What led you to take on a position in marketing and what is your role in the company?
I graduated in Communication Sciences in Padua. I chose this university course because I liked the idea of having teachers who came directly from the world of work. I wanted to work in the publishing world even if I later had other experiences. I was lucky enough to join Eclisse almost immediately, at the beginning of the brand's growth. I started by managing the events and fairs part and putting together the first communication on the site. Now I am Marketing and Communication Manager: I manage all communication, online and offline. At the moment we have internalized most aspects of marketing: press office, trade fairs and their planning. The team is made up of 6 people and we deal with practically every aspect, from the catalogs to the website, both in around fifteen languages. Personally, I also interface with the marketing representatives and with the various agencies in the countries of our members: France, Spain, Germany, England and the Czech Republic, while the communication of the other countries is managed directly by us in Italy.
What do you think about the use of social media in the B2B market segment?
I believe that in Italy the social media situation is still quite immature in the B2B market. Obviously the niche in which it operates must be considered: the Eclisse supply chain is a bit long and therefore there are different targets to involve. Furthermore, having a less visible product like ours, it is more difficult to attract attention. However, I have noticed several B2B companies that work very well on social media, addressing their target in an authentic and coherent way. For those who are still a little reluctant, we have created training for our affiliates: we provide a social media kit, designed in the correct way for each platform, to each professional so as to facilitate and support them in communication.
Which social network do you use with the most involvement and which one the least?
Eclisse is present on various platforms even if there is still a lot of management work. Facebook is the first social network that we started using and on which we positioned ourselves from the beginning, involving a segment of the public that still follows us today. I believe that the channel closest to our business model is, however, LinkedIn which gives us the possibility of contacting professionals such as installers, resellers and designers. At the moment, TikTok represents the social network furthest from us, partly due to the investment it requires and partly because our target still uses it little.
The data shows that having a low number of followers damages the brand image, what do you think?
Even though I work in the industry, I still have this sort of “bias” when it comes to the number of followers. I still tend to perceive it as an important value that gives strength to the brand. For a few years, at Eclisse, we have been working to grow the communities in the German area where costs are higher and it is more difficult to create a strategy that works on increasing the fan base.
How important are online reviews, are they important?
There are various channels through which Eclisse receives reviews: from telephone calls to online, it is always nice to have feedback with the customer. We would like to dedicate more resources to the implementation of the reviews sphere, perhaps integrating them directly on the company website. Personally, however, I don't use them very much: I read them when it comes to restaurants or places to visit but I prefer to live the experience firsthand and form my own idea. I happened to leave some when I was really happy with a service or a visit.
Have you thought about enlisting the help of professionals from the social world given the importance achieved by digital platforms and their management complexity?
Eclisse's communication is almost entirely internalized, we manage every aspect at brand level. For about a year we have been supported by an agency on the performance side and social campaigns. This choice was also dictated by the constant updating of the platforms, we needed vertical professionals on this. Furthermore, maintaining external inspiration allows you to have broader visions and different ideas.
What are the future corporate communication projects?
In the last period, in Eclisse, we have focused on having a PIM and a DAM. It was certainly an expensive investment but it is worth it because it will also be useful to all the foreign subsidiaries. Now, therefore, we must start with the use of these platforms, training collaborators to create synergy between the areas of the brand. On the social side we would like to bring innovative content that communicates corporate values and makes all sides of the brand known.