Why did you choose to pursue a role in communications? For example, has it always been your passion or was it pure happenstance?
I have always had a passion for the written word and broadcast journalism. Ever since I loved devouring the sports pages of newspapers as a youngster, I wanted to write. Even while doing a law degree, I was heavily involved in my student newspaper, then after doing work experience at the BBC and various other media outlets, I didn’t want to do anything else. Working at Connected Kerb as a Content Marketing Manager allows me to combine my passions on a range of platforms.
What personal skills or attributes do you think are most important in the communications sphere? Why these skills/attributes in particular?
I think understanding your audience is critical. This requires having a great deal of empathy and a knowledge of their wants and needs that comes from the most valuable of skill of all - listening. The more you can put yourselves in the shoes of the person or people with whom you are talking to, the more likely your content will connect with them. For example, at Connected Kerb many people have anxieties about EV even though they believe it is environmentally the right move to make. Understanding human behaviour is particularly important and when producing sales content, understanding the user journey is paramount. Furthermore, being concise is vital. If you can say the same thing in a shorter, simpler sentence, then do it. Delivering content that has an emotional, human impact also delivers huge benefits.
What sort of challenges do you face in your role? Is there a particular challenge that you experienced in the past that stood out?
Working in the electric vehicle industry presents a significant challenge of demystifying some of the perceptions around EVs. Given that the industry is very nascent, there are maybe not the same number of huge success stories to tell from an end user perspective but this is starting to change. Most people are worried about the range of electric cars and their cost but as these become more favourable, Connected Kerb believes that infrastructure is the most significant barrier. It’s a real but not insurmountable challenge to get this message out.
What one thing would make your working life easier?
Working for a young company that is still growing but making such a huge impact in the UK with so many stories to tell means that bandwidth can be an issue within our team. However, Connected Kerb as a company is expanding rapidly and our marketing team is undertaking a significant recruitment drive in 2022 so I don’t see this issue lasting for too long!
How is the role of communications perceived in your organisation?
It is seen as critical. It really pleases me how everyone at Connected Kerb proactively thinks about external communication as a way of showcasing their work. I am always being sent photos of events that colleagues are attending, we have a great internal communications function and there is no sense of risk aversion that you see at some companies. Communication is seen by everyone as vital to achieving more sales leads, better employee recruitment and better brand awareness so there is a great deal of collaboration – there are no silos at Connected Kerb!
What do you think the secret of success is when working in communications?
As well as understanding your audience, it’s vital to be original in your content production. People more often than not don’t respond to overtly salesy content but informative content that creates surround sound around your products. If you can pique the interest of your audience and give them a reason to come back for more, then you stand a greater chance of creating advocates for your business. Here at Connected Kerb, we provide solutions rather than products and have so much more to talk about that just our charging points – from accessibility and equality to climate change and net zero. Showing the wider societal impact of what we do is crucial.
At React & Share, we’re obsessed with helping our clients measure and report their efforts - what measurements do you think comms teams should be presenting to internal stakeholders?
Clearly, indicators such as return on investment and sales are the ultimate metric but these aren’t always easy to evaluate in terms of content success. Analysing the effectiveness of your content along each stage of the user journey is vital so identifying where users might drop off on your website, where people are referred from to your site and judging the effectiveness of your email marketing is critical. On social media, you have to go beyond likes and shares and try and measure positive and negative sentiment. Keeping an eye on discussions about your brand is vital to improving both your communications and your company itself.
Looking into your crystal ball, what do you think will be the next big thing in communications?
Im not sure when this will become the norm but I think virtual and augmented reality is going to be big in the next five years. We have already seen an uptake in virtual communications during the pandemic and I have already seen companies using VR to communicate how their supply chains work. Such projects are resource-intensive but have huge benefits for bringing to life a company’s activities to investors and other audiences.
