SECC's 2023 Cobb EMC Case Study

Guiding Consumers on Their Solar Journeys

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

About Cobb EMC

Cobb EMC is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative. As a member-owned cooperative, Cobb EMC safely delivers reliable electricity to more than 200,000 residential and commercial consumers in Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Fulton and Paulding counties. Cobb EMC is consistently recognized for low-cost, reliable power, a commitment to renewable energy and giving back to the communities it serves. Cobb EMC is one of the largest EMCs in the nation, and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Gas South is a leading provider of natural gas in the Southeast.

Combating Misinformation and Myths About Solar Energy

Over the last several years, Cobb EMC has seen a spike in digital and print advertising from potential solar scammers promising consumers that they could go off the grid with rooftop solar, completely eliminate their electric bills, reduce their bills by 80 percent — or even install rooftop solar for $0 down with no out-of-pocket expenses.

Cobb EMC developed a detailed plan to create extensive and informative educational materials to help members avoid a costly long-term commitment that could jeopardize their financial future, while providing them with the education necessary to participate safely in renewable energy.

Cobb EMC’s Solar Education Strategy included a comprehensive social media campaign called “Summer of Solar,” a revamp of their solar webpages, educational short-form videos, a membership-wide survey, a postcard mailed to seniors (one of their most vulnerable member demographics) and, lastly, email campaigns.

To combat misinformation in their service territory, Cobb EMC developed a Solar Education Strategy that included a comprehensive social media campaign, a revamp of their solar webpages, educational short-form videos, a membership-wide survey, a postcard mailed to seniors (one of their most vulnerable member demographics), email campaigns and more.

RESULTS SO FAR

The total number of people reached through the Solar Education Strategy has exceeded 4,000,000 over the course of the campaign. In addition, Cobb EMC had over 29,000 members “convert” by fulfilling the ultimate call-to-action, visiting their website to learn more and become empowered to make an informed decision about solar energy.

For their website, Cobb EMC divided content according to the journey and steps that a member would take regarding rooftop solar. For social media and digital campaigns, Cobb EMC set out to address members’ concerns, such as what questions to ask a potential contractor and providing a step-by-step process to installing rooftop solar at home, including at what point to contact their utility.

The ultimate goal of the solar education strategy was to arm consumers with resources as their trusted source of information regarding renewable energy.

Starting with a Survey to Gauge Initial Consumer Understanding

Cobb EMC began the process with research that would inform the solar education materials and communications campaign. This included a membership survey to learn more about the appetite for solar energy among their members. The survey had 458 responses, and the results were alarming. The key takeaways were:

• Members 65 and older were most engaged with the survey. This was most alarming because this is an at-risk demographic that often falls prey to scams that promise significant savings.

• Forty-five percent of respondents indicated interest in considering solar energy for their homes within the next one-to-10 years. This meant that Cobb EMC’s members did in fact have an appetite for rooftop solar and could become easy prey to scams while considering their options.

• Fifty-nine percent of those interested specifically stated the financial benefits and going off the grid as the reason for their consideration of solar energy. This was clearly in line with the messaging that solar scammers were using in their campaigns.

• There was a lack of proper information among the respondents regarding solar energy — how it works, when it doesn’t, what the financial benefits may be and what the requirements are for a home to install rooftop solar. This made the information Cobb EMC set out to provide to their members vital to their decision-making process.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING

Are you considering rooftop solar?

No - Rooftop solar is not for me

Yes - Within the next 10 years

Yes - Within the next 5 years

Yes - Within the next 2 years

Yes - Before the end of the year

45% OF THOSE WITHOUT SOLAR CONSIDERING IN NEXT 1-10 YEARS

In summary, Cobb EMC’s research showed that members had several misconceptions about solar energy and the demographic most interested was also the most vulnerable. These findings motivated their strategy and kicked things into gear.

Developing Solar Personas Based on Motivations, Interests and More

To better reach consumers with relevant, engaging messaging through appropriate channels, Cobb EMC segmented members based on interests, motivations for going solar, preferred communication channel and stage in the buyer’s journey. Four distinct personas were developed:

SOLAR VICTIMS – This group of older consumers (ages 65-80) is often targeted by solar contractors, is retired, lives in a single-family home and has incomes ranging from fixed to high (from investments). Their primary motivation for going solar is saving money on their bill. They’re in the Not Considering and Decision stages of the buyer’s journey and rarely seek out information on solar energy on their own, making them susceptible to spurious claims from contractors.

OFF-GRID AND GREEN – This middle-aged segment of consumers (40-55 years old) is eco-conscious, skeptical of the utility, very analytically minded (an engineering type), have moderate-to-high incomes and is most likely to make an informed solar decision. They’re motivated by reducing their carbon footprints and getting off the grid and are likely in the Consideration and Decision stages of the buyer’s journey. Blogs, LinkedIn, news outlets and online searches are their typical sources for information.

SOLAR CURIOUS – This younger segment (ages 25-40) is interested in the latest technology and are informed citizens to have read about the latest tax credits and environmental benefits of solar; however, they may not be financially healthy enough to purchase yet (though some might be). They are motivated by a curiosity to learn more and by the “cool factor” of solar. They are in the Awareness and Consideration stages of the buyer’s journey, and they often gather information from e-newsletters, casual learning via social media (e.g., Facebook videos, Instagram reels) and possibly hands-on experiences.

NOT INTERESTED NAYSAYERS – Finally, there is a mixed-age segment of consumers who are not interested in clean energy technologies at all. They like things the way that they are and don’t want to compromise money or reliability for the sake of being green. They are not looking for information on solar and are not particularly engaged with their electric utility.

The development of these segments was crucial to the next stage of the campaign — getting the right messages to the right members via a wide range of print, digital and in-person channels and events.

Launching a Multi-Channel Campaign to Educate Consumers

For three of the segments (the Naysayers were not targeted directly), Cobb EMC developed a communications plan involving a specific set of channels. While video and online solar resources were intended for all consumers, the Solar Victims were specifically targeted with bill inserts, a senior’s seminar, local news coverage, a digital billboard, a targeted letter and more.

For the other two segments, the focus was primarily on digital channels. For the Off-Grid and Green segment, email, paid search, YouTube ads, blog posts and social media (NextDoor, Twitter and LinkedIn) were prioritized, while a different set of social media channels (Instagram and Facebook), YouTube ads and email were used for the younger Solar Curious segment.

A wide range of marketing collateral and educational materials were produced that featured trustworthy, easy-to-understand messaging around rooftop solar. These included digital ads with the message “Considering rooftop solar? Let us help you make an informed decision”, Rooftop Solar Readiness content in the website’s Solar Energy Center and a senior letter informing members to be aware of solar scams. Cobb EMC also hosted a rooftop solar webinar for consumers in July 2022 that had over 400 registrants.

Results So Far and Key Lessons Learned

The total number of people reached with this Solar Education Strategy has exceeded 4,000,000 over the course of the campaign. When gauging the results, Cobb EMC’s focus has been reaching as many members as possible with correct information about solar energy. One of the biggest challenges that they had while executing this strategy was figuring out how to communicate the most direct and accurate information to members to counteract the misleading solar contractor ads without directly attacking those companies and enticing retaliation. They did this by sharing the facts, not the fiction, in a “MythBusters” sort of way.

Additionally, the solar contractors that were executing the campaigns in Cobb EMC’s service area had massive budgets with strong advertising on billboards and social media channels, including YouTube videos. Cobb EMC decided to focus on owned channels and select paid media since the strategy began with a limited budget to reach their members.

Lastly, Cobb EMC used the “Summer of Solar” campaign title for consistency in both years to tease and promote the “Rooftop Solar: Debunking Myths and Answering Member Questions” virtual events that received 758 registrations in 2021 and 414 in 2022, which were unprecedented registration numbers for any educational event previously held by the company. Through their various channels, Cobb EMC had over 29,000 members “convert” by fulfilling the ultimate call-to-action, visiting their website to learn more and become empowered to make an informed decision about solar energy.