NORA Embarks On a $1 Million Consumer Outreach Program
Using the internet and social media to bring a half-million visitors to its consumer website
The decade from 2004 through 2014 was one of the most challenging ever for the oilheating industry. Warm winters, high and volatile fuel prices and strong political and environmental movements against hydrocarbon fuels all converged to make a difficult time for both heating oil suppliers and consumers.
Fortunately, the industry has been rewarded with a collapse in fuel prices- currently the lowest crude prices in 11 years. Additionally, through the leadership of NORA and numerous state and regional associations working with NORA, the industry has begun to transition to low-carbon and renewable fuels.
The next step is to make sure oilheat customers aware of these important positive changes so they will know their loyalty to oilheat has been rewarded.
NORA, through its Board of Directors and Executive Committee, allocated nearly $1 million to ensure consumers understand the value of oilheating. This will be accomplished through a digital media outreach plan that will lead to nearly 100 million impressions and more than 500,000 visits to NORA’s website OilheatAmerica.com. This effort will ensure oilheating customers understand the true value of oilheat and will carry the message, “although the last decade was difficult, staying with oilheat was a good choice”.
NORA’s digital campaign will run from mid-January to April 2016 and will focus on oilheat customers using internet search as a primary outreach vehicle. This will be supplemented by messaging on home-centric internet sites that homeowners often visit. Additionally, NORA will be using social networks, such as Facebook to reach our consumers.
Allison Heaney, President of Skaggs Walsh and Chairman of NORA, was a leader of this effort as Chairman of NORA’s Budget Committee. Ms. Heaney noted,
“While oilheat has steadily improved in efficiency and performance and while a movement to Bioheat is essential to our future, it is just as important that our customers know of these improvements. NORA is a key tool that we must use to get that message to our customers.”