It was clear from our first meeting with Veerle Blontrock, strategic marketing manager at Addax Motors, that we wanted to help this company grow. Its warmly human culture, green vision for the future and innovative approach made it far more than a mere customer. We were soulmates.
More a hands-on language partner than a big agency
Veerle: “I’ve known Blue Lines for a few years. In various previous roles, I called on you to translate large, complex websites, and your project manager Margo always offered excellent support. Just as I was looking for a content partner for Addax Motors, Blue Lines suddenly popped up again. I saw from an online banner that you offered copywriting and content marketing as well as translations. Since I was looking for a partner who could hit the ground running, with a personal approach and a fair price, it was a no-brainer.”
Addax Motors: home-grown sustainability and innovation
Just imagine: you live in a city where electric vehicles are used for waste collection. Where the streets and parks are maintained by small, quiet, electric utility vehicles. Where parcels are delivered by CO2-free vans that take up minimal space thanks to their compact, versatile configuration. Where businesses use electric vehicles for their logistics and goods transport. This is the sustainable vision that Addax Motors is working so hard to achieve.
Veerle is quite rightly a proud ambassador for Addax Motors: “I worked for big companies for many years, but I felt it was time for something new. When I went to talk to Addax Motors, I immediately felt that this would be the right next step in my career. The founders, the mission, the vision, the product: I wanted to commit actively to all of them. Because Addax Motors was still a very young company, I could pretty much set up the marketing from scratch, both digital and offline. I thought that would be a really exciting challenge.”
You care about us
Veerle: “At our very first brainstorm session, I felt I’d found a match. It really clicked between us. You’re not a big company and neither are we, and that is why we immediately took a very personal approach to working together, with a genuine interest in each other’s story. I sense that you understand us and support our business. Basically, you care about us.
“There’s plenty of marketing work to do and our team is tiny. It’s a great feeling to have support with our content marketing: it gives us a boost that we can continue to build on. That was exactly what I was looking for: a partner who would give us a leg up without costing us an arm and a leg. So after an initial test, we didn’t hesitate for a second to team up with you for our content creation and planning.”
First publish good content, then commit to online ads
Veerle: “Our commercial director, Daniel Kedzierski, really believes in the power of digital marketing. However, I think it’s important to publish strong content first and only then to commit to SEA. So when we drew up our marketing budgets for 2022 at the end of 2021, I was strongly in favour of seeking professional help with our content creation and planning. We started with a three-month content calendar, by way of a test. Specifically, it contained ten social media posts and two blog posts. That enabled me to convince management of the usefulness of content marketing, producing concrete results in a short time. For example, we had 200 new followers on our corporate LinkedIn page after little more than a month. That was impressive growth.”
“As I see it, the big advantage of a content partner is the planned approach. It’s not a case of posting something every now and again in between all our other tasks. Having a plan means that you think far more about the types of content you want to publish, your specific goals and your target group. You try to be present in the various phases of the marketing funnel.”
“At present, we are creating content around three key factors. The first is brand awareness: that means our story, name, Belgian background and social responsibility. The second includes the market and the product: electric driving, electric vehicles, utility vehicles and flexible vehicles made for specific purposes. The third is a call to action: we want to give those who are interested that extra push to take a test drive or ask for more information.”
What content services does Blue Lines provide for Addax Motors?
- Creation of a content calendar with relevant topics
- A weekly social media post
- A monthly blog post
- Content creation in English by a native English-speaking copywriter
- Social media advertising
- Google Ads campaigns
- Creative translation into other European languages: Dutch, German, French, Italian
- Rewriting and sprucing up texts written by Addax Motors’ staff
Native English copy for a European target group
Right from our very first meeting, Veerle emphasised that she wanted to work with a native English-speaking copywriter who understood the automotive world, and more specifically the electric vehicles market.
Veerle: “The English-speaking copywriter who writes the content for Addax Motors is thoroughly acquainted with the automotive and electric vehicles market. She writes with commercial flair, but she understands the technical aspect too. That is a great combination for our content at Addax. It is absolutely vital for us to have our copy produced by a native speaker. Because we have a European network of dealers, correct and fluent language is extremely important. My own background is in economics and maths, which is why I’d rather leave language to the experts. Quick and dirty communication won’t work for us because it reflects poorly on our image. And I can’t stand seeing typos or incorrect punctuation in posts.”