By Abby Hassler, Content Creation Manager

Problem-Solving: At Piper Communications, we’re not afraid of a challenge. We’re diligent, action-oriented and committed to solving your problems by executing well-planned strategies that deliver results

Call it first-child syndrome or an innate desire to fix things, but I have never been one to back down from a professional challenge. Problem-solving is a major element of our work at Piper Communications, especially within my area of expertise: content creation and management.

Challenge: Translating ideas into action online

I don’t believe problem-solving always necessitates that there is a significant “problem” that must be “solved.” Instead, it can be a strategic process of finding solutions to particular challenges or presenting or conveying information in a different way. 

Take, for example, my work with the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) and Innov865 Alliance. I manage these two organization’s digital media presence – everything from social media to articles to email marketing. 

Neither of these organizations had overt problems within their digital work that needed to be addressed. Rather, I saw potential in their existing digital presence and wanted to capitalize on the opportunity to create something even better than before. To be more specific, I wanted to take each of their promotional efforts geared toward spreading awareness and building engagement and turn it up a notch. 

TAEBC’s mission centers around the economic and environmental benefits of the advanced energy industry. From getting more electric vehicles on the road to deploying more renewable solutions, advanced energy creates jobs, betters the world around us and offers opportunities for growth in our rapidly changing world. I believe more people should know about this.

Then with the Innov865, I think it’s essential for Knoxville to develop, support and promote the region’s entrepreneurial endeavors. Supporting local startups and coming together as a community to help advance innovative technologies are two key ways to do this. But we need more buy-in at a local and national level to make this a possibility.

Strategy: Thought leadership in a digital environment

At first glance, the term thought leadership might appear to be nothing more than an industry buzzword. But at its core, it is just putting a name to the action of expressing unique guidance or insight into a particular topic or industry. 

For TAEBC and Innov865, I knew that in order to translate their expertise into results online, they needed to be thought leaders in a digital environment. After all, so much of what people respond to is storytelling and vivid imagery. For instance, in my own experience, I don’t remain on websites long if they are difficult to navigate, nor will I follow an organization on social media if they don’t post regularly or share interesting content. 

For both clients, I advocated for redesigned websites, updated branding, revamped content strategies, streamlined digital communications, strategic social media approaches and other digital improvements.

Some examples included inviting key partners of TAEBC to pen compelling guest articles on an array of topics relevant in the advanced energy space and launching an Innov865 Instagram account. There is so much more still to come – stay tuned for the TAEBC podcast launching this fall along with various guest posts from Innov865 members and advanced energy stakeholders throughout the year! 

Results: Increased brand awareness and engagement 

It’s truly amazing what small, intentional changes can do for an organization online. Within a few short months, both TAEBC and Innov865 saw increased engagement, more member buy-in and greater awareness of each organization’s missions. 

From gaining hundreds of new followers in a short period of time to getting more people interested in attending events, I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish with a few action-oriented changes.

At Piper Communications, it’s essential that our problem-solving strategies are not only well executed but that they provide our clients with meaningful results. Whether we’re solving complicated client messaging challenges or working to create new or compelling Instagram graphics, we always keep our clients’ end goals in mind. 

Learn more about Abby Hassler, Content Creation Manager at Piper Communications, or read one of her other articles.