Utilities should be tracking social media metrics to understand:
- How often people interact with their content
- How interested people are in their content
- How familiar their audience is with utility products, programs, and services
To stay on top of trends, we monitor over 150 utility social media accounts across the US and Canada and publish a monthly report for members of certain E Source subscriptions. We also publicly highlight some social successes in a quarterly blog post.
We use engagement metrics to determine the top-performing posts. This is a great way to tell whether your audience cares about what your utility posts on social media and what they want to see more of.
Here are some trends from the past three months and an audience-centric strategy from ComEd.
Top trends from July, August, and September
Celebration and appreciation have been trending in recent months. Utilities celebrated National Lineworker Appreciation Day and provided regular updates on power restoration efforts, expressing gratitude for community partners who stepped up and provided support after a hurricane.
National Lineworker Appreciation Day
Utilities celebrated National Lineworker Appreciation Day on social, recognizing the commitment and hard work of their lineworkers. Of the eight most broadly used hashtags by utilities in August, #LineworkerAppreciationDay generated the highest engagement rate by followers, and #ThankALineWorker was the most popular.
Providing restoration updates
Power outages are disruptive and inconvenient. Regular updates on restoration efforts—including the cause of the outage, estimated restoration time, and progress reports—provide transparency and help customers manage their expectations.
Appreciating community partners
It sure does take a village! Appreciation has been abundant for community partners lately with the challenges caused by hurricanes. Many utilities expressed gratitude for the help received from local partners to restore power after the storms.
The top-performing social media posts from Q3
July, August, and September were busy months on social media for utilities. Below are the top-performing utility social media posts from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube for the quarter.
Top-performing social media posts by platform
A peek into how ComEd connects with its audience
We recently spoke with representatives from ComEd about its goals, content plan, and channel strategies. We also asked the team about how they connect with customers and what advice they have to share with other utilities.
ComEd’s social media goals and strategies
ComEd’s primary goals include:
- Increasing sign-ups for its home energy savings program
- Improving brand reputation by raising awareness about corporate community impact and sustainability initiatives
The utility tailors its social media content to target specific subsets of its 9,000,000 customers to distribute information equitably.
ComEd uses platforms like X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Nextdoor for outbound communications, with each channel serving a unique purpose:
- X for alerts and news
- Facebook for fun and informative content
- Instagram for visually dynamic posts and education
- LinkedIn for B2B marketing and potential future employees
- Nextdoor to get quick ideas out
Customer engagement is a priority
ComEd actively engages with customers on social media and responds to inquiries primarily on X and Facebook. The utility uses a detailed process flow document to ensure consistent and high-quality interactions along with tools like Sprinklr to manage customer inquiries so no customer issues fall through the cracks.
The social media team believes in the power of lighthearted content to attract and retain followers, which in turn helps deliver important business communications.
Challenges and successes
ComEd faces several challenges in its social media strategy, including:
- Balancing advertising with organic and paid content
- Highlighting the value of content to utility leadership
- Determining staffing needs
Despite these challenges, the utility has achieved success. It has emphasized internal communications through its Powering Lives Blog and helped customers enroll in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
ComEd’s social media team continuously adapts its strategies to meet the evolving needs of its audience and support the utility’s broader business objectives.
