The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JANUARY 2016 23 In 2014 the nation saw one of the biggest upsets in recent electoral history as the heavily Democratic state of Maryland elected a Republican governor. Larry Hogan was outspent by Democratic Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, whose marketing campaign focused heavily on the negative attributes of Hogan, his staff, and an open condemnation of what Brown claimed was Hogan's "dangerous agenda". Brown event went so far as to use fear mon- gering with a television ad regarding gun control policy with an assault rifle resting on a swing set. Still, in a state where Republicans are outnumbered two to one the coveted job of governor went to a Republican. Much of Hogan's popu- larity at the polls was attributed to his promises to reduce many of the taxes the Democratic Party had raised in previous years. Most important for purposes of this article however is that analysts noted that many voters openly disapproved of the very harsh, negative and somewhat hollow campaign advertising done by Brown. Hogan spoke of promises and plans. Brown spoke of Hogan. Unlike many politicians, Hogan is not an attorney but a businessman. By all accounts it seems he used that experience to guide his campaign for the job. When marketing any product or service it is wise to focus on what you can do, not on what the competition can't. It is imperative that you fully understand your competition, particularly their weaknesses and use that information to your advantage. That's not an invitation to stoop to name-calling and finger pointing, yet to focus instead on high- lighting your attributes. If Bob's Oil Company has a weak- ness—perhaps poorly maintained equip- ment—the correct way to advertise this is to use pictures of your freshly polished delivery vehicles, not broadcast a picture of Bob's broken truck being towed away from someone's home. Your customers, particularly the new ones, are a valu- able resource. Our experience has always been they will tell you in great detail why they are leaving Bob's Oil Company and coming to you. Now that you have them, however, you must live up to your advertising and follow through to devel- op a reputation and continue to grow your customer base organically. Since in office Hogan has made good on some of his promises, including the reduction of highway toll fees, a hugely expensive part of doing business in a state bisected by the Chesapeake Bay and her tributaries. Use the complaints about the competi- tion to read your market (commuters hate tolls) and advertise your solution in a warm, friendly light. Misty Sexton is vice president of sales and marketing for Space Petroleum, a wholesale fuel brokerage supplying petro- leum products to the Mid-Atlantic states. Sexton began her career in the office of a mid-sized home heating oil company and transitioned to wholesale fuels in 2008. Her customer base is varied and includes distributors and end-users along with gov- ernment agencies and heating oil compa- nies. She can be reached via email at Misty. Sexton@SpacePetroleum.com The Power of Positive Marketing Misty Sexton es company Towers Watson, and 144 HR executives at large and midsize employers that sponsor retiree medical benefits re- sponded. In March 2015, Towers Watson surveyed 3,384 retirees aged 65 and older who formerly worked at similar large and midsize employers. The surveys also showed that: Just over one-third (34%) of retirees said their employers communicated with them about the out-of-pocket costs of their medical coverage (costs not covered by an employer subsidy), versus the more than half (53%) of employers that said they did so. Just 19% of retirees said they were of- fered financial planning resources and decision-support tools to help them un- derstand the role of medical coverage in their retirement planning, versus 41% of employers that said they did so. "These results show a significant mis- match between what employers told us and what retirees said they experienced in preparation for health care costs, which are a significant retirement expense," said John Barkett, a director for Towers Wat- son's Individual Exchange line of busi- ness. "While the difference in employers' and retirees' opinions may be closing slightly, it's evident that employers can do a better job of educating employees about retiree medical costs and benefit options as well as explaining more clearly the support retirees can expect with ben- efits after they've stopped working." Towers Watson surveyed 144 compa- nies representing 2.1 million employees and nearly one million retirees in Sep- tember 2014 for its 2015 Survey on Re- tiree Health Care Strategies. The survey yields insights into how employers are thinking about retirement health benefits, including the degree to which they pre- pare their future retirees to understand and manage the costs of medical benefits. The 3,384 retirees who responded to a Towers Watson survey in March 2015 are invited members of a survey panel made up of retirees aged 65 and older who are Medicare participants in Towers Watson's OneExchange.