5 ways to incorporate safety into your marketing strategy

If you’re choosing to read this article, I can guess that you are committed to protecting your customers by using best practices surrounding propane.

LeClerc

You likely communicate with customers regarding safety information, train your team to install equipment to NFPA standards and conduct leak checks when a customer has a concern about smelling gas.

But do you incorporate safety into your marketing strategy?

Customers want to know what steps you’re taking to keep them safe.

Here are the top five ways to incorporate the message of safety into your marketing and establish trust with current and future customers:

1. Weave your commitment to safety into your customer communications. Do your drivers, techs and CSRs regularly communicate safety information wherever possible and appropriate during customer communications? By making the safety conversation an ongoing one rather than a single, annual heads-up, safety will be top of mind for your employees and customers throughout the year.

2. Have a webpage dedicated to consumer safety information. Every propane marketer should have a page on their website that shares important safety information about propane. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has a large catalog of helpful resources and information, all of which are available for free at propane.com.

PERC works to develop and share its safety training resources with the industry to better serve consumers. (Photo by LP Gas staff)

3. Use PERC safety videos to inform and engage your audience. PERC has a variety of consumer safety videos that instruct homeowners on basic propane safety techniques. These videos include turning off your tank, what to do if you smell gas, how to read a tank gauge and more. Share these videos on your website and social media to help your customers learn how to safely handle their propane systems.

According to data collected by HubSpot, video content delivers the highest return on investment compared to other marketing tools. Sharing videos on your website and social platforms will boost your online engagement and get even more safety information to your audience.

4. Promote how seriously your company takes safety. You’re already completing important safety procedures, so don’t overthink the marketing part of it. All you have to do is promote your existing practices to customers. If you’re having a monthly safety meeting or conducting employee training, share a photo of the class on social media. Let your customers know you are propane professionals who hold safety in the highest regard.

5. Send an annual safety mailing – separate from other marketing. If you’re not already sending PERC’s scratch-and-sniff propane safety brochure to your customer list each year, you have a huge opportunity to meet this propane best practice. Propane safety experts across the board recommend that you send this brochure to customers every year to remind them what propane smells like and how to respond in the event of a leak. Remember, you should send this information independently from other marketing, so the safety message stays as prominent as possible.

Establish trust

Demonstrating examples of your commitment to propane safety will foster rapport with existing customers, and you’ll attract new customers by showing them you are a reputable propane company they can count on for safe and reliable products and services. Together, we can unite as an industry to promote our investment in safe practices and procedures and show customers we’re willing to go above and beyond to keep their homes and families safe.

Jennifer LeClerc is vice president of marketing at Consumer Focus Marketing. She has more than 18 years of marketing experience and has been involved with the energy industry for the past 12 years. She specializes in integrated marketing strategy.