrade to a small business, or a large capital investment for a corporation, Energy Trust makes cleaner energy accessible to everyone and helps to grow the clean energy economy.
Energy Trust of Oregon
Connecting the Right Audiences with the Right Information
Goals
To connect Energy Trust’s diverse audiences with critical information — including incentives and content about energy-saving opportunities.
Solutions
We applied a human-centered approach to the web that keeps the focus on the communities Energy Trust serves; optimizing campaigns, infographics, and annual reports for their target audiences.
Results
Energy Trust saw increased page views, engagement, and conversions across all audience segments.
Clear Communication in Times of Change
The relationship between ThinkShout and Energy Trust began in a maintenance capacity, originally focused on technical support for their existing site. The partnership grew over time to include robust strategic services. ThinkShout has now had the opportunity to work with Energy Trust on almost every element of their digital communications — from redesigning their annual reports (digital and print), to building integrated campaigns and email templates, to testing and optimizing various content updates.
A Human-Centered Approach
Energy Trust wants people to think of energy in a completely new way — not as some generic expense you face once per billing cycle, but as a critical resource and a unique opportunity for every individual across the region to conserve.
However, Energy Trust’s communication platform wasn’t always resonant with its three large audience segments: residential, small business, and large-scale corporations. Energy-insider jargon was common, while individual impact — and the potential of that — was often missing. We helped overcome this challenge time and again by guiding content development through the lens of audience identities that Energy Trust serves, and weaving success stories into the site.
With personalized stories and user pathways depending on how a visitor identifies — which might be as renter, homeowner, grocery store owner, apartment developer, manufacturer, or large scale agriculturist — we helped make it possible for more people to understand, utilize, and benefit from Energy Trust’s work, and jumpstart them on their own energy saving journey.
A Personalized Website Experience
Energy Trust is a unique, valuable resource for the people they serve. Our job is to make sure folks understand how they can take advantage of the many incentives and opportunities available to them. Solving this communications challenge in a time of increased demands on time and attention takes a strategic focus on what stories to tell, what channels to use, and how to measure success.
Our partnership is a blend of the above, and we continuously work with the Energy Trust team to improve their communication platforms. The result is a website that not only highlights facts and figures (like important energy saving goals and economic impact numbers), but also lets people know what Energy Trust can do for them in a way that is personalized and achievable.
“ThinkShout’s project management, attention to detail and strategic thinking have not only helped us reach more customers in a meaningful way, but have also helped us streamline our internal web operations.”