It’s safe to assume that most people don’t give much thought about their utility companies other than the services they provide. It’s up to us to inform customers about our vital role in the community, what we do beyond providing high-quality Louisville Pure Tap®, and our involvement in local schools, businesses, events, etc. This presentation will highlight content opportunities that can strengthen the public’s awareness and trust of a utility and explore how a utility with no communications department or a dedicated team can execute. We know from experience that there are a variety of opportunities to showcase. The key is knowing what makes a good story and how to tell it. Louisville Water’s strategy for content marketing and brand journalism has proven results in elevating the company’s brand. Attendees will see examples of the content and learn how to replicate. Louisville Water is a bit of an anomaly in that we have incredible resources with both a multi-talented communications team and an Education & Outreach team. We work in tandem to reinforce the value of Louisville Water to our customers. Our philosophy is to stay top of mind with customers and let them know about the work we are doing every day to consistently deliver high-quality drinking water. That could mean anything from talking about the water treatment process to infrastructure projects, crews installing upgraded meters for more accurate billing, or changes to customer service to enhance the customer experience. We’ve discovered our customers (and employees) are particularly interested in our employee profiles. They get to learn more about the people behind the scenes; these stories tend to do very well on our social media platforms. We also make it a point to share the fun stories, such as explaining how our crews work weeks ahead of the Kentucky Derby ensuring that the water is flowing properly at Churchill Downs. We’re setting up water stops for the Kentucky Derby Festival marathon which draws thousands of runners to our city. We hydrate thousands of people every year at a variety of events. We’re building relationships with our Spanish-speaking community. And we’re in schools teaching everything from the river to faucet water treatment process, the importance of water in good dental hygiene, and a fan favorite - proper handwashing with the Clean Hands Up! program, just to name a few. The list goes on. Establishing trust before a potential crisis communications situation is critical. Sharing your story helps build on that foundation. If the community trusts you to provide safe drinking water throughout the year, then they are very likely to trust you in the case of an emergency or unfavorable situation.