The way we express ourselves and our brand is as important as the way we look. Tone of voice means the way we say things, as a company. We have developed a tone of voice that applies to everything we write, from high-profile marketing communication, such as ads and digital campaigns, to every communication to partners via e-mails or offers. Why? Because every word we use in our communication contributes to how Easee is perceived. Different channels have different requirements. The following guidelines cover a principal direction.
We are talking to more than just one target group when we press that ‘publish’ or ‘send’ button. When posting publicly on LinkedIn for example, the communication is visible to end-customers, partners, investors, media, future employees, and competitors. We can always target our brand communication to reach the relevant people, but always bear in mind that a message can be perceived in a million ways, depending on the receiver.
Customers (B2C)
Partners (B2B)
Employees
Investors
Government/Politicians
Media
Educational institutes
Competitors
Public
Naturally, our language is affected by the platform we are using and the subject of our message. Just as people adapt and shape language to different situations, so does Easee. But we should always reflect the same brand and values.
External communication channels meant for Easee stakeholders. Contain product & service information, meant to inform, educate, and engage audiences.
Internal communication channels meant for Easee employees. Contains formal and informal type of communication channels to share, engage and align information across the company.
The role of communication is to clarify what makes Easee relevant and unique. And to create emotional bonds to our customers – beyond products and services. Our overall ground rules and core values should always be followed in our written and spoken language. Doing so we become clear as a brand and differentiate ourselves from the competition.
It’s all about the right order of things
Start with the intension of the communication. Great content gives great value to our audience. We always choose quality over quantity in terms of communication. Are we on brand? Then we can tailor the communication to the right platform. Get it? Do not start with the platform first.
Ground rules
It is not easy to describe the tone of voice of Easee. But we will give it a go. Our voice is captured in seven strong words. These are the characteristics we want the world to associate with us. But let us emphasize. We cannot be all of these at once. It is like a buffet, where the tone of voice is tailormade to the content. To exemplify, if Easee win an award, we should be proud, but also humble. When communicating our product and company news we should be open, with no hidden agenda. In short – the way we speak and write is our chance to bring the Easee personality to life.
In terms of being a global company, Easee should always strive to use the same tone of voice in all markets and all languages. No lost in translation scenarios please.
– Everything we do is transparent
– Honesty last the longest
– What we are doing is changing the world
– It’s in our DNA
– Time is precious
– No hidden agenda
– We dare
Remember that everything communicates, and our tone of voice is no exception. When writing or speaking, please follow this list of do’s and dont’s to stay on brand.
We practice what we preach. It’s true. Everyone who is part of Easee knows it’s true. From the quality of the products to the never-ending focus on our visions and core values. We mean everything we say. Unfortunately, many companies preach all the same, but don’t put their words into practice. Our messages end up sounding the same and not everyone is willing to listen.
So, let’s take a step back and analyze. How do we make our customers believe that we are speaking the truth? Not by constantly telling them, but by showing them. Not just by showing them but making them show each other.
Go deeper. We are not just broadcasting; we want to be part of the conversation. Storytelling. Through and from our community. We can be the leading example to show the world that it is worth it to be honest, loyal, and trustworthy. It’s durable and memorable. It’s Easee.
Remember; a strong, consistent, and direct key message is a vital part of being a global brand that people can recognize and relate to. Individual messages divide the brand and creates uncertainty around the awareness. The key messages should always be perceived the same way in all markets. It is therefore crucial that the translations are made to match the original meaning.
We divide the key messages into two categories. Product specific key messages and company & culture specific messages.
As mentioned before. Always communicate the right content, in the right channels, to the right audience, but don´t forget the most important part of the formula, the right timing. Good timing versus bad timing is always relative, when you know, you know. Zoom out and see the bigger perspective in terms of company communication and impact. In terms of a crisis, we should respond quickly to gain trust.
Maturity of the brand and EV adoption in the market is also about finding the right timing for our communication and messaging.
Measuring Communication in terms of KPI’s might be tricky. But not impossible. It is highly important that we are using meaningful communications metrics to track its value to our brand. In other words, why it’s worth the effort!
Number of earned media mentions
Easy to track via media monitoring and keywords, the number of times Easee is being mentioned online, in print or socials. Earned media mentions highlights the communication team’s job of securing message positioning across media.
Percentage of media coverage by type of media
Key indicator to measure the relevance of our chosen media channels. This is a measurable metric that will allows us to understand the most effective media channels and it is comparable over time. It also highlights the communicator’s knowledge of the sociocultural environment.
Real online earned audience
To identify the actual number of readers of our online articles/news. To count the number of unique users that are reading earned media mentioning Easee. This provides a more accurate view of engagements compared to “Reach” or “Readership” metrics like UVPM (unique visitors per month), which only shows the website’s total visitors in a given month, not how many people read a specific article.
Sentiment
When measured correctly, sentiment is a powerful reputation management metric that can be measured on a regular basis. Its frequent comparison also gives you insight into the health of your organization’s image. After all, communications professionals are the guardians of reputation.
There should always be pointed out Easee spokespersons from each market that are allowed to give statements to the media/press. These could be: local press contacts/communication manager, country managers, sales/marketing representatives, management. This is to secure consistency – accuracy and PR-network.
Easee AS (Global)
Cecilie Våge
Head of Comms.
Linda Berg Kjærås
Internal Comms. Manager
Kenneth Bjerga
Head of PR – Nordics
Christian Sædberg
Comms. Manager – Nordics
Easee Benelux
Tessa Graus
PR & Comms. Specialist
Easee Germany
Michael Hoffman
B2B Marketer
Easee UK
Lucie Tudal
Events & PR lead