Revolutionizing digital marketing in the energy sector

The opportunities in digital marketing are more diverse than ever these days - the key is to make targeted use of them. "It's hard to find things that can't be sold online." - Jeff Bezos. Digital marketing offers a clear advantage: it enables the distribution of compelling content on platforms that are exactly where the target group is. Digital marketing is measurable, personalized and results-oriented. 

Alongside the intensively discussed energy transition, digitalization is bringing about a second far-reaching transformation in the energy industry. New business models, changed processes and new market players are leading to fundamental upheavals in all areas of the value chain and are breaking up existing structures. The study "Digitalization in the energy industry" addresses this highly relevant topic and identifies areas of application that are being revolutionized by digitalization. These include self-services, smart homes, social media, new communication channels, mobile controllable energy systems and click-to-chat functions. 

"Those companies that successfully implement the digital transformation will be the market leaders of tomorrow." - Andrew McAfee, economist. This also opens up enormous opportunities for companies' marketing. Digital marketing opens up new dimensions of success monitoring through precise analyses of reach, website interactions and purchasing behavior. This real-time data enables companies to quickly adapt their strategies and achieve maximum impact. A customized brand identity not only creates an unmistakable profile in the market, but also inspires customers and actively attracts them. Direct dialog with customers fosters deep trust and long-term loyalty, while positive word-of-mouth acts as a lever for sustainable growth.

The following is a comprehensive overview of future trends in digital marketing. Key findings from current studies and relevant publications are combined with exciting content from presentations and panel discussions at leading industry events in 2024.

In a world where consumers are increasingly looking for meaning and authenticity, value-based marketing is transforming from a strategy into an essential belief - it's the key to not only driving sales, but building real, deep connections with the target audience and fostering long-term brand loyalty. Since the pandemic, around 40% of consumers have switched brands, especially Millennials and Gen Z. With 42% of younger consumers seeing company purpose as critical. Value-based selling requires a company-wide focus and strengthens marketing, sales and product development. "Value" helps create and sustain demand, drives engagement and optimizes lead qualification. Satisfied customers become advocates, which further strengthens marketing efforts.

Marketing 3.0 views customers as co-creators and places value on community and ethical responsibility (Publication: Wertorientierte Zukunftskonzepte des Marketings, Markus Riese). An effective value-based strategy takes into account fairness, sustainability and honest customer orientation (Zerr, Konrad. (2013). The future of marketing is called "value-oriented marketing"). 

"For many consumers, energy is initially a commodity and a low-interest product, which makes marketing more difficult. But green energy also offers the opportunity of de-commoditization and thus a new possibility of differentiation [...]. (Christian Friege, management consultant and lecturer at the HfWU). Value-oriented marketing not only conveys benefits, but also credible values. This strengthens customer loyalty and identification, especially through social media, where customers can speak positively about companies and their values.

Customer data is the new gold. The strategic focus on customer acquisition faces three major new challenges. Firstly, the cost of online advertising, retail media and social media ads has risen sharply, eg up to 13% within Google Ads. In addition, stricter data protection regulations and the ban on third-party cookies are making it more difficult to target new customers. Secondly, the general conditions are changing rapidly: energy prices and legal regulations are fluctuating, while customer needs are becoming increasingly individualized and demanding. The expectation of an exclusive customer experience is growing, and companies must collect and use their customer data efficiently to meet these requirements. 

In 2025, transparency in the handling of customer data will be the key to digital trustworthiness. Trust and transparency are central to the successful exchange of data. 

The topic of customer data and transparency is becoming a priority, particularly in the energy sector. With advancing digitalization and the use of smart technologies such as intelligent metering systems (e.g. smart meters), the amount of data that is evaluated using artificial intelligence is increasing. At the same time, data protection is becoming increasingly important, particularly in the context of the EU GDPR. Energy suppliers are obliged to implement several data protection concepts. These include Transparency and information: customers must be clearly and comprehensively informed about the processing of their data and have the right to view their data. Data deletion and archiving: Concepts must be in place to ensure that data is properly deleted or archived as soon as it is no longer required. Anonymization: Concepts for anonymization and pseudonymization are required to protect personal data and ensure that it is transmitted in encrypted form so that only authorized parties can access it.

A maturity model for handling customer data in the company can be divided into five stages. Standardized customer profiles provide the basis for processing customer data. If company divisions combine customer profiles, dashboards, for example, can help to make knowledge about customers usable. Ideally, this information helps to optimize channels and media and, for example, make better use of the media budget. It is even better to manage the customer experience for customers across all channels. Retargeting in addressing shopping cart abandoners across multiple channels would be an example of this. Advanced data analysis, holistic attribution, the use of AI and the prediction of customer behavior represent the highest level of maturity in dealing with customer data.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a hype topic. The importance of AI as a long-term topic is impressively reflected in current statistics. The global AI market is expected to grow to 407 billion US dollars by 2027. Companies expect AI to increase their productivity by 64%. Between 2023 and 2030, annual growth in AI technologies is forecast at 37.3 %. In addition, 64% of business owners believe that AI will significantly improve customer relationships.

One thing is certain: AI is the pioneering trend in marketing. Individually tailored customer approaches are revolutionizing sales growth through targeted personalization. At the same time, efficiency is optimized through precise forecasting and tailored marketing strategies, maximizing resource utilization and significantly increasing profitability. In addition, AI-powered analytics ensure informed decision-making and transform the sales process, creating a seamless, efficient and profitable business strategy.

The importance of internal communication is now more significant than ever and will continue to grow in the future. 71% of managers say that employee engagement is critical to the success of their organization. Improving internal communication is the most effective way to increase employee engagement. When an organization has a good internal communications strategy, employees feel better informed, more confident and more motivated to achieve their goals. 

Effective internal communication is not just a question of operational procedures, but a decisive factor for the company's success. Gallup GmbH shows that committed employees make a significant contribution to improving company performance. 

These figures illustrate how strong internal communication not only increases employee satisfaction, but also leads directly to measurable business success.

In 2025, automation will be the decisive catalyst for business success and innovation. A marketing automation report shows that 75% of B2B companies consider marketing automation to be essential for their success. While a third rate their level of maturity as low, 25% consider themselves advanced. The main objectives are clear: 90% use it for lead generation, 81% to increase sales and 84% for customer retention. In 2023, 42% of companies consider marketing automation to be particularly relevant, which marks a significant increase of 24% since 2021. Many companies are already taking the first steps towards automated content creation and plan to drive this trend further.

A study published in Industrial Marketing Management shows that effective marketing automation is optimized through targeted content and close collaboration between marketing and business departments. The integration of content marketing and automation improves lead generation by using behavioral data to target potential customers more precisely. A common funnel for marketing and sales increases efficiency and promotes collaboration.