Within the current climate of heightened competition, rising costs and political upheaval, an effective EV marketing strategy is a cornerstone for any business operating in the sector. Despite the UK exceeding the 50,000 public charging point milestone, energy prices have continued to rise which has made public charging significantly more expensive, leading to significant growth for the private & home/domestic EV charging industry.
The increased demand for this sector has also led to heightened competition. This means that organisations operating in the space must work harder than ever to successfully market their unique value proposition and clarity of messaging is key. It can be tempting to focus on buzzwords, marketing jargon and overly selling the company. Instead, firms should prioritise developing a successful EV marketing strategy that uses insightful and practical content which provides solutions to key audiences and consequently builds trust.
Here are some ways businesses can overcome this challenge and stand out from competitors.
Building trust through proactive PR
A recent report published by Zenith found that despite the rapid growth in the number of public chargers, more than half of EV drivers say they would face significant difficulties solely using the public charging network. This is largely due to perceptions such as public charging being significantly more expensive and continued concerns around ‘range anxiety’. The sheer volume of conflicting information within the media has created a climate of uncertainty and confusion for EV drivers & those considering going electric.
For businesses operating in the EV charging space, there is a clear need to establish an authoritative voice on these challenges that educates key audiences and cuts through the noise. Educational messaging must be communicated proactively to effectively validate the value that your EV charging business can provide. Depending on if your business provides home EV charging or public EV charging solutions, you need to ensure that you are providing the effective information that will resonate with that audience. This will, in turn, position your organisation as leading authorities, build trust with your key audience, and raise awareness.
Building a strong community
In a climate of conflicting information & uncertainty, trust is more important than ever. Customers want to purchase from brands they trust, and when you compete against several other businesses and a challenging media landscape, the difference can come down to how people perceive your organisation online. Building relationships with customers and your community via social media is key to generating this trust that will prepare you for any future challenges and ensure you are front of mind with potential customers.
It is important to have a thorough communications management strategy so you can stay engaged with your online community. This will differ depending on the channel that you are using which is decided by the type of audience you are trying to reach. For LinkedIn, decision-makers at businesses are more likely to engage with brands that resonate with them. A way to do this is by using a spokesperson behind the business in order to give the brand more of a human voice.
For channels like Instagram and TikTok, creating content that follows trends, educates, and entertains is a great way to engage and reach your audience because it suits the channel well.
Regardless of the channel, it is important to remember two things. First, research the common pain points within the EV space relevant to your target audience and build content around that. Second, respond to comments quickly as that maintains those relationships with your audience. In doing this all, your brand will seem more authentic and relatable and will, in turn, build a strong online community.
Leverage the power of social media advertising
In the fiercely competitive business landscape of today, the significance of social media advertising cannot be overstated. From precise targeting of user demographics, to expanding brand visibility, paid social can be highly effective. Research by Datareportal shows that more than half of the world now uses social media (60%). It is a well-established marketing channel for brands, and a presence is essential these days to connect with your customers directly.
Alongside a proactive PR and organic social strategy, social media advertising can be a powerful tool to raise awareness and drive sales. It can provide benefits such as targeted audience, increased brand awareness and higher conversion rates. In addition, businesses can see analytics such as clicks, impressions and CTR’s which can enable businesses to optimise its campaigns for better results. To learn more about paid social, we have written a blog discussing the breakdown of what paid social is and how it can fit into your marketing mix.
Get in touch to see how our EV experts can help you supercharge your EV marketing strategy.