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I have decided to create content for my employer, Kidde, a leading manufacturer and brand of safety products for the home and business. I work as a web communications manager at Kidde Residential and Commercial, which is headquartered in Mebane, NC. I chose to create content for Kidde, because I believe the products we make serve a noble purpose, and I think we can do a much better job of educating the public about safety problems and their solutions.

Point of view

As a company representative, my aim is to act as:

1. An educator and helpful source of knowledge about home safety
2. A facilitator of two-way communication between Kidde and customers

It will be clear in my writing that I am a company representative, but the message should not sound like it is coming from a marketing or sales perspective. We usually reach our customers through targeted public relations campaigns. This often involves promoting a safety issue that is not being addressed enough in the media or it has low public awareness. We usually target a specific demographic and back up our story with independent research and expert recommendations. Therefore, as an educator I need to be knowledgeable, credible and helpful in presenting our message. As a facilitator I need to be curious and attentive as I begin and maintain a positive interaction between Kidde and its customers.

About Kidde (pronounced “Kidda”)

Globally, the company has a long history of developing safety products and services for residential, commercial and military applications.

History:

• Kidde was founded in 1917 in Belleville, NJ by Walter Kidde, a 23 year old engineer.
  
  
• In 1933, the company established new operations throughout the UK where it would later move its global headquarters.
  
  
• During World War 2, Kidde expanded its production of fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and smoke detection systems for military and industrial applications.

• The industrial focus continued after the war, but in the 1950’s Kidde began designing and selling products for home, automobile and marine uses.

• In 1972, Kidde’s U.S. fire extinguisher manufacturing and North American headquarters moved to Mebane, NC. This Kidde division would eventually be named Kidde Residential and Commercial (Kidde R&C).

• In 1997, Kidde R&C expanded its product line to include smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. With the rapid growth of the large home improvement chains in the 1990’s, Kidde expanded its brand presence in consumer and commercial safety products.

• In 2005, United Technologies Corporation (UTC), purchased the global Kidde organization, and then merged it with its global fire and security companies to form UTC Fire and Security.

Kidde R&C

Kidde’s operation in Mebane focuses on the North American consumer and commercial market. Our marketing team includes advertising, promotion, public relations and creative functions. The main Kidde Web site Kidde.com, is maintained through an enterprise content management system administered through our parent company in Hartford, Connecticut. One of the major challenges is creating cutting-edge consumer-friendly content, while using this system that was developed by and for a global industrial business. One strategy that we employ is the use of PR micro sites developed for various national campaigns. These sites often center on an issue such as child proofing a home, and often partner with a major safety advocacy organization.

The micro site strategy has its pros and cons, but it has taken resources and attention away from the main site in recent years. I have evaluated traffic patterns and user feedback and determined that much of our core audience may be under served by the site.

Our audience

We determine our current site’s audience mainly by using Web analytics results, consumer research studies and educated guesses.

Who are they? 90 percent of our site visitors come from North America, 5 percent from Western Europe and 5 percent from other areas. Our main audience is a diverse mix of consumers, electrical contractors, business customers, industry professionals, investors and journalists. We do not have an accurate breakdown of these groups in terms of their current site usage. However, I feel that our site under serves current or potential users of our products. Reaching this group also happens to be the main goal of most of our promotional campaigns. Our research indicates that our target audience for advertising should be female North American homeowners. It is often narrowed down to mothers between 22 and 54 years of age, because research has shown that they often initiate the purchase of safety products. Because our main audience is broad, we communicate at the high school education level and assume our audience is multiracial.

How do they get here? A third of our site’s users come from search engines, another third through a direct URL, and the rest from a diverse mix of sources. We believe that many consumers visit because they recently purchased a product and want additional information or services. There is probably a large group that is aware of our brand or other keywords through media exposure.

What are the challenges for the audience? Users face a problem of too much information that is not concise or accessible enough. The information is usually provided by government agencies, which offer too much text and not enough visual or multimedia options. The other source is manufacturer websites which often focus on selling products at the expense of safety education. Our site offers information such as user manuals, material safety data sheets, product updates, recalls, buying information, safety education, customer service and contact information. We need to learn more about what users need most and how to make it more accessible.

How should content be offered? We need to use compelling visuals and multimedia to tell a story that is easy to understand and relate to. We also need to interact with and learn about the site’s users. I would like to introduce interactivity and enhance readership through the use of videos, pod casts, flash demos, surveys, newsletter sign-ups, and the sharing of safety success stories. Our analytics suggest that nearly 70 percent of our users have broadband connections and most use Internet Explorer 6 or above, so multimedia components such as flash video should be supported.

In having this conversation with our audience, several questions can be anticipated. I would expect questions about the dangers of fire and carbon monoxide and how to mitigate them. Users need to know the best way to protect their home and family and it needs to be easy to understand.

Where do they go now? There are several sites that offer home safety information: Firehouse.com, iVillage, HGTV.com, NFPA.org, CPSC.gov and NFPA.org.

How often do they come? New visitors arrive daily, but how often they return is difficult to determine. Most of our traffic is first time visitors who may visit infrequently, or industry professionals who may make repeat visits. We would like to make the site a more regular destination and have users that visit several times during the year. This could be accomplished by refreshing content more often and by emphasizing customer interaction.

Developing a style

Kidde has explicit brand guidelines that indicate the tone of writing and speech to be used, as well as the proper use of graphics, fonts and colors. There is no official indication for a writing style guide, but most of my colleagues use the Associated Press Stylebook. Therefore, I am planning to use this as my style guide going forward.