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Achieving the “Holy Grail” of Communicating
and Convincing the Value of Water
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Presented by Samantha Villegas, APR
President, SaVi PR, LLC
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
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20+ years in communications
12 in water
Accredited
Environmental focus/social marketing
Agency, government, corporate
*Why keeping quiet hurts your
reputation
How to conduct outreach that yields financial results
Why communicating “at” customers will not incite support
and can, instead backfire
Why achieving widespread understanding is elusive, and
how to get it
What changes to business operations can improve your
communications success
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Why achieving widespread
understanding is elusive, and how to
get it What changes to business operations can improve your communications
success
Problem 1 – Defining Value
Solution – Messaging with Context
and Relevance
Problem 2 – Strategic Approach
Solution – Following Diffusion Theory
Why achieving widespread
understanding for VALUE is elusive, and how to get it
Problem 3 – Meeting Customer
Needs
Solution(s) – Hiring for attitude, phone
technology, cross training, mobile-
ready, 21st century bill pay.
What changes to business operations can improve your communications
success
*
Why achieving widespread
understanding for VALUE is elusive, and how to get it
Please make me pay
more for something I
need every single day,
without a noticeable
change in quality or
service
Said No One Ever.
val·ue noun \ˈval-(ˌ)yü\
something (as a principle or
quality) intrinsically valuable or desirable
a fair return or equivalent in
goods, services, or money for something exchanged
the monetary worth of
something: market price
relative worth, utility, or importance <a good value at the price>
a numerical quantity that is assigned or is determined by calculation or measurement
Context Relevance
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Why achieving widespread
understanding for VALUE is elusive, and how to get it
Context
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System Failures
Droughts Economy
Woes
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*Transparency
Accountability
Efficiency
Local Control
Why achieving widespread
understanding for VALUE is elusive, and how to get it
Relevance
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Specificity Connection Solution
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Community
Consequences
Partnership
Local Control
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Why achieving widespread
understanding for VALUE is elusive, and how to get it
Strategies
Broadcast media
Snail mail
Newspaper advertising
Awareness Interest Evaluation Trial Adoption
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I Innovators
Early Adopters
Early Majority/Majority
Laggards
Awareness
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Why achieving widespread
understanding for VALUE is elusive, and how to get it
Awareness Interest Evaluation Trial Adoption
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Awareness Interest Evaluation Trial Adoption
3-6 Months 3-6 Months 3-6 Months 3-6 Months 6+ Months
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What changes to business operations can improve your communications
success
*Communicating value has
everything to do with:
Water is on. Pressure is good. Tastes ok. Smells ok.
Calls are answered fast.
Money is refunded fast.
Water is tested fast.
Questions are answered completely.
Info is available 24-7 where they are (mobile)
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24-7 Access
Bill Payment
Call Center
Field Service
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• 24/7 Access
• Bill Payment
• Field Service
• Call Center
Training/
technology
Hire for attitude
Mobile/
social
21st century
standard
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Define value as your audience does
Communicate with context and relevance
Be deliberate and thoughtful in use of strategy, it’s not volume but the approach
Meet their needs FIRST
Investments in mobile, social, training, technology and hiring for attitude
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571-577-7477
