For generations, both municipal and wildland firefighters have been trained to use the right tools for the right job. Whether it's something as simple as work boots, something as critical as turnout gear, or even something as utilitarian as a Pulaski, the situation always calls for specific gear at specific times.
So why should your agency’s written communications to residents be any different?
Often, we here at Fire Aside see examples of generic, one-sized-fits-all approaches when communicating with residents. Those same agencies sometimes feel frustrated when residents don’t heed, much less, engage with, the agency’s suggestions or directives. By the same token, why not use the properly-crafted message to nudge residents to take action?
Fire Aside recently executed an email campaign to encourage residents to grant Right of Entry access for full property inspections – granting fire officials access, even when the homeowner isn’t home, the entire exterior perimeter of the property.
Walking the entire property and being able to see easy-to-miss details like uncovered vents or smaller ladder fuels is critical. In one analysis, homes that first had a street level assessment (from public right of ways) and then had a subsequent full access inspection, identified two-thirds of the riskiest items on that property were only visible on full access. We found that by using different words and a varied tone, we can drive more action – here, allowing for broader use of the Right of Entry.
Here’s what we did:
Fire Aside wrote a set of emails sent by Agency A to a subset of residents. The test was simple. We wanted to see which of three subject lines would move the needle, and get residents to grant Right of Entry access. The only difference between these messages was the subject line.
Version 1: More convenient Defensible Space Inspections
Version 2: Protect your property from wildfire risk with a full access inspection
Version 3: Not home for your last defensible space inspection? Sign up now
Each of those messages went to a test group of approximately 300 residents each. We found that the “action rate,” or getting the resident to allow Right of Entry remained small.
The worst performing message here was V2, coming in at only 2.88%.
But, we ran the experiment again, but this time for Agency B, just 20 miles away from Agency A.
However, we found that Agency B’s residents took action more than 12% of the time based on that V2 message!
Put another way: a message that works for one community may not for another, even ones that are regionally similar.
Fire Aside works diligently, every day, to figure out these nuances to maximize results for your agency. Contact Fire Aside today to learn more about how you can tailor your message to find the right audience.